As the Professional Development Student Manager for Communications, you work closely with Associate Director Erin Herrmann, the 
Professional Development Student Manager (PDSM): Mentoring & Onboarding , and the 
Professional Development Student Manager (PDSM): Continuing Education to collaboratively coordinate all aspects of staff professional development across key programs and initiatives at the Writing Center, including tutor onboarding and ongoing education, 
The Mentoring Program, and events—from all-staff gatherings to staff socials.
Professional Development Student Manager (PDSM): Mentoring & Onboarding , and the Professional Development Student Manager (PDSM): Continuing Education to collaboratively coordinate all aspects of staff professional development across key programs and initiatives at the Writing Center, including tutor onboarding and ongoing education, The Mentoring Program, and events—from all-staff gatherings to staff socials. In your role as PDSM for Communications, your primary responsibilities include developing and distributing the staff newsletter, creating flyers and registration pages for events, promoting events, managing PD communications in Slack, and maintaining team communication in Notion.
In addition to the role-specific work described above, you collaborate with your fellow PDSMs on planning and hosting events, support your fellow PDSMs in their responsibilities as able, serve as a 
Mentor, collaborate with other student managers to facilitate Tutor Talk, attend weekly team meetings, and may work as a Student Manager on Call (SMOC) during regular Writing Center open hours each quarter.
Mentor, collaborate with other student managers to facilitate Tutor Talk, attend weekly team meetings, and may work as a Student Manager on Call (SMOC) during regular Writing Center open hours each quarter.✨ Principal Duties & Responsibilities
As a Student Manager, duties and responsibilities ebb and flow throughout each quarter and over the course of an academic year. We are committed to making sure your duties and responsibilities are realistic and manageable.
Newsletter: Manage all aspects of Between the Lines (specific to this PDSM role)
- Plan, draft, revise, and publish the newsletter Between the Lines to all Writing Center staff to keep staff up-to-date about events, Professional Development programming, and information from other teams across the Writing Center
- Coordinate a quarterly publication schedule in consultation with the PD team (e.g. 2025-26 publication schedule was one edition per week Weeks 2-9 of AQ, WQ, and SQ)
- Oversee scheduling—initial placeholders in WCOnline, record-keeping elsewhere as needed, and ongoing changes—for PD placeholders for tutors to read Between the Lines
- Follow the Writing Center Scheduling Order of Operations each quarter and communicate scheduling updates and placeholder updates regularly in the #smac channel of Slack
Events: Create and distribute promotional materials for staff events (specific to this PDSM role)
- Design event flyers, graphics, and invitations for staff socials and other events as needed, e.g., Canva graphics
- Create registration pages for staff socials and other events as needed, e.g. lu.ma pages
- Develop digital materials for staff socials and other events as needed, e.g. slide shows
- Manage ongoing promotion of events to staff via Between the Lines, Slack, etc.
Project Management: Coordinate systems on behalf of the PD Team (specific to this PDSM role)
- Manage and organize ongoing processes for professional development content and resources, such as maintaining team meeting agendas and a Notion database of team tasks
- Develop resources for and maintain communications with staff about each step of the Quarterly Check-ins (e.g. setting SMART goals, creating and developing ePortfolios, and meetings with assigned admin)
- Distribute additional PD communications when relevant, e.g., updates to #smac or Slack posts about PD content
All PDSMs: Develop and manage content and materials for professional development programs and events
- Manage professional development content in Notion, including content specific to the PD program you manage, PD team materials, etc.
- Share drafts of PD materials (e.g. Between the Lines editions, mentoring agendas, Tutor Talk agendas) with the PD team for feedback and provide feedback to other PDSMs on their materials
- Coordinate a timeline for producing, receiving feedback on, and revising PD materials to ensure on-time launch of materials to tutors
- Communicate program information in the Between the Lines newsletter and in Slack as relevant (#smac, #professionaldevelopment, #news, etc.)
