What Does a Self-Study Coordinator Do?

What Does a Self-Study Coordinator Do?

Good question, Virginia. When I accepted this gig I sure didn't know. I feel as if I am in the process of inventing this job (which I assure you is quite temporary. I plan to be back in the classroom when the visit team hits the campus in 2010). Basically my job is to head the research team that will research and write the self-study. And I approach it as a research job (because I am an academic) and not a bureaucratic one. The self-study is a comprehensive evaluation of Kenyon over the last decade that looks at every aspect of the institution, asking how can we do what we say we do even better (to see the 2000 Kenyon self-study, click here). So my job is to coordinate the process by which we collect and analyze data and write a report that won’t put everyone to sleep. The visit team will read this report before they come in the fall of 2010, and it is one of the main sources of information about the college. So it is essential that we put our best foot forward while at the same time being honest about the challenges we face as an institution. This is the first view of the college our visit team will have. We want it to be informative without being overwhelming, well-written without being jargon-ridden, comprehensive without losing sight of the big picture, and attractive without being slick.

The first decision I made was that I wanted to work with a small team, what I am going to call a working group. This should enable us to work efficiently with a minimum of complications. But please do not think of this group as some kind of cabal, working away in secret to pull off some byzantine plot. Rather than create a whole network of subcommittees and adding to the already busy schedules of everyone on campus, I hope to tap into our existing committee structures, calling not only faculty committees, but PACT, Student Government, the Senate, as well as existing offices, when we are working within their areas of expertise and governance. But information will be funneled to the working group who will process and analyze it and do the writing when that time comes. We will share everything with the community and ask for your direct input into working papers, drafts, and final versions. Everyone will have the opportunity to read and comment on everything that we do throughout the process. I will give regular reports to all interested groups updating you on our work. If you would like for me to visit your office, program, committee, or department, you need only ask. I plan to try to get all around campus doing face-to-face meetings to talk about the process. And the web site and blog should be a place where I can let you know what we are doing and you can send me your feedback.

The rest of the Self-Study Working Group includes the following personnel. Sarah Murnen, Professor of Psychology, will be the data analyst. As I am a literary critic by trade I am pretty good at writing, but not so much with numbers. Sarah will help to collect and interpret statistical data for the self-study. Paula Turner, Associate Provost will be our link to the Provost’s Office. Tacci Smith, Associate Dean of Students, and Chris Kennerly, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Multicultural Affairs, will be our links to Student Affairs. Ellen Harbourt, Registrar, will contribute significantly to data collection. Ron Griggs, Interim Vice-President for LBIS, will serve as the Institutional Research person. Michelle Foster is our administrative assistant. If you haven't yet met Michelle, please stop by the self-study offices, 2nd floor O'Connor House, and introduce yourself.

The task I have set the committee for our first year is to produce a series of seven working papers that will guide us in data collection. These include:

1. The history of reaccreditation at Kenyon College (review of 2000 visit)
2. The goals for Kenyon’s 2010 self-study (to be generated by the community)
3. Criterion 1: Mission & Integrity
4. Criterion 2: Preparing for the Future
5. Criterion 3: Student Learning & Effective Teaching
6. Criterion 4: Acquisition, Discovery, & Application of Knowledge
7. Criterion 5: Engagement & Service

These working papers will explore past reaccreditation visits and the issues they raised, set some goals for the self-study, unpack the criteria in more detail to determine what they mean for Kenyon, outline the sorts of evidence we need, and begin to work through the collection and processing of that evidence. They will provide the basis for our drafts when we begin those in year 2.

This then is an overview of how I think the work will go this year in my new job. I do expect this semester to begin meeting personally with all offices, departments, and programs to begin the conversation. One of the neatest parts of this job may well be that I'll get to know everyone in the college so much better.