September 1996 Lee Upcraft of the Center for the Study of Higher Education spoke to members of Student Affairs (SA) from Slippery Rock and Clarion Universities. Participants offered nineteen suggestions for improving assessment in the division.

January 1997 Student Learning Outcome Assessment plans were requested from each department within the division.

September 1997 Michael Ignelzi (Counseling and Educational Psychology) directed a workshop about assessing student development goals for members of SA. Participants generated eighteen ideas on how to assess student development.

September 1998 Sharon Johnson (VP/Dean, Student Affairs) and Claire Schmieler (Assistant Dean, Student Affairs and Health Center) attended a SSHE Imperatives Grant for Assessment Planning workshop at the Clarion River Lodge.

September 1998 SA Directors met at a retreat to revise their mission statement, draft a vision statement, and work on a student development outcomes model. They used the State System Goals for 98-99, the SA Division goals 98-99, and the Imperatives for the Future document to aid them in their task.

September 1998 SA produces a Student Affairs Assessment Notebook that is provided to each department. It includes the following (which are periodically sent out to the departments):

November 1998 Claire Schmieler (Assistant Vice President, Student Affairs and Health Center) and two faculty members from the SRU Assessment Team attended the Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis Assessment Conference.

November 1998 An assessment planning meeting and workshop was held for more than fifty assessment coordinators from all academic and student affairs departments. A relationship was established between SA's Housing Department and Deborah Whitfield (Computer Science) to begin a collaborative technology project.

April 1999 SA develops an SRU Outcome Assessment in Student Affairs Statement and Worksheet.

April 1999 SA held a retreat. Assessment coordinators and Directors brought copies of department learning outcomes and assessment ideas. Assessment plans from West Chester and Edinboro and a Middle States statement regarding outcomes assessment were provided. Here's a summary of what transpired:

May 1999 Presentation, Claire Schmieler (Assistant Vice President, Student Affairs and Health Center) served as group facilitator and program organizer for a presentation titled "Student Development Learning Outcomes and Assessment: An Imperative for the Future" at the State System of Higher Education Student Affairs Conference held at Indiana University of PA. The presenters were Mike Bucell (Counseling Center, Edinboro U.), Paul Oliaro (VP for Student Affairs, West Chester U.), and Sharon Johnson (VP/Dean, Student Affairs).

May 1999 A Student Affairs Assessment Team is formed.

June 1999 SA staff members and faculty members from several colleges attended the AAHE Assessment conference in Denver. SA attendees included Claire Schmieler (Assistant Vice President, Student Affairs and Health Center) Jodi Solito (Health Services), Vernon Jones, George Stroud (both from Minority Student Affairs and Cultural Diversity), Paula Olivero (Residence Education/Housing), and Debra Pincek (Food Services). Here's a picture of some of the attendees.

September 1999 The Student Affairs Assessment Team introduced Assessment Worksheets at a Division-wide workshop. Each Department was required to return the worksheet indicating the program assessment instrument, when assessed, by whom, actions/recommendations, and links to which university-wide outcomes. A worksheet was available for the three division outcomes as well as user satisfaction and needs assessment.

November 1999 The Assessment Team approved a matrix to display the division assessment activities as reported on the worksheets. Included were the five-year reviews required by the Office of the Chancellor.

A Partial List of Student Affairs Departments and Criteria by Which External Reviewers Evaluate Them as Reported by SA Staff Members (Student Affairs departments have five-year external reviews as well as some accreditation requirements)

Health Services We were evaluated by AAAHC in 1998. The process involved evaluation regarding 12 standards that we were obligated to prove compliance with. Also an important component was the QI program which was to be comprehensive, include a time line indicating re-evaluation as appropriate, peer review, client satisfaction surveys, needs assessment and risk management. --Claire Schmieler

Food Services The state has mandated that all departments will conduct a program review every 5 years. I contracted with a food service director from a university outside of the state system. As far as guidelines: SRU belongs to NACUFS, the National Association of College and University Food Services. They primarily work with schools who operate their own food services; but they have been expanded their base in recent years to include schools with contracted operations such as Slippery Rock. They provide a Professional Standards Manual to the member institutions. I have used these standards and adapted some to pertain to contracted food service operations. I conducted a program review for Bloomsburg University a few years ago. At that time, I developed review guidelines by adapting the NACUFS professional standards. --Deb Pincek

Residence Life and Education We had an external reviewer by the name of Kenneth Stoner in to do the review. He was a past president of out professional organization named the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I). The standards used are the ACUHO-I standards for the profession. Since then the organization has developed a team of trained professionals who are available to do these reviews across the country. I am one of those trained people! --Paula Olivero