- Support the Associate Director in developing agendas and materials for all-staff events like All-Staff Orientation and Winter Retreat, e.g. creating materials for and facilitating Conversation Cafe
- Review professional development content in the Writing Center Handbook and suggest changes as needed
All PDSMs: Plan and facilitate events
- Coordinate logistics, planning, and organization of PD events, including staff socials, Tutor Talk, mentor training, and other events that may arise
- Ensure all aspects of event planning are completed for each event, including room reservations, catering, flyers/registration, invitations, promotion, supplies, scheduling logistics, etc.
- Host and facilitate PD events
- Host portions of All-Staff Orientation and Winter Retreat (e.g. Conversation Cafe) as needed
All PDSMs: Support and engage tutors in professional development programs, initiatives, and events
- Develop new ways or initiatives to enhance tutors’ work (e.g. resource-sharing, ongoing observations, etc.)
- Seek tutor feedback at key points throughout the year through surveys or other means toward the goal of ongoing program improvement
Serve as a Mentor
MentorMeet regularly with the Professional Development leadership team as well as one-on-one with the Associate Director as needed
Fulfill Overall Student Manager Responsibilities
- Work as assigned in the core Writing Center roles of
Writing Center Tutor, 
Receptionist, Course-connected tutor (e.g., Writing Fellow), and 
Writing Group Facilitators
- Collaborate with other student managers to facilitate Tutor Talk
- Attend team meetings
- Work as assigned as a Student Manager on Call (SMOC)
- Assist administrators in hiring new tutors in Spring Quarter
- Read and score applications
- Conduct interviews as part of the hiring team
- When working in-person shifts, and only when possible given your other commitments, you commit to being a source of support to tutors and daily operations
Perform other tasks as assigned
🏆 Requirements & Qualifications
We count on each Student Manager to…
Be an exemplary employee and leader of/model for other student employees
Student managers must demonstrate high-quality tutoring practices, know and follow our 
Policies, and in general be invested in making our workplace as effective and collegial as possible.
Policies, and in general be invested in making our workplace as effective and collegial as possible.We expect student managers to be highly invested in their work and to go above and beyond in solving problems that arise.
We do not expect that student managers will never make mistakes or face challenges at work, but rather to face challenges and own up to mistakes and work with their supervisor and team to learn from these experiences.
Be an effective communicator
We expect student managers to be effective communicators—with fellow SMs, with other tutors, and with administrators and coordinators.
Whenever a student manager sees a policy or procedure that is inefficient, not-ideal, or otherwise problematic, we expect them to work to share their concerns with their supervisor—and whenever appropriate with all administrators and coordinators.
Qualifications
- Be a team player who enjoys collaborating with others
- Be exceptionally organized, professional, and knowledgeable of Writing Center programs and our Policies
- Bring creativity and strong problem-solving skills
- Be able to be self-driven, to follow through, and to work independently when needed
Requirements
- You will be a current undergraduate or graduate student** who will also be a student for the duration of the academic year during which you will serve as a Student Manager
- Student Managers may not be on teams unrelated to your Student Manager role, given the time demands of the role, unless approved by your supervisor
- When working in-person shifts, and only when possible given your other commitments, you commit to being a source of support to tutors and daily operations
- You commit to serving as a Student Manager for the duration required of the given position you apply for and accept (see
Student Managers position descriptions for exact requirements)
- For PDSMs: Commit to serving as a Student Manager for a full academic year, including the following:
- Summer Quarter: at least 10 hours/week for student manager work (with an option to work up to 20 hours for additional Writing Center work)
- 20 hours/week all 10 weeks of Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters
- December intersession: potential for work depending on Writing Center budget and program needs
🧑🏫 Principal Learning Objectives
- Develop an action-oriented vision to impact the direction of professional development at the Writing Center
- Exercise creative problem-solving and attention to detail in managing event planning and scheduling logistics
- Further develop leadership skills in collaboration, facilitation, and communication
- Exercise skills in organization, time management, and systems thinking
🧑⚖️ Direct Supervisor
Associate Director, Erin Herrmann