| Overview |
Position Description |
Program Objectives |
In June 2000 the academic administration at Boston College established a Graduate Statistical Assistant (GSA) program under a UAPC research initiative, with plans for an initial cadre of at least three GSAs to be in place for the fall semester.
GSAs bring to those faculty and advanced graduate students whom they assist:Note that as part of this service they neither write programs in statistical-package languages, nor offer advice on matters of statistical theory. The university expects that faculty and advanced graduate students acquire those professional skills as part of their natural career development.
The GSA program originally operated under the auspices of the Faculty Microcomputer Resource Center (FMRC), as did the well-received GTA program from 1992 through 1998. An FMRC moderator, Prof Christopher F Baum (Economics), coordinates the GSA program. In Fall 2001, with the launch of Academic Technology Services (ATS), the FMRC became part of this new support organization, and its Faculty Moderators advise ATS administrative staff on the objectives of the GSA effort, and play a key role in hiring and evaluating GSAs.
The program is based upon the successful model of Graduate Technology Assistants (GTAs) for the provision of local technology support under the supervision of faculty coordinators. That model, in use from 1992 through 1998, inspired the design of the current local support network of Technology Consultants (TCs) and Graduate Technology Consultants (GTCs). The GTA model recognized that many support problems can be successfully addressed by paraprofessional local support personnel, with ATS consultants and other IT professionals providing second-tier support.
Impetus for the GSA variant of this program arose in a 1998 review of statistical computing prepared in reaction to the UAPC's final report. In recent years, empirical research throughout the University has both broadened and become more complex, with scholars and graduate students in many departments and schools placing greater demands on the University's resources for their research needs. The Academic Technology Committee (ATC), advisory to the Academic Vice President, also approved this initiative at its very inception.
Although new desktop hardware and UNIX systems have strengthened researchers' capabilities to work effectively with large datasets and web-based information sources, the support level provided for this increasingly complex research environment has not expanded. Under current market conditions in the technology sector, Boston College cannot hope to meet these support needs by hiring and retaining a sizeable professional staff.
Just as the GTA program greatly extended the quantity and quality of support efforts during its existence, so also the GSA program extends the availability of support for empirical research by leveraging the efforts of A&RS personnel and providing 'hands-on' first-tier support with the cadre of Graduate Statistical Assistants. These GSAs, hired and supervised by faculty, liase between the users of statistical computing services, ATS professionals, and Library professionals responsible for database acquisition and cataloging. They provide an average of 12.5 hours per week of service from mid-August through mid-June, with a possibility of some summer GSA positions also becoming available.