Job descriptions for administrative tasks
The Director of Graduate Studies is concerned with matters concerning students
enrolled or applying to enrol in BSc(Hons) and Masters degrees:
- Publicising graduate-level courses available (5 months in advance)
- Maintaining the Department's Graduate Handbook
- Responding to queries from interested students
- Processing graduate student enrolment applications
- Arranging projects and reading courses with appropriate supervisors
- Facilitating election of graduate student representative to
Staff/Student committee
- Overseeing welfare of graduate students (and appointing mentors as
appropriate)
- Ensuring seminars are given by projects/thesis students
- Gathering and recording results/grades for 700-level papers and
projects/theses
- Convening the Honours/Masters Examiners' meeting
- Ranking students for Masters/Fees Scholarships
- Assist in drafting regulation changes that concern graduate students
- Providing a list of Masters thesis students and topics for the
Department's annual report.
The Research Coordinator should oversee and foster research activities
within the Department by:
- Identifying research groups and assisting them with research planning
- Promoting graduate student research, particularly at the PhD level
- Encouraging seminars by graduate students, post-doctoral fellows,
visitors, staff returning from leave or conferences,
- Assisting the Director of Graduate Studies with preparation of the
Department's Graduate Handbook
- Providing advice to staff on how to make research grant applications,
set up research contracts/consultancy agreements, etc.
- Encouraging and coordinating grant applications to external agencies
(such as the PGSF and Marsden Fund)
- Keeping staff informed about external events, policies, deadlines etc.
- Liaising with the Computer Services Committee and HoD regarding resource
implications of research plans
- Fielding enquiries from applicants for PhD study
- Advise the HoD on support for PhD students (by way of scholarships,
assistant lectureships and temporary tutorships)
- Publicising departmental research activities
- Ensuring a list of visiting seminar speakers is recorded for the
Department's annual report.
The Teaching Coordinator should oversee teaching within the Department,
primarily at the undergraduate level, and foster and encourge high standards
by:
- Assisting the HoD with the preparation of the teaching
programme for each semester
- Providing advice and support to staff (particularly new staff) on how
to improve their teaching
- Keeping staff informed about opportunities for staff training (such as
short courses and seminars) and other events, policies, etc. which relate to
teaching quality
- Encouraging applications for Teaching Improvement Grants and arranging
for successful applicants to pass on their experience to others in the
department
- Assisting the HoD in allocation of duties for temporary staff (assistant
lecturers, temporary lecturers and temporary tutors)
- Monitoring course offerings of the department and responding to student
needs (particularly the needs of foreign students, Maori and minority groups)
- Publicising departmental teaching initiatives (in consultation with
the Publicity Coordinator)
- Liaising with the Computer Services Committee and HoD regarding resource
implications of teaching plans
- Assisting staff and the HoD with monitoring the quality of teaching
through SECAT and other evaluations
- Monitoring and distributing undergraduate examination paper pass rates
- Overseeing the preparation of the undergraduate handbook
- Coordinating documentation on course details (credit for coursework,
etc.).
The Computing Equipment and Services Committee is responsible for providing
the best possible computer services in the Department (subject to the
limited resources available), by:
- Assisting the HoD with policy on provision of computing facilities
for staff, students and visitors
- Formulating a rolling plan for replacement and maintenance of computer
equipment (for staff and student laboratories)
- Helping prepare School requests for the Major and Minor Equipment
grant rounds (in consultation with the other Departments in the School)
- Liaising with the Statistics Department and programming/technical staff
and HoD on computing services and sales/purchases
- Keeping informed about capabilities of hardware and other aspects of
the Department's computer networks
- Advising staff on new developments, availability of equipment and
services, and funding possibilities
- Monitoring hardware and software in/for use by secretarial staff
- Assisting and advising staff in the prevention and treatment of OOS
(Occupational Overuse Syndrome).
The BTech(IM) Programme Coordinator is responsible for coordination of the
Industrial Mathematics programme, by
- Liaising with representatives from other Departments closely involved
in the programme (esp. Statistics and Engineering Science)
- Providing administrative input to the design and maintenance of
the programme
- Acting as an advisor and mentor for the students enrolled in the
BTech(IM)
- Serving as a member of the BTech Board of Studies and Resource Forum
- Advising and consulting the Department about initiatives in the
area of Industrial Mathematics.
