A Letter from the Incoming AER KC Co-Chairs

 The 2023 NASPA Annual Conference was a fantastic opportunity to connect with colleagues, gain new knowledge, and spend time in community. During the conference, we had the opportunity as incoming co-chairs to co-lead the full day assessment 101 pre-conference workshop with the outgoing co-chairs. That’s a lot of “co’s”, but this was an appropriate way to transition - as we said to our workshop attendees, assessment is a team sport. The AER KC is full of members with a positive restlessness made all the more enjoyable and valuable by collaboration. We are honored to follow Darby and Kevin as co-chairs of the AER KC family. Thank you, Darby and Kevin, for your service to the profession, and your mentorship. This does not mean you’re not allowed to go anywhere, Co-Chairs Emeritus!

It was great to see colleagues in person at the NASPA Conference! There were 24 sessions sponsored by the KC, many exemplifying collaboration. Darby partnered with the Fundraising & Communications KC to co-lead a standing-room-only session on assessment and alumni engagement. Kim was part of presenting a 6-institution study on the evolving role of the RA. Other full sessions include one on data visualization, another on data about student sense of belonging. In reflecting back on the conference, it is clear that assessment is as valued as ever.

To continue this momentum, we’ve been working on a strategic plan to guide the AER KC through our tenure and beyond. While it is still under development, and will stay a living document, here is a preview of the major areas:

•      Sustainable Organization - supporting the AER KC community, e.g. onboarding leaders
•      Collaboration - nurturing key partnerships, e.g. other KCs and assessment associations
•      Strategic Planning - expanding strategic planning competencies for student affairs
•      Career Development & Exploration - paving pathways into assessment and leadership
•      Practitioner-Scholar Development - creating and sharing standard and best practices
•      Research - contributing generalizable knowledge to student affairs assessment

These will frame the identification of shorter-term action items for KC leadership and our work groups.

We welcome your engagement, at whatever level, and from whatever level of assessment experience. And we would not be AER members if we did not appreciate your feedback on how to better serve you. Please share your feedback on this brief survey:

https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3xGDCZCBrdJwkHs

We are looking forward to working with you over the next few years and are excited about the progress we can make together!

Your Co-Chairs,

Kim & Shaun

Kim Kruchen, Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives, University of Colorado, Boulder, kruchen@colorado.edu

Shaun Boren, Director of Student Life Assessment and Research, University of Florida, shaun.boren@ufl.edu