2009 Site Visitors - Doug Peterson
| Email: | Doug.Peterson@usd.edu |
| Institution: | University of South Dakota |
| Address: | 414 E. Clark |
| Phone: | (605) 677-6861 |
| Fax: | (605) 677-3137 |
| Institution Type: | Public |
| Program Type: | Institution wide, complete core plus a senior thesis. There are no other honors on camus (i.e., in the major) |
| Program Enrollment: | 697 |
| Present Position: | Director of University Honors (2004-present) |
| Previous Honors Positions: | Chair of University Honors Committee (2002-2004) |
| NCHC Membership Dates: | 2004-present |
NCHC Activities Related to Honors Program Assessment:
Locally, I've completed a review of our own program for the University Planning Committee in 2005, and for the institutional strategic plan in 2007. I've presented on the assessment of honors teaching at both the national conference (2007) and the Upper Midwest regional conference (2008). I attended the site visitor training institute in Lincoln Nebraska in July of 2006.
Activities in other areas or organizations related to honors assessment or site visits, workshops, etc. regarding honors programs/colleges and/or other academic areas:
I am a professor of psychology specializing in the areas of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. I teach organizational assessment at both the graduate and undergraduate level, including individual and group performance appraisal, establishment of evaluation criteria and assessment techniques. I've co-authored a campus wide organizational culture survey and implemented it on our campus, including the recommendation of baseline performance scores and objectives for future assessments. I also conducted multiple focus groups as part of this process and presented the results to the executive committee, the faculty senate, the career service employees, and multiple open campus forums.
Other activities relevant to those seeking honors program/college site visitors:
I am a volunteer for a national fraternity and help to assess the functioning of chapters in a four state region. I also teach organizational assessment for officers and future leaders for this same organization at a national level.
On the Role of the Site Visitor as Consultants & Program Reviewers:
Doug Peterson, Director, University Honors Program, University of South Dakota
I view the role of a site visitor as having three important parts; advocacy for honor education on college campuses, development of valued added education for students enrolled in honors, and developing a better understanding of mission of the NCHC as an organization.
A site visitor, first and foremost must be an advocate for honors education on the campus they are visiting. A visitor must familiarize themselves with the local campus culture, the role that honors serves on that campus and the capabilities of the current program or college. With this understanding, the site visitor can work with the local director or dean to determine the purpose and potential outcomes of the visit. Then the visitor must help present that mission to the appropriate audiences across campus. As with many aspects of campus and professional life the word of an external consultant often carries more weight with administration and trustees than do the local parties involved. The site visitor is not merely an assessor and suggestion maker, they are an evangelist. This is accomplished through a rich understanding of the many approaches to of honors across a variety of institutions. A good site visitor can paint a picture of what Honors brings to a campus and its students. In doing so a site visitor should be able to make the case for increased support of honors. The site visitor must also be pragmatic in their approach to recommendations. Budget constraints, student demographics, faculty availability must be considered in the light of any site visit. Ultimately the site visitor is also obligated to uphold a standard for honors education based on the guiding criteria for Honors Programs and Colleges.
Second, a site visitor serves the students who pursue an honors education at any given institution through their honest assessment of a program of college. I believe that all involved in honors do so because at the core we desire to provide the very best educational experience for our students. A site visitor can bring new ideas and alternate approaches to honors education which can greatly impact the value of the educational experience of the students. Occasionally, a site visitor may be called upon (or determine it is necessary) to help define the mission and action of a program and being mindful that the students are the number one priority is essential to achieving this part of the site visitor’s role.
Third, a site visitor is also representative of NCHC and should be expected to not only know what services are available through the national office but also be mindful of what services are needed that may not be provided. The site visitor’s in depth understanding of multiple member (and non-member) institutions makes them a vital resource in NCHC leadership and on committees. They have first had knowledge of how honors programs and colleges operate across a variety of settings; as such a site visitor should be a “student” of honors. Not only does this help them learn about how honors can be implemented, which can be used on future site visits, it also helps them inform NCHC in its role of supporting honors education. This might includes suggestions about conference panels, or future monographs or it might be simply adding a link on the NCHC website.