Welcome Message from Our New AER KC Co-Chairs

Hello AER KC colleagues,

We’re excited to introduce ourselves as the new Co-Chairs of NASPA’s Assessment, Evaluation, & Research Knowledge Community: 

Scott Radimer, PhD Director of Assessment and Planning Division of Student Affairs University of Houston	Dayna Weintraub, PhD Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Assessment, Strategy, and Planning Rutgers University–New Brunswick

We’d like to extend our gratitude to Kimberly Kruchen and Shaun Boren for their leadership in growing the AER KC and laying the groundwork for a sustainable, vibrant community of practice. Their efforts have significantly strengthened and expanded the Knowledge Community, creating a more sustainable organization with a much broader reach.

Our Vision for the AER KC

Together, we aim to:

1. Ensure AER KC sustainability. Build on the work done to strengthen the KC, increase engagement with the membership, and increase the financial resources available to the KC to support assessment initiatives.
2. Support Student Affairs Assessment Professionals. As the field of assessment work continues to grow and  within Student Affairs, we want to help it continue to professionalize and develop.

Looking Ahead: Director of Assessment Institute

One of our first initiatives will be the Director of Assessment Institute, an all-day pre-conference workshop planned for NASPA 2026. We’re designing a practical, in-depth program tailored to assessment leaders with three or more years of experience. This will be a cohort based program and will provide training on subjects most relevant to staff that have division level responsibilities for assessment/planning. If the Director of Assessment Institute is successful, we hope that it will grow into its own stand-alone event.

Additionally, we will host quarterly engagement meetings and regular professional development webinars, providing assessment leaders and enthusiasts with opportunities to connect, network, and share resources within the community.

As we embark on this term, we invite you to:

• Join the AER KC page on LinkedIn where we share information about what we are doing and opportunities to get involved.
• Connect with other assessment minded professionals in your area through the NASPA regional representatives and help build the pipeline of assessment leaders in the KC.
• Promote the promising practices grant opportunities within your networks or consider applying for a grant yourself!

Thank you for your commitment to advancing assessment, evaluation, and research in Student Affairs. We look forward to collaborating with each of you to strengthen our profession and to continue the excellent work of our predecessors.

Warmly,

Scott Radimer & Dayna Weintraub
Co-Chairs, NASPA AER Knowledge Community