program coordinator

Intermediate 🎓 Education / Academia

Definition

A faculty or staff member managing day-to-day operations of an academic program, handling everything from scheduling to student complaints while being paid nothing extra for the privilege. Administrative martyrdom as a service role.

Example Usage

As program coordinator, Dr. Roberts spent 15 hours weekly on advising, assessment reports, and putting out fires, all listed as 'service' on her CV.

Origin

Academic administrative roles expanding in the late 20th century

Fun Fact

Program coordinators often do associate dean-level work for course-release compensation, if they're lucky.

Source: Academic program administration

Related Terms

Intermediate

department chair

A faculty member who draws the short straw and becomes responsible for administrative duties, budget battles, and mediating colleague disputes while still expected to teach and research. It's middle management with none of the corporate perks and all of the academic egos.

🎓 Education / Academia
Intermediate

Blended Learning

An educational approach that combines the worst parts of in-person learning with the worst parts of online learning into one seamlessly frustrating experience. Think of it as a smoothie made of homework and WiFi issues.

🎓 Education / Academia
Intermediate

defensive teaching

Pedagogical practices driven by fear of student complaints, legal liability, or administrative repercussions rather than educational best practices. Professors over-document everything, avoid challenging content, and prioritize not getting sued over learning outcomes.

🎓 Education / Academia
Beginner

academic integrity policy

The institutional rulebook defining academic honesty, plagiarism, and cheating—basically the terms and conditions that students don't read before clicking 'I agree.' The legal framework for catching and punishing academic dishonesty.

🎓 Education / Academia
Beginner

instructional technology

The umbrella term for all the digital tools and platforms that professors struggle to use during class while students politely pretend not to notice. Encompasses everything from learning management systems to interactive whiteboards that never seem to calibrate correctly.

🎓 Education / Academia
Beginner

lecture hall

A large tiered classroom where hundreds of students gather to experience the medieval teaching method of one person talking while everyone else pretends to listen. Modern ones feature uncomfortable seats and terrible acoustics for the authentic alienation experience.

🎓 Education / Academia

Translate This Term

See “program coordinator” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on XShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Intermediate

treasury

Where governments and large organizations stash their cash and valuables, or the department responsible for managing all...