1) BasicInformation:
a. Name:MichaelMalenfant
b. Institution: St. John’s University
c. Title: Residence Director
d. Department:OfficeofResidenceLife
2) Please describe why you are interested in becoming a Directorate member with the Commission for Assessment & Evaluation.
I am interested in becoming a Directorate member with the Commission for Assessment & Evaluation for two main reasons. First, I am a strong believer in the importance of assessment in the work of all student affairs professionals. Nowadays, all university educators need to take assessment into their own hands and can’t rely on other departments or a centralized assessment specialist to be the only individuals on campus engaging in this work. As a housing professional, it is my belief that I should be utilizing data to better understand my students’ needs, to develop impactful programming, to identify areas of growth within my residential community, and to understand the learning outcomes my students are able to achieve as a part of living within my residence hall. If I had the opportunity to be a part of this team, I would strive to use my position to ensure student affairs professionals who have shied away from working with data are able to gain confidence and take steps to better apply assessment efforts to their work.
The other main reason I am looking to become a Directorate member with the Commission for Assessment & Evaluation is I am looking for a focused professional development opportunity in which I can be challenged, take on exciting opportunities and assist others in our field to ensure they can best serve students on their college campuses. I have been fortunate to attend several conferences, participate in drive-in workshops, and stay abreast with the current events impacting higher education. However, I am eager to take on an opportunity in which I can invest, give back, make a difference, and begin to start to find a professional home outside of just the institutions I have worked at. To me, this opportunity seems like a perfect combination of everything I am seeking.
3) How do you believe your past experience and expertise in the field of assessment in student affairs will relate to your position on the Directorate?
Over the course of the past two years, I have been able to take on a variety of different experiences that would allow me to successfully serve as a part of the CAE Directorate. In the UConn Higher Education and Student Affairs graduate program there is a year-long course titled “Assessment, Evaluation and Research in Student Affairs” that is required for all students. In this course, graduate students engage in a year-long assessment project and serve as consultants for a specific department or program within the institution. As a first-year student, I had the opportunity to work with four other graduate students to better understand the learning outcomes obtained through serving as a mentor for a multicultural mentoring program run by the Asian American Cultural Center, known as KUBE. Throughout the year we formulated research questions, reviewed relevant literature, created our own survey and interview protocol, administered, transcribed, and coded interviews, as well as developed an hour-long presentation to showcase our findings to the Division of Student Affairs at UConn. In my second year, I had the opportunity to serve as a Teaching Assistant for this same course and help guide a group of graduate students through their project focused on learning outcomes achieved in the Resident Assistant course administered by the Office of Residence Life. As a Teaching Assistant, I also co-taught the lecture on qualitative data analysis and strategies to best present your findings.
I also had the opportunity to further hone my assessment skills while an ACUHO-I intern at New York University for the summer of 2015. In this role, I utilized assessment to identify the learning outcomes achieved through a time management workshop I created with my supervisor, as well as a summary report of all summer programming initiatives, statistics, observations, and feedback for future summers. Within the workshop, we integrated formative and summative assessment to recognize the progression of the retention of information students were able to take away from the workshop. We also utilized a rubric to observe the learning they were exhibiting during the breakout activities we developed. Finally, currently I serve as the chair of the departmental assessment committee for Residence Life at St. John’s University.In this role, I am focusing on widening the type of assessments the department implements beyond survey distribution, and utilization and satisfaction assessments. Also, I am focusing on providing resources and tools for the entire department to ensure that assessment is a norm for all programs and initiatives the department oversees and that all staff members feel comfortable and confident incorporating assessment into their everyday work.
Although I am a new professional and most likely have less years of experience, I am confident that the academic and practical experiences I have gained will provide the commission with a unique outlook on how assessment can be taught and implemented on college campuses.
4)PleasedescribeanypreviousinvolvementintheCommissionforAssessmentandEvaluation,oranyotherACPA-related work/presentations.
This past year I was able to attend the ACPA Convention in Montreal and present a session titled Making a Case for Assessment: Learning through Authentic Situations. Our presentation focused on the process of developing and utilizing a case study to teach assessment, evaluation, and research skills. Beyond this presentation, I have yet to be involved with the Commission for Assessment and Evaluation or any other ACPA related experiences. Beyond ACPA, I have been able to present for various other professional associations including ACUI and NACA. As I mentioned above, I am actively searching for an experience like this to further get involved, give back, and expand my professional network.
