Student Life Departmental Program Reviews

A department will begin the departmental review process by completing a self-study report that will form the basis for the subsequent stages of the review. The department will identify a lead department staff member who will oversee the gathering of documentation (should not be the only person gathering documents in the department) and will then serve as a resource to the campus review and external review teams, should they have questions about the self-study documentation.

The self-study will use the appropriate CAS standard for the department, or other similar professional standard. Using the CAS Standard Self-Assessment Guide for the department, the first step will be to gather data and answer each question and compile existing documentation to support the answer. It is important that answers are short but detailed so the campus review and external review can be completed. Following gathering data and answering the questions, the next step will be for the department as a whole to review the self-study document and produce questions for the campus review team and external review team as well as complete a brief 1-2 page memo with the department’s thoughts on the self-study.

A campus review team will be appointed by the Vice President for Student Life and will be made up of 5-9 individuals. This will include at least three Student Life staff from outside the department and at least two members from outside the Division, at least one of which should be a faculty member.  It is also recommended that at least one student serve on the campus review team. The campus review team will review the self-study report and will highlight areas of success and challenge for the department, articulate areas of note from outside perspectives, and pose any additional questions to the reviewers beyond those already developed by the department.

The final phase will be to bring in up to 3 external reviewers to provide feedback to the department. The department director in consultation with the supervising dean will submit the names of five potential reviewers to the Vice President for Student Life to select amongst. Included in the information given to the Vice President for Student Life should be a brief background on each reviewer, any connections to Elon, specific benefits of the reviewer, and any potential downsides or conflicts of interest. The Vice President for Student Life will then select three reviewers from the list of five and work with the director to invite them to campus. The invitation to be an external reviewer will be extended jointly by the Vice President for Student Life and the director of the department.

The external reviewers will get access to the self-study report, department memo, and campus review report. The external reviewers should meet with key personnel in the department, department partners, and students connected to the department during their time. The external reviewers should also meet with a few campus members who are not directly connected with the department but have some knowledge of the department to gain additional perspective.

Following the visit, the external reviewers will be asked to submit a report on their findings. This report should include a general overview of the department as they see it, areas of strength of the department, areas for improvement for the department, and specific recommendations. The final report should be submitted no more than three weeks following the completion of the visit.

The final report should be reviewed by the director and supervising dean and if any areas of disagreement or correction are needed the director and supervising dean will respond to the reviewers with a letter noting them.

A final summary of the external review, including a plan for responding to any areas of opportunity or concern.  The document should be created in the summer following the review and distributed to the campus review team, assessment and planning committee, and vice president’s council for discussion and comment.  The response plan may take the form a multi-year strategic plan for the department or a list of action items to be addressed in response to the review.  A final version of the executive summary and response plan should be shared openly with stakeholders.

The reporting dean who supervises the department will be responsible for following-up on the response plan and the assessment and planning committee will request periodic updates from across the division to ensure these plans do not get lost.