“You don’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you are.” Yogi Berra
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I have always loved the Berra quote because it is so true, and has been my experience in life. I am the “Grandma” on the SAAL Board, having been involved in assessment for over two decades, half of which has been in Student Affairs.
I came into assessment in a “round-about” way, needing to know where my nonprofit organization really was in our operations, and where we needed to go. I was the Executive Director, we were a fledgling organization with little funding, and the number of people needing our services was exploding.
Fast forward several years and an opportunity in higher education presented itself. I took it and became a director of a department in Student Affairs. Although tracking our service numbers was expected, there was not much assessment being done in the division. However, I once again found myself needing to know where we were and where we needed to go as a department. I dove head first into assessment for my department.
Fast forward once again and an opportunity to lead assessment for the Division of Student Affairs presented itself. It seems that is where I still am!
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As you can tell by now, I embrace new opportunities, and I find myself on the Board of SAAL. I’m thrilled to be able to serve as the Board Secretary. I believe that SAAL is not only a valuable, but also a vital resource, for all of us engaged in assessment in Student Affairs. When I began in assessment in academe, it was lonely and resources seemed scarce. It is much different today and a large part of that difference can be credited to SAAL. It is my hope as a new Board member that I will be able to continue to contribute to the field of assessment in Student Affairs and to support those people who find themselves diving into assessment.
Blog written by Anita Vorreyer, Secretary, SAAL Board