A centralized approach to managing a large student staff

Recognizing the importance of the student staff to the overall departmental mission, the Information Technology Services (ITS) department at Ithaca College has centralized key management functions into a dedicated full-time position, the Coordinator of Student Employment and Lab Services (Student Coordinator). By centralizing this function, improvements have been made in the recruitment, training, budgeting and scheduling of student employees. The Student Coordinator is the in-house student expert, acting as a resource for other full-time area coordinators (Helpdesk, Field Service, Classroom Technology etc). This paper will highlight the advantages to be gained from this centralized management model and discuss in detail the IT organization, the job duties of the Student Coordinator, the recruitment, training, incentive and recognition programs, the communication tools and the other logistics necessary to managing a large student workforce. By centralizing these job duties, the department can readily adapt to changing service needs and economic conditions. Communication, collaboration and coordination define the life of the Student Coordinator at Ithaca College! Copyright 2009 ACM