At this time of the year as we all begin the process of closing, I often think what type of job we did this year and what was accomplished. We begin each year with great hopes and promises for the future – new programs, new staff, new ideas on how we will make it can ensure the best learning experience for the students who arrive on our campus etc.. Have we been successful in the delivery of those services and programs? How do we measure success?

I often think back to a training session I have offered to RAs a number of times throughout my career – it is a “sense memory” exercise. The session occurs in August, before the new students have come to campus. RAs are asked to close their eyes and envision the dialogue and activities happening on their floor on the last days of the final exam period. What types of conversations are occurring? How are people saying good-bye to each other? Is there any reflection occurring as to how they felt the year went? Are the students discussing summer plans in which they will meet up with each other?

Much of what we do on the front end of the year will show the desired results at closing. So if you have the type of closing you could only dream about at opening, take a moment to congratulate yourself for the work you and your staff did with your training and welcoming exercises.

Some simple ideas to add to your end of the year checklist include:

Exit Interviews for all staff: This is a great way to receive qualitative feedback toward staff morale, ideas to improve the department and to create an individual and personal thank you to the staff members who are leaving the institution.

Memories Booklet. For departing staff providing a “memory book” of pictures, quotes and words of advice is helpful to show how important staff members were to the organization.

Year End Awards: Most institutions I know have some type of annual recognition for staff members. Providing slide shows, CDs of flyers / visual representation of the year, and other innovative thank you’s are key in demonstrating your appreciation for the work that was completed over the course of the year.

While some items on this list seem pretty standard, I am surprised at just how many schools do not engage staff at the time of departure. Should you have further ideas, I would encourage you to respond with your comments in the response section of the blog.

Contributor: Dr. Tom Ellett, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, New York University

Last month’s entry was dedicated to professional development through conference participation. Although conferences are fabulous, there are many more opportunities out there…many of which are lower cost or no cost. This entry focuses on other avenues for professional development.

Professional Development on Your Campus

Chances are good that there are some great professional development opportunities available on your campus. They will come in two basic forms: ready-made and self-initiated. One easy ready-made option could be to attend a campus class if it is part of your benefits package. Look at psychology courses, business courses, and any other area that might round out or deepen your knowledge. Similarly, you should investigate resources offered by Human resources. Often HR will provide presentations on performance evaluations, hiring, and many other topics that will connect to your responsibilities (both current and those you will need to advance).

One option that might require more personal initiative is to reach out to other offices and inquire about shadowing and collaboration possibilities. Other offices within Student Affairs may be open to allowing you to attend some of their training or letting you expand your skill set by working on a project outside of residence life. Taking the time to do a little extra work outside your area could really make you a stand out staff member on your own team and could help you develop new strengths and experiences.

Online Resources…like Reslife.net!

If you are reading this, you are probably already aware that there are great resources online. Sites like this one offer valuable tools and opportunities that are easily accessible. If you have a smaller professional development budget, consider signing up for an online course at Reslife.net. An online course allows for great exchange of information, networking with professionals from across the regions, convenience of flexible participation timelines…all for a much lower cost than most conference attendance requires. In addition to formal online classes, there are many other free resources online. After just a quick scan of the (free) articles on Reslife.net, I easily found “Professional Development: A Self Help Guide” by Clive Pursehouse at http://reslife.net/html/personal-dev_0204a.html. Whether you are delving further into this site or searching across the web, there are many wonderful classes, articles, forms, handbooks, and general information once you take the time to look.

Professional Organizations

Even if you can’t attend a conference for one of the major professional organizations, there are other ways to benefit from professional organizations. Visit relevant organizations’ websites and look for opportunities to get involved. Sign up for list serves and read the emails. Often notices will be sent out soliciting ideas, suggestions, participants for mentor/mentee programs, and sometimes volunteers. Check out the various publications available from each organization…even if you do not have the budget resources for extensive book collections or subscriptions to journals, it is likely that most of what you would be interested in is already sitting in someone’s office somewhere in your division. Taking the time to email your colleagues may net you the journal you are seeking and it communicates that you are interested in learning more.

Regardless of your budget, there are always opportunities to develop and grow as a professional. I hope that some of the ideas above will help you get started or help you continue your own professional development journey. If you have not already done so, be sure to speak with your supervisor about your interests and to make it clear that you are looking to grow. That conversation can create a strong foundation upon which to build your personal professional plan.

Contributor: Leah Parker is an experienced residence life professional with a strong background in staff training and supervision. After spending 7 of her 9 professional years living in on campus and supervising RAs, she brings a solid understanding of the RD role and life to this blog.

 Conferences come in many shapes, sizes, and most importantly…price ranges. If your budget allows you to go to attend one of the upcoming national conferences, definitely take full advantage. However, if you are unable to attend the larger conferences, don’t give up. Investigate regional and local conferences, look for scholarship opportunities, and ask your supervisor if additional funding is available if you present or participate in a key committee. If there is any wiggle room in your department’s budget, appropriate persistence can really pay off.

Once you have finagled your way to a conference, participate fully. Think about the following suggestions and make a plan to get the most from your conference experience:

• If you have never been to a conference (or never been to a national or one from a specific organization), take the time to meet with a colleague who has been there before. Ask a few questions about dress code, key events, and the best opportunities to network.

• Attend all the sessions…do not skip out on presentations for R&R (it is a conference, not a vacation day). Plan to be there for the opening and closing and to also put in some time at any networking activities or vendor fairs.