5) BelowyouwillfindalistofcommitteesinwhichDirectoratememberscollaboratethroughouttheyear.Pleaseprovide ONE idea that you believe could benefit the Commission as it relates to any one of these committees:
a. Student Affairs Assessment Institute: Planning, implementing, and evaluating the annual Institute
b.Communications: Coordinate and provide regular updates for blog, website, and social media; liaison with workgroups
c. Commission Logistics: Coordinate convention activities, elections process, and orientation for new members
d. Convention Program Series: Identify hot topics/best practices; solicit programs and lead presenters
e. CAS: Work with ACPA CAS liaison to provide resources
f. Webinars: Identify topics; plan, implement, and evaluate 3-4 webinars
g. Online Learning: Work with the International Office to develop 2+ online learning modules on assessment topics
h.Book Discussions: Develop 4 article/book discussions utilizing various methods (webinar, social media)
i. Publications: Coordinate 2-3 publications on theme-based or stand-alone topics; team to plan/author or recruit writers
Looking at the above committees, one idea that comes to mind is the ability to provide professionals affiliated with the Commission for Assessment and Evaluation the tools to continue the conversation in their own department or division. Specifically tied to the committee that works on article and book discussions, I would hope to provide members with an article and facilitation guide that they could utilize in a staff meeting to ensure that all constituents are thinking about how relevant readings on assessment and evaluation impact their role. Ideally, we would be able to provide these on a quarterly basis so that the conversation could be continued throughout the year, and focus on different relevant skills and topics. If this idea were to be implemented it would allow for the mission and work of our commission to spread further than just those individuals that attend our events or receive our communications. This also could increase departmental buy-in to the importance of assessment and why this work is so relevant in higher education today.
6) AfterreadingtheintroductorystatementbelowabouttheACPALeaderSelectionProcess,takeamomenttoreflectonyour own experiences at the intersections of equity, inclusion and diversity. How will your experiences help you in our work to champion equity, inclusion and diversity within and outside the ACPA community?
Introductory Statement
The ACPA Leader Nomination and Election process provides a defining moment in the development of our organization. It is an opportunity to ensure that people with the necessary competencies are leading ACPA and providing governance that will secure the future of the organization, fulfill the objectives of the association, and deliver long lasting sustainable benefits and results. It is also an opportunity to try to ensure that from the outset as many leaders as possible have an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion understanding and competencies, as well as commitment and confidence to deliver on the explicit strategic priorities of ACPA.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion skills are critical requirements of leadership in ACPA. Embedding and integrating Equity, Diversity and Inclusion into core or mainstream activities is a competence organizations have struggled with in the past, but ACPA has a legacy and a commitment to get this right.
The capability for getting this right must include knowledge, skills and experience engaging and partnering with individuals and groups from multiple identities and the capacity to integrate a diversity of views and information into the decision-making of leadership. Ultimately, ACPA is acting as a champion for students, faculty and other staff and their interests, ensuring high standards of quality and consistency of support and growth for all.
Personally, I think it is all about having an understanding of who you are as an individual and how you present yourself to the rest of society. For me, that means understanding the history of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, religion, and many other identities and how my own identities come into play within the historical context of difference and oppression in the world. As I navigate life as a white male, I have the responsibility of negating and deconstructing the societal privileges that are provided to me based on these two dominant identities to ensure I am working towards creating a more equitable experience for all I interact with at work, socially, and in life in general. On that same note, it is my responsibility to use my voice in society to advocate for the inclusion of those that have been marginalized, by empowering others to share their story. My own personal experience pertaining to oppression I have faced connects to invisible identities that others don’t necessarily recognize based off of my appearance. While this affords me privileges in many aspects, it has also pushed me to develop an increased sense of empathy and also understand the struggle individuals may face in terms of having to “come out” or share any of their hidden identities. If I were to be selected to represent ACPA and the Commission for Assessment & Evaluation, I would strive to ensure not only I focused on integrating diversity, equity and inclusion into each aspect of the commission’s tasks, but that as a Directorate Board we challenged the status quo, asked tough questions, and created a working environment where each member could be their most authentic self.