The Staff/Student Liaison Committee provides an opportunity for two-way
communication of information and views on current matters of concern to
staff and students. The Convenor of this Committee is reponsible for
- Arranging elections of one student representative from each stream of
every undergraduate paper and two representatives of Honours/Masters level
students in Mathematics
- Ensuring appropriate staff representation on the Committee (with
assistance from the HoD if necessary)
- Convening regular meetings of the Committee
- Reporting the proceedings of each meeting to all staff in the Department
and to the Faculty Staff/Student Committee.
Department representatives are expected to attend meetings of the respective
Faculty, and report on any initiatives of relevance or importance to the
Mathematics Department.
The Enrolment Coordinator is responsible for coordinating and monitoring
pre-enrolment selection and enrolment approval. This is an onerous task
and most of the work occurs over the summer:
- Ensuring that pre-enrolment is performed promptly and correctly
- Setting up rosters for staff assistance at critical times for
pre-enrolment advice and counselling, enrolment, and subsequent course changes
- Initiating selection of students for limited entry courses
- Ensuring all staff participating in enrolment are well informed as
to prerequisites and other guidelines for entry to papers.
This position has most of its work concentrated in the examination
periods:
- Assisting the HoD in appointment of examiners and assessors for all
papers at the start of each semester
- Encouraging examiners to prepare examination papers in time for
approval by assessor and moderator prior to printing deadlines
- Collating information on method of assessment (coursework/final ratios,
duration of examinations) for papers the following semester or year
- Assisting the HoD in assigning marking duties (so that loads are spread
equitably)
- Setting dates for Departmental examiners meetings, appointing convenors,
and informing staff
- Convening the Scholarship and Prize selection meeting
- Appointing representatives to Faculty Examiners' meetings and
scholarship meetings, and ensuring support for Mathematics students
at these meetings.
The Publicity Officer is responsible for ensuring that an accurate and
positive image of the Department is portrayed to students and others within
and outside the University, by
- Assisting preparation of the Department's handbooks and entries
in Faculty handbooks
- Maintaining quality control of the Department's web pages (in
consultation with the Webmaster and HoD)
- Producing a monthly bulletin of significant news (staff honours,
promotions, research grants, visitors, new graduate students, new teaching
initiatives, etc.)
- Assisting the HoD in production of the Department's Annual Report
- Liaising with staff and the HoD on other possible publicity ventures.
Until now the main function of the Liaison Officer for International Students
has been handling applications for Ad Eundum Statum admission (to ensure
students meet University entry and Department prerequisite requirements).
With an increase in the number of international students (including full-fee
paying students) it may be time to extend the responsibilities somewhat:
- Keeping informed of University policies and procedures regarding
international students
- Coordinating with the Director of Graduate Studies over graduate
admissions
- Helping international students with academic problems and concerns
- Advising international students of help available (particularly ESL
instruction)
- Keeping track of progress of international students and providing
feedback on student success (important to the process of setting entrance
standards)
- Participating in recruitment trips?
The main task of the Library Liaison Officer is dealing with the
Department's library grant:
- Seeking advice from staff on how to spend the grant on books \&
periodical subscriptions
- Informing the Library what to order
- Communicating with Library about orders, new arrivals and related matters
- Preparing requests from the Department for extra grant money
- Maintaining the Department's reading shelves (Current Math Publications,
department preprints, research reports etc.)
- Collecting information from publishers.
The Timetable Administrator is responsible for ensuring that the Department's
graduate lecture timetable and the University's undergraduate lecture and
examination timetables meet the needs of Mathematics students in the best
possible way (subject to the resources available) each semester, by
- Discussing room and timetable requirements of undergraduate papers
with staff and HoD
- Devising a prospective timetable for undergraduate Mathematics papers
- Liaising with Faculty and Registry staff over room and timetable
allocations (for undergraduate Mathematics papers)
- Ensuring allocations are adequate, effective, and correctly documented
- Negotiating solutions with Faculty and Registry staff to problems of
class overflows and timetable clashes
- Devising a timetable for Honours/Masters level papers in Mathematics
in consultation with teaching staff
- Assisting the HoD and DA in coordinating the Department's schedule of
mid-semester tests
- Assisting the HoD in advising Registry of particular requirements
for the examination schedule.
Last updated: Tuesday, 2 April 1996.