• Try to take advantage of special programs geared towards newer professionals. If there is a mentor/mentee program, then sign up…if there is a case study competition, consider giving it a try.

• Be sure to attend at least one session outside your work area and/or comfort zone. If you are a programming specialist, go to something on operations. If you are at a student affairs conference, make a point of attending at least one session outside of residence life.

• Make specific networking goals and meet them. For example, plan to hand out 5 to 10 business cards and collect at least as many. Or, if you know you will be job searching in a specific geographic area, plan to attend sessions presented by schools from that region and to introduce yourself following the session.

• Be purposeful in your choices and represent both yourself and your institution well. Be very cautious about any event with alcohol and keep “at work” behavior and standards. Resist the temptation to complain about your work or campus. A conference is a great time to reach out and gather new strategies for a problem, but it needs to stay positive and constructive. Negative attitudes and interactions leave a lasting impression and can come back to haunt you in future job searches and other professional moments.

• Last, but not least, follow up on your conference experience once you return to campus. Email your supervisor with a thank you for the funding and 3 ideas from the conference you plan to implement. Also, take the time to email anyone you met and had a significant interaction with…thank them for a great presentation, suggestion, etc.

Conferences are often the first thing one thinks of when professional development is mentioned…however, conferences are only one form of professional development. Due to budget and staffing realities, attending a conference is not always possible…so next month’s column will be dedicated to finding other opportunities for professional development.

If you have any tips or additional suggestions for a productive and positive conference experience, please post your comment. Happy conferencing!

Contributor: Leah Parker is an experienced residence life professional with a strong background in staff training and supervision.  After spending 7 of her 9 professional years living in on campus and supervising RAs, she brings a solid understanding of the RD role and life to this blog.

Recently George Kuh, who directs the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment, indicated in an interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education (http://chronicle.com/article/An-Expert-Surveys-the-Asses/48945/ ) that colleges and universities need to learn how to use their assessment tools more effectively. In late October the Institute released “More Than You Think, Less Than We Need: Learning Outcomes Assessment in American Higher Education,” a report describing how colleges measure what students learn.  

Kuh states “there are not a lot of places that are spending a lot on assessment, in terms of analyzing data through professional eyes, and people being able to give a synthesized picture of what’s going on at an institution.”  

Half of the battle of developing and implementing an assessment plan and “closing the loop” is knowing what resources are available to help you. There are a variety of resources available online, on university websites, in blogs, online classes, webinars, and assessment conferences. Below are examples of a few key resources.  

Online resources:

Internet Resources for Higher Education Outcomes Assessment:

http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/assmt/resource.htm#about

This is probably the most complete website of assessment resources.  Ephraim Schechter first posted the list in 1995 at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Later, it lived at the University of North Carolina system office and at North Carolina State University. NC State kindly continues to host it. The list currently has about 1,000 links, including about 375 college and university assessment sites.  

NASPA Assessment, Evaluation and Research Knowledge Community website, lists the name of the institution   and the corresponding website: 

 http://www.naspa.org/kc/saaer/websites.cfm  

NASPA Assessment, Evaluation and Research Knowledge Community website,

 http://www.naspa.org/kc/saaer/frameworklist.cfm 

University websites

Ball State University’s excellent assessment website:

http://www.bsu.edu/web/assessment/  

Northern Illinois University’s assessment website:

www.stuaff.niu.edu/stuaff/assessment/index.shtml  

Texas A&M University’s assessment website: 

 http://studentlifestudies.tamu.edu/ 

Assessment Conferences

NASPA Assessment Conference http://www.assessconf.net/  

ACPA Student Affairs Assessment Institute

http://www.myacpa.org/pd/assessment/  

IUPUI Assessment Institute

http://planning.iupui.edu/institute  

Southern Association for Institutional Research (SAIR)

http://www.sair.org/conferences/Conferences.asp  

The 10th Annual Texas A&M Assessment Conference

http://assessment.tamu.edu/conference/  

Atlantic Assessment Conference

http://www.meredith.edu/rpa2009/aac/  

2010 New Mexico Higher Education Assessment and Retention Conference

            http://www.nmsu.edu/NMHEAR/  

Blogs

Gavin Henning’s assessment blog:

http://www.studentvoice.com/app/Blogs/Gavin/syndication.axd  

Higher Ed Assessment

http://www.higheredassessment.blogspot.com/  

HigherEd

http://highered.blogspot.com/atom.xml  

Assessment Matters

http://assess.blogs.unr.edu/feed/  

Assess This!

http://assessory.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default  

Authentic Assessment

http://authenticassessment.wordpress.com/feed/   

Helpful assessment articles:

Promoting Assessment through Staff Development By Kim Black, Director of Assessment, University of Northern Colorado
URL: http://www.reslife.net/html/training_0109a.html  

Diversity: Assessing Residential Climate and Programs By Joshua McIntosh, Coordinator for Assessment and Residence Director, Syracuse University & Sarah Young, Residence Director, Syracuse University
URL: http://www.reslife.net/html/administrative_1201a.html  

Time Constraints: Assessment as Arcade Basketball Submitted by Gavin Henning, Dartmouth College
URL: http://www.reslife.net/html/hottopic_0209b.html  

Assessment isn’t an activity. It’s a state of mind. Submitted by Gavin Henning, Dartmouth College
URL: http://www.reslife.net/html/hottopic_0209a.html

Materials submitted by David McKelfresh; who  is on a joint-appointment at Colorado State University as Executive Director of Assessment and Research, and Program Chair for the Student Affairs in Higher Education graduate program.