Carolyn Carlson

Carolyn Carlson is the Senior Academic Programs Assistant in MIT Anthropology. The Connecticut native began her MIT career as an administrative assistant in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society in 2015. She holds a BA in French Language and Literature from Connecticut College and an MA in Historical Archaeology from UMass Boston. She previously worked as an analyst at Cambridge Associates in Boston, as a collections assistant at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and as a parent outside the traditional workforce until her younger child went to kindergarten.

Describe your roles and responsibilities.

So many things! I work with faculty, the Registrar’s Office, and other administrators to create teaching schedules throughout the academic year; field questions from current and prospective students about the MIT Anthropology; collect and compile materials for tenure and promotion cases; organize events; oversee UROP applications; liaise with SHASS IT to triage computing issues; and keep track of data relevant to enrollments, whether subjects from term to term or degrees (major, minor, concentration) for use in other contexts. 

How long have you worked at MIT?

It will be a decade in mid-May!

What’s the best thing about your job?

I think of two things immediately: Meeting students, many of whom are encountering anthropology for the first time; and arriving at solutions to logistical problems with kind and thoughtful colleagues in Anthropology and across the Institute. I consistently find that our collaborations and conversations—“talking it through”—lead to creative, well-thought-out solutions that none of us would have arrived at alone. I feel very fortunate to work in an environment where these kinds of positive interactions are normal.

What advice would you offer someone interested in what you do?

Ask lots of questions, and create systems for staying organized. There are many parts of this job that happen only once or twice a year, with lots of variety thrown in along the way; that’s the nature of the academic year cycle.

What are your hobbies and interests outside work?

I love yoga, reading, biking, knitting, hanging out with my teenagers, and taking local summer trips with my husband in our tiny camper. Last September I completed my first (short-distance) triathlon, and I’m planning one or two more for this summer.