Student Affairs Assessment Council Minutes
August 21, 2013
Attendance: Ozge Akcali, Maureen Cochran, Rick DeBellis, Kami Hammerschmith, Carolyn Killefer, Remi Nagata, Daniel
Newhart, Juliana Recio, Michele Ribeiro, Melissa Yamamoto, Pat Ketcham, Kayleen Salchenberg, Kent Sumner
Assessment Council Membership Position Description
Results from a recent survey put out by Student Affairs Research, Evaluation, and Planning (SAREP) were shared and
discussed. The PowerPoint containing summaries of initial results has been posted to the SAREP website in the
Assessment Council minutes area.
Three themes emerged from the results of the position description portion of the survey: collaboration, leadership
within departments and the group, and participation in a learning community. Attendees broke into 3 groups to discuss
each of these areas of involvement with the Assessment Council. Groups were asked to:




Review the content of the responsibilities and benefits listed
Use the information to create more concise responsibility statements
Articulate additional benefits that are not already included
Order items in terms of importance/most relevant responsibilities and benefits
Results from this discussion have been used to draft a position description for Assessment Council involvement. The
“qualifications” that were identified by Council members were very briefly discussed in the meeting and have been
included in the draft as well. In an attempt to make them more concise, some edits have been made with changes
tracked so that folks can react to whether or not it is an accurate representation of the findings. The latest draft can be
found on the SAREP website in the Assessment Council minutes area.
Assessment Council Charge
Results from the portion of the survey having to do with the charge were shared and can be found at the end of this
document, for your reference.
Upon further examination of the first portion of the Assessment Council charge, discussion ensued around the second
sentence of the charge: “The primary charge to the Assessment Council is to establish and monitor the assessment
agenda for Student Affairs and other collaborating units.” The result of this discussion was the decision to reword that
sentence in accordance with the themes found in the position description portion of the survey. In addition, general
comments were made with regard to the overall tone of the charge and that an appreciative inquiry approach may
result in a more appropriate charge. Daniel and Maureen plan to update the next draft of the charge for the Council to
react to.
Next Meeting:
September 11, 2013
9:00 am-10:30 am
MU Council Room
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Assessment Council Charge
Elements of the current charge
MUR Establishing approaches to share and maximize the use of
resources across Student Affairs units
CCP To implement a cohesive and coordinated assessment program
across Student Affairs units
Still
Somewhat
Relevant Relevant
No
Longer
Relevant
12
0
0
11
2
0
Functioning as a learning community - one that consistently
advances its own learning and uses its acquired knowledge to
consult with individuals and groups
DWP Guiding division-wide assessment projects
10
10
2
1
1
1
Implementing assessment planning, reporting, and evaluation
of assessment efforts, including providing feedback to
departments on their assessment plans and activities
9
4
0
Establishing a standard format for unit level assessment annual
reports, which will be integrated into a Division of Student
Affairs assessment report
8
4
1
8
3
2
6
6
7
5
0
2
3
9
1
3
3
8
7
2
3
FLC
PRE
FFR
CRS
CLO
IAP
IPS
DRS
LAA
Ensuring that a structure is in place that will produce a
common data reporting structure, that all departments have
assessment plans, that plans are implemented, that results are
reported, and that results are applied to continuous
improvement efforts
Identifying a set of common set learning outcomes and areas
of impact that are common to and will be assessed by all units
Implementing specific assessment projects
Developing mechanisms to monitor the degree to which and
the manner in which assessment results are being used to
improve programs and services
Providing reinforcement and support for assessment efforts design a reward structure
To monitoring the level of assessment activity
Additional suggestions from the survey
Develop and practice leadership in the area of assessment
Assessment Communication conduit between SAREP and department
Act as a general champion for assessment in Student Affairs
Communicate the newest assessment, research, and planning trends gathered from conferences,
publications, and other resources
Other suggestions for the charge:
The charge should support the Council in their work within their departments
The council should not be/should not be seen as a policing group
2