2010 Site Visitors - Jay Mandt
| Email: | jay.mandt@wichita.edu |
| Institution: | Wichita State University |
| Address: | 1845 N. Fairmount, Box 105 |
| Phone: | (316) 978-7793 |
| Fax: | (316) 978-3351 |
| Institution Type: | 4-year public |
| Program Type: | Institution wide |
| Program Enrollment: | 750 per year |
| Present Position: | Associate Professor of Philosophy |
| NCHC Member Since: | 1995 |
NCHC Activities Related to Honors Program Assessment:
- Attended many NCHC conference sessions on assessment and evaluation
- Attended Albuquerque training institute for site visitors
- Consultant/Site Visitor, Hutchinson Community College, 2009
Self-Identified Areas of Special Interest and Experience (up to 12)
- Honors curriculum and curriculum development
- Student advising
- Program organization and administration
Site visitors can play several roles, depending on the needs of the program they assist. The core role is as an outside pair of eyes aiding the program and institution in gaining a better self-understanding, but part of that is giving them an appreciation for honors “best practices” based on experience at the national level and training as a site visitor.
Site visitors serve as both critics and validators. Characteristically, an honors program director is the single “honors specialist” on campus (other than their predecessor in the role). It can be difficult to persuade others on campus that the director knows what he or she is talking about. The site visitor can validate the director’s perceptions (or assist the director in refining them). Many of the issues a director deals with are common to other programs and institutions. The site visitor can provide insights into solutions that have worked elsewhere, or pitfalls to watch out for. Very importantly, site visitors often function as voices of experience is assisting program leaders in making their case to central administration. Deans and vice presidents are often ignorant of “typical” levels of support for honors on comparable campuses, or unfamiliar with some aspects of the honors mission, and how it could work to advance the entire institution.
The site visit itself provides an opportunity for self-assessment, by program leaders, faculty, students, and campus administration. During a visit, or during preparation of the final site visit report, the visitor can facilitate the process of self-assessment and policy development. The combination of a candid, outsider’s perspective assessment, knowledge of national best practices, and the visitor’s ability, as an experienced honors hand, to facilitate self-assessment and policy development add up to an invaluable assistance to the development of honors education on a campus.
Jay Mandt
Wichita State University