External Peer Reviews

What do they REALLY think of us? Risks and Rewards of External Reviews . . .

A two person office at Edgewood College Career Services in Wisconsin used an EACE model and NACE model.

She picked really different people with different styles from programs she respected. Then take 6 months to a year to . . .

• consulted with VP
• researched external reviews
• secured reviewers
• created binder of materials for reviewers
• conference calls with reviewers
• logistics and planning; campus communications
• budget
  

It's a lot of work for reviewers. The presenters suggested reading a lot in advance to distinguish between perceptions and facts. They needed a month and then asked questions. The review took 2 days, with them verifying objectives with the dean then meeting in the strictest confidence with campus constituents on the first day. Reviewers met for dinner privately to share perceptions and identify themes, then spent the second day compiling initial verbal findings then delivering requested initial, preliminary verbal feedback later in the day. Larger universities will need more time to hit key constituencies.

Report writing: not so much fun. They felt that they were creating a new wheel. They hadn't, but needed to have, set time in their schedules to pull together the report, and needed a better system than exchanging copies of multiple documents. They ended with 39 recommendations, and the reviewers ranked them by primary, secondary, and tertiary recommendations. And they created their own review standards guide.

The report gave them focus and direction, and the process helped push their message. Others at the college were very impressed that the Career Center was willing to put itself out there, and they got great internal PR as reviewers corrected misperceptions. And, yes, they were headed in the right direction. The buzz also created buzz among their career services consortium.

Beloit decided to do one for strategic planning. They had tons of data and were looking for new possibilities. Having faculty together for this process, the users inspired the nonusers to get involved with career services. For students, they had users and nonusers of the office. There is no good time to do it. Fall is bad, spring is worse.Mid-January before at just at the beginning of the semester seemed to work.

Cardinal Stritch University decided to delay theirs. They had a brand new provost.