The ACUHO-I/EBI Assessment Award has been presented to Emory University and John W. Lynch, Area Director of the Second Year at Emory, for his commendable commitment to analysis-driven improvement and innovative use of the ACUHO-I/EBI assessments.
In our mission to foster continuous improvement in the student experience, we at EBI have been fortunate to encounter many dedicated professionals who have truly made a difference on their campuses. With their hard work in mind, we have created an ACUHO-I/EBI Assessment Award to recognize continuous improvement in higher education.
The ACUHO-I/EBI Assessment Award recognizes an individual or institution that is committed to continuous improvement as evidenced by issue identification, change, and improvement. The recipient’s institution receives an ACUHO-I/EBI Complete Assessment Package for 2011-2012. In addition, the individual will be presented with a plaque at the ACUHO-I Annual Conference, and the institution will be featured in an article in the Talking Stick publication and website.
A Leader in Continuous Improvement
When John Lynch was tasked with expanding Emory’s innovative Second Year Experience (SYE) program so that it included all sophomore students, he sought insights from the ACUHO-I/EBI assessments. The survey results revealed that the students already participating in the SYE displayed high levels of satisfaction, while the remaining sophomores felt dissatisfied with both their residential experience and its financial cost. “SYE students felt they were getting a terrific experience, while other students felt they were missing out on SYE and paying too much for their experience,” says Lynch. “This group consistently cited their satisfaction with room assignments and personal interactions as being quite low.”
Based on the feedback students provided through the ACUHO-I/EBI Resident assessment, Lynch and the SYE steering committee developed a mission statement for the SYE program. The mission statement emphasized the program’s responsibility to offer programs and services that would allow second-year students to “develop greater self-awareness, define goals for their Emory experience, identify and utilize campus resources, and connect with others through meaningful relationships.” The committee then examined the survey results, learning how widely the learning experiences of second-year students differed by residence hall.
To address students’ dissatisfaction with room assignments, the Assignments staff of Residential Life and Housing launched a communications campaign to provide students with appropriate expectations. Targeting the low learning outcomes related to personal interactions and disappointment with sophomore-year programming, the SYE leadership unveiled a new slate of programs designed to improve the social experience across residence halls and provide resources on careers, majors, and other practical matters. Responding directly to survey comments, the Housing Operations team ameliorated the physical aspects of the residence halls to address students’ most pressing concerns.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, the SYE team closely monitored trends in the ACUHO-I/EBI results to evaluate the effectiveness of the program changes. They found a close correlation between students’ realistic expectations and their ultimate satisfaction with residential life. Mindful of students’ time, the team conducted further assessments via small focus groups to learn more about what students truly expected and needed from SYE programming. With an assessment in December and a follow up survey in the spring, the SYE team has committed to an ongoing process of evaluation and advancement.
Lynch points to a culture of assessment as the factor that enabled the significant increases in satisfaction with the SYE. “Internally, there’s been a lot of support for follow-up assessments,” he says. “We’re naturally very curious people who see the worth of assessment and its impact on decisions. The higher-ups in our division are very encouraging—they truly recognize the value and the hard work behind these improvements.”
This department-wide dedication to assessment stood out to the ACUHO-I/EBI Assessment Team as a model of effective collaboration. “John Lynch and Emory University are prime examples of how comparative, mission-driven assessment results are essential to the continuous improvement of campus programs,” says Joseph Pica, Ed.D., CEO of EBI. “Through the ACUHO-I/EBI assessments, institutions like Emory gain deep, specific insight to the motivations and opinions that shape student life. As Emory has demonstrated, this insight can translate into significant improvements in the quality of the student experience.”
A Career of Continuous Improvement
In addition to highlighting Emory’s achievements, EBI has also awarded the 2011 ACUHO-I/EBI Benchmarking and Continuous Improvement Outstanding Professional Award to Dr. Jeff C. Janz of Marquette University. We present this award in recognition of Janz’s longstanding commitment to benchmarking and continuous improvement as well as his dedication to the promotion of assessment to improve the quality of university housing and residence life.
While serving as Dean of Student Life and Executive Director of Residence Life at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UW-Whitewater) Janz developed a strong commitment to the value of assessment. Every year, he presented the ACUHO-I/EBI survey results to the residence life staff and encouraged staff members to examine the survey results for their own conclusions. Janz also shared the survey analysis with leadership among the University Police, Dining Services, Leadership Development, and UW-Whitewater’s Living/Learning Communities. As a result, University Police identified areas where students felt unsafe and adjusted its procedures, Dining Services successfully improved its hours and meal variety, and Custodial Supervisors adjusted their bathroom cleaning methods and received gratifying feedback for their efforts. Janz continues his commitment to assessment as the current Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at Marquette.
To read the entire 2011 ACUHO-I/EBI Assessment Award Applicant Review, including the many diverse campus stories submitted and the lessons we gathered for improving the student experience, download the .pdf from our additional resources below.