Director selection process

From The Collaboratory

Contents 1 Goal 2 Student Director Position 3 Qualifications 3.1 General Job Description 3.2 Specific Job Description 3.2.1 Student Director of the Collaboratory 3.2.2 Assistant Student Director of the Collaboratory 4 Process 5 Interviews 5.1 Topics 5.2 Sample Questions

Goal

To select a Student Director of the Collaboratory who possesses Christian spiritual maturity, commitment, and experience to serve one year as Assistant Director and grow into a second year of service as the Director.

Student Director Position

The Student Director works along side the Director of the Collaboratory to champion the vision, identity and mission of the Collaboratory through development and oversight of leadership development, discipleship, development and maintenance of College Development relations and policies and procedures.

Qualifications

General Job Description

Below is the general job description for a leader in the Collaboratory as found on the Leadership page:

Qualifications

1. Christian testimony and evidence of a desire to grow as a disciple of Jesus, including:
   • Fellowship with other Christians in a local church.
   • Seek the mind and will of God through the practice of spiritual disciplines, including worship, prayer, and scripture study.
   • Desire to live a life of obedience to God.
2. Desire to learn and grow with the help of others, and the humility to do so.
3. Desire to help other Christians follow Jesus through faithfulness in their intellect, character, and actions.
4. Concern for sharing Christ in word and deed with those who do not know him, and for stewardship of the creation.
5. Committed to the mission and vision of the Collaboratory, and to dependable participation as evidenced by the candidate’s record of service.
6. Able to adhere to a leader's contract.

Responsibilities

Student leaders share leadership responsibility with the educator advisor assigned to them. With the advisor’s help their responsibilities are:

1. To actively learn from an advisor and more experienced leaders.
2. To participate in discipleship activities, including the Collaboratory Fall Retreat, discipleship activities and encourage others to participate.
3. To participate in leaders’ administrative and development activities, including the Leaders Workshop and Leadership Team Meetings.
4. To cast vision for goals that may span multiple generations of students, and secure buy-in for existing obligations and commitments of the project.
5. To mentor peers, helping them learn how to work on a team, develop skills that support the work of the team, contribute faithfully, and mature as followers of Jesus Christ.
6. To insure that the team provides thorough documentation between generations of students; and to pass documentation on to the next leader.
7. To mentor his or her replacement.

Specific Job Description

Below is the specific job description for the Director and Assistant Student Director of the Collaboratory as found on the student leaders page:

Student Director of the Collaboratory

Additional Qualifications

• Minimum of two full years of experience in The Collaboratory.
• Able to commit to a minimum of one full academic year and one summer of service.
• Able to provide spiritual leadership of The Collaboratory.
• Good communicator; able to motivate, direct and empower others.
• Detail oriented: able to track, coordinate and prioritize the details of multiple projects; and adjust priorities on short notice.
• Completion of the Leadership Development Seminar.
• Site Team experience highly desirable.

Responsibilities (with the Director of the Collaboratory)

• Champion the vision, identity and mission of the Collaboratory on campus, especially among student leaders and prospective participants.
• Chair the Leadership Committee Meetings of the Collaboratory.
• Develop and oversee leadership development, project management and discipleship programming of the Collaboratory.
• Coordinate schedule for Monday Night Meetings
• Assist in developing positive relationships with project and funding partners.
• Work through the Operations Committee and Leaders Committee to recommend budget and program decisions to the Executive Committee.
• Develop and maintain organizational policies and processes that serve non-Staff Teams and Groups and enable the Collaboratory to achieve its mission.
• Coordinate appropriate communication with Collaboratory participants and College Development.
• Provide a report to the Advisory Board at their annual meeting.
• Voice privileges on the Coordination Committee; Advise the Director of the Collaboratory on matters that come to the Coordination Committee.

Assistant Student Director of the Collaboratory

Additional Qualifications

• Minimum of one full year of experience in The Collaboratory.
• Able to commit to a minimum of two full academic years and one summer of service.
• Able to provide spiritual leadership of The Collaboratory.
• Good communicator; able to motivate, direct and empower others.
• Detail oriented: able to track, coordinate and prioritize the details of multiple projects; and adjust priorities on short notice.
• Completion of the Leadership Development Class.
• Site Team experience highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Student Director in his/her responsibilities.
• Set aside time for mentoring and discipleship training with the Student Director.
• Complete special projects when asked by the Student Director and Director of the Collaboratory.
• Make preparations for the Service Day lunch for Collaboratory members.
• Attend and record minutes from Leaders Committee Meeting.

Process

The Assistant Director will administrate the following process to select his or her replacement:

1. Between spring break and April 13 the Assistant Director will announce the beginning of the selection process and invite nominations for persons to take his or her place. Collaboratory members may nominate themselves.
2. Members of the Leaders Committee may identify and encourage specific candidates to apply.
3. Direct candidates to read the Director's job description on the Collaboratory wiki.
4. Ask the candidates to write an essay that describes:
   • The candidate's Christian faith journey.
   • How the Christian faith relates to the Collaboratory.
   • The candidates vision for the future of the Collaboratory.
5. Schedule 1-hour interviews with the Director of the Collaboratory.
6. Announce the new Assistant Director in or before the last meeting of the spring semester, and by e-mail to all Collaboratory members and advisors.

The Director of the Collaboratory will:

1. Interview the candidates, and at his or her discretion invite another advisor to assist with the interviews.
2. Recieve input and recommendations about the candidates from the present Student Director and Assistant Student Director of the Collaboratory.
3. Recieve input and recommendations about the candidates from members of the Leaders Committee.
4. Make the the final decision about the selection of the next Assistant Director.

Interviews

Topics

1. The purpose of the Collaboratory.
2. The Christian faith journey of the candidate and how it has prepared him or her to be the Student Director of Collaboratory.
3. Essential qualifications of a good Director.
4. Why the candidate wants to be the Director.
5. Hesitations the candidates has about being the Director.
6. The candidate's vision for the Collaboratory over the next two years.

Sample Questions

1. What is the purpose of the Collaboratory at Messiah College?
2. Talk about your Christian faith journey and how it has prepared you to be the Student Director of the Collaboratory.
   • How did you come to faith in Christ?
   • How do prayer and scripture help you to follow Jesus?
   • Where do you fellowship with other Christians? Talk about your ministry there.
   • How do you understand the great commission and how have you responded?
   • Talk about someone who has influenced your faith and how?
   • How have you grown in your faith since becoming a Christian?
   • How is God challenging you today as a disciple of Jesus?
3. What past projects or activities are now sources of greatest satisfaction and pride in your life?
4. What are the essential qualifications of a good Director?
   • Which of your gifts and personality traits will be an asset? Liability?
   • Talk about a time when you championed or were principle spokespersons for a cause.
   • Talk about a time when you helped an organization to better accomplish its mission.
   • What is your understanding of the Advisor’s role? (See shared leadership and shared leadership principle.)
   • Talk about a time when you had to say something important to someone that they did not want to hear, and what happened.
   • Talk about a time when someone managed to irritate you, and what happened.
   • What cross-cultural ministry experience would you bring to the Director position? Do you have plans to serve on a Collaboratory site team?
   • Do you have concerns about your relationship with any present Collaboratory leaders or advisors?
5. What is your vision for the Collaboratory next year? The future?
6. What hesitations do you have about being the Director?
7. Do you have the time to be the Director? What are your other commitments?

Apply for the Assistant Student Director position