Concentration/Cohort Coordinator Guidelines

A cohort in the Doctor of Ministry program is a group of Andrews DMin participants with a common interest in a specific program concentration who move through the program together. The concentration/cohort coordinator facilitates the commitment of the participants to the cohort group and works to satisfy the needs of the group by carrying out the following responsibilities.

The Andrews Doctor of Ministry program experiences shared leadership. The director is available to consult and assist a coordinator, and will help accomplish the following responsibilities. The director will endeavor to monitor progress and provide coaching as needed. The coordinator will also be assisted by the program staff in carrying out the responsibilities, and should feel free to seek their help.

Concentration/cohort coordinators should acquaint themselves with the program policies contained in the online handbook and ensure that program policies are followed.

Responsibilities

Attend the annual Andrews Doctor of Ministry Conference. Orientation to coordinator responsibilities and adjustments to the responsibilities are a part of the agenda of that conference.
Prepare a proposal for the cohort including competencies, details of modules, courses, dates, locations, lead teachers, presenters, available advisors, and a list of the competencies. The proposal needs to describe how a minimum of four of the following: portfolios, work groups, ministry development plans, mentoring, and journaling will be incorporated into the cohort's requirements. Portfolios and the ministry development plan are a required part of the pedagogy applied for the cohort. Provide the proposal to the DMin office 18 months before the first intensive. The proposal will be presented to the DMin program committee for recommendation to the Dean's Council, and subsequent consideration of the faculty.
If the cohort is an international one, initiate discussion regarding financial arrangements and provide a draft of a memorandum of agreement along with the proposal to the DMin Committee.
If the cohort is an international one, work with the DMin office to establish a site for teaching intensives acceptable to the DMin Committee. In some cases an ATS site visit will be needed.
If the cohort is outside the NAD or in a language other than English, the coordinator must prepare and present a brief plan for project/dissertation advising, editing, and defense that is within program guidelines and suitable to the context of the cohort.
For information required in promotion of the cohort including details of modules, courses, dates, locations, lead teachers, presenters, and competencies. Provide the information to the DMin office 17 months before the first intensive.
Assist and consult with the DMin office in marketing and recruiting for the cohort, assisting the DMin office in preparation of any special promotional materials needed for the cohort. While the actual materials and communication are produced by the DMin office, the coordinator needs to monitor the marketing-recruiting process. If the coordinator wishes to use unique materials, they need to be approved by the DMin office.
Phone calls are made by the DMin office to interested persons. One such call to all interested persons should be made by the coordinator three months before the first intensive.
Encourage the timely application and registration of all cohort participants for each module and course within program guidelines and the academic calendar.
Ensure that module requirement documents (syllabi) and daily schedules for intensives are posted on the DMin website by the DMin office staff.
Communicate with the DMin office to ensure venue arrangements are satisfactory. Where DMin program or teaching sites exist, a local site coordinator cares for site arrangements with the DMin office.
If the cohort is an international one, serve as a liaison between the DMin office and the entity hosting the group.
During the first intensive, coach each participant as they consider the area of their project. Prepare a table in Word with the names of participants in the first column and the area of their interest for a project in the second column. Provide the table to the DMin office immediately following the intensive.
Communicate with all lead teachers to ensure expectations and needs are met.
Ensure that all remunerations and honorariums are processed by the Doctor of Ministry office following an intensive.
Communicate periodically with the cohort to encourage progress and provide an oppportunity for them to respond with questions.

Cohorts are an expression of the DMin program and are administered within the procedures of the program. A coordinator should carry out the above responsibilities within the practices of the program using guidelines and published materials for communication as far as possible. If unique provisions are needed outside of published guidelines, courses, faculty, or schedules, the coordinator should communicate with the program director in preparation for consideration by the DMin Comittee.

3/5/2020