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Leading with Purpose: Reflections from the SAAL Board

As we approach the close of our current SAAL leadership term, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what it means to serve, lead, and grow within this community. Each of our Board members has contributed time, passion, and expertise to advancing our organization and creating spaces for connection, lea…

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When 'What do you do?' Feels Like an Existential Question

I’m having an identity crisis. Is it just me? 

Everyone’s path to Student Affairs Assessment is a little different. Usually winding, rarely straightforward.

Someone once told me a joke—and maybe you’ve heard it too:
You can trace the roots of every Student Affairs professional back to hig…

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Shiloh’s Declassified Job Search Survival Guide: Landing an Assessment Role

Most days, my LinkedIn feed is filled with posts repeating a common message: the job search process is exhausting and defeating (as I typed this, I received a YikYak notification: “another day of job searching and crying 😍”). The narratives I read detail individuals applying to hundreds of jobs, hea…

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Reflections on ACPA 2025: Assessment and the National Context

 
The ACPA Annual Convention took place February 16th to February 19th in Long Beach California. The conference was a buzz with Higher Education professionals reconnecting, making new connections, sharing ideas, and enjoying the Southern California weather.
SAAL members socializing at ACPA 2025
While we are a few months removed fro…

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Highlights from the NASPA 2025 Annual Conference: A Community of Practice

 
Student affairs assessment professionals have a variety of associations and conferences available for professional development, networking, and to demonstrate our contribution to the field.  There are assessment-specific opportunities, such as the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis discussed…

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SAAL’s Defining Point: Lead, Support, and Help Envision the Next Chapter

The Student Affairs Assessment Leaders (SAAL) Board has been hard at work this year, and we’re excited to share a few highlights and updates with our incredible community of practice!

Group photo of SAAL award winners

We hosted our 2nd Annual SAAL Awards to ring in the year by recognizing the outstanding contributions of assess…

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All Together Now: Doing Big Work with Small Resources

Hello SAAL Blog readers! Here is the next installment of our conversation series getting to know the leaders that make up this wonderful group of Student Affairs Assessment Leaders and learning from their personal stories. I joined the SAAL blog team after starting a new role as the Director of Asse…

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Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I’m a data person, and you are too!

The Data Identity Framework from Amelia Parnell’s You Are a Data Person (2021) empowers higher education professionals to use data effectively by leveraging their unique strengths. Its six components—Curiosity and Inquiry, Research and Analysis, Communication and Consultation, Campus Context, Indu…

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Recognizing Great Work in Assessment: 2nd Annual SAAL Awards!

This past week, SAAL recognized and celebrated the amazing work of our members at the 2nd Annual SAAL Awards! The purpose of the SAAL awards is to to recognize the assessment work of members that advances the field of student affairs assessment and furthers the mission and values of SAAL. In total, …

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Highlights from the 2024 Assessment Institute: Collaboration, Inspiration, and Impact

SAAL aims to routinely share recaps of key assessment conferences through blogs to disseminate our observations that benefit the broader student affairs assessment community. In line with SAAL’s 2024 strategic priorities, this blog marks the first in a new series that aims to provide consistent, int…

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