A New Era of Accountability
ILR Conference Center
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
August 9-11, 2006
Presenters
Susan Bello, Dean of Institutional Research at Nassau Community College. As the head of Institutional Research, she has led initiatives in Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning since 1996. She is the administrator responsible for implementing all assessment activities at the institutional, programmatic, and course level. Dean Bello helped lead the faculty to achieve the "Best Practice in Assessment" status with the State University of New York, the New York State Education Department, and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Universities.
Dean Bello is currently a member of the General Education Assessment Review Group (GEAR), which provides direction and guidance for SUNY's General Education Assessment process.
Dean Bello has orchestrated Nassau Community College's Annual Assessment Symposia for the past eight years. Due to Nassau's successful assessment process, Dean Bello frequently gives presentations that focus on improvement-driven assessment strategies and on building faculty leadership in assessment. Her experience includes consulting for numerous colleges in the areas of assessment at all levels.
Dean Bello holds a B.A. in Humanities from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, and a M.A. degree in Higher and Adult Administration from Teacher's College, Columbia University.
Dr. Tom E. Benberg currently serves as Vice President and Chief of Staff for the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, a regional accrediting body recognized by the Department of Education. During his eleven years with the Commission his focus has been on consulting with approximately 250 colleges and universities about accreditation-related issues; training institutional leadership teams, visiting committee members, and new commissioners; and providing support for peer review committees and commissioners. He has also provided support for ad hoc committees focusing on institutional integrity and faculty qualifications.
Prior to his current assignment, Dr. Benberg spent eighteen years in higher education as a faculty member, chief financial officer, executive vice president, and acting president. He began his career in elementary and secondary education where he served as a teacher, principal and superintendent. He holds the Ed.D degree from Texas A&M University - Commerce with a major in Curriculum and Instruction, and he is a graduate of the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.
Dr. Joseph C. Burke, Director of the Higher Education Program State and University Professor of Higher Education Policy and Management and Senior Fellow of the Rockefeller Institute, combines the experiences of teacher, administrator, and researcher. For twelve years, he served as President of the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh, followed by nine years as Provost and one year as Interim Chancellor of the State University of New York System, the largest single university system in the country. SUNY's 64 campuses comprise the full range of institutional types: graduate, research universities, health science centers, comprehensive and specialized colleges, and community colleges. He was also President of the SUNY Research Foundation, which is the fiscal agent for all sponsored research in SUNY. As SUNY Provost, he initiated and implemented a system wide, campus-based program for academic outcomes assessment, an annual System Performance Report, transfer policies and funding to encourage transfers between two- and four-year campuses, and a major initiative in graduate studies and research. He also headed the effort to reorganize and restructure SUNY's three teaching hospitals. Dr. Burke has written and lectured on a wide array of topics in higher education: the role of college and university presidents, system governance, accountability and autonomy in higher education, academic outcomes assessment, performance indicators for reporting and funding, faculty roles and the new technology, and the interrelation of teaching, research, and service.
Dr. Alicia C. Dowd is an assistant professor in the higher education doctoral program in the Graduate College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she has been on the faculty since 2000. In the fall of 2006, she will join the higher education faculty at the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California.
Dr. Dowd’s research focuses on political-economic issues of public college finance equity, efficiency, and accountability and the factors affecting student attainment in higher education. She is the principal investigator of two national research and service projects evaluating institutional effectiveness and student outcomes. These are the Community College Student Success Project, funded by Lumina Foundation for Education, and the study of Economic, Informational, and Cultural Barriers to Community College Student Transfer Enrollment at Selective Institutions, which is funded by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the Lumina Foundation for Education, and the Nellie Mae Education Foundation.
Dr. Dowd received the A.B. with distinction in English literature, and the M.S. and Ph.D. in education from Cornell University.
Katharine Eneguess, President of New Hampshire Community Technical College Berlin since September 2005, was president of both campuses in Berlin and Laconia within the NHCTC System from 2003. Katharine led the successful completion of both colleges’ first Commission on Higher Education accreditation by the NE Association of Schools and Colleges; the successful construction of a new academic building at the Laconia campus; development of a master plan for the Berlin campus; and rebuilt relationships within the college campuses and communities within which the campuses reside. Ms. Eneguess has developed a partnership with the University System of New Hampshire unique throughout the state. This relationship allows students to complete their bachelor level courses in rural regions of New Hampshire through two USNH options: Granite State College and Plymouth State University. She has a unique blend of organizational development skills with much experience as a catalyst for implementing complex public policy initiatives and systems change with demonstrated ability in policy research, analysis, and organizational strategies. She possesses extensive applied skills in organizational strategic planning and facilitation, policy development, relationship building, fund raising/development, and legislative and regulatory change strategies.
Prior to joining the New Hampshire Community Technical College System, Ms. Eneguess was the lead public policy analyst for legislative, regulatory and government affairs issues at the Business & Industry Association of New Hampshire. Her public policy expertise is in education (K-16), human resource and employment law, health care, workers compensation and community development. She is the author of numerous topical articles.
President Eneguess holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Plymouth State College; Master in Arts from Johnson State College; she has also completed Women in Higher Education coursework at Wellesley College and coursework toward her PhD. She has served as a public member on the New England Schools and Colleges Association, Council on Higher Education accreditation board, and numerous other state and local boards along with a private corporation.
Wendy Erisman joined the Institute for Higher Education Policy as a Senior Research Analyst in January 2005. Prior to her appointment with the Institute, Ms. Erisman was a member of the faculty at Duke University in Durham, NC, and St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. She received her PhD in cultural anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin, where her research focused on organizational cultures. Before returning to graduate school, she worked in marketing for the Houston Ballet Foundation. She earned her MA in sociology from Yale University and her BA in sociology, summa cum laude, from Rice University. She also holds a graduate certificate in non-profit management.
Ms. Erisman is currently working on projects focusing on access to post-secondary education for prisoners and on the treatment of community colleges in statewide educational accountability systems.
Dr. Judith Gay became Vice President for Academic Affairs at Community College of Philadelphia in June 2000. Community College of Philadelphia is the only public institution of higher education in Philadelphia, providing access to a quality education for approximately 40,000 students annually.
Before coming to Community College of Philadelphia, Dr. Gay had experience as an Assistant Professor at Gettysburg College; Full Professor and Department Chair at Chestnut Hill College; and Division Chair at Montgomery County Community College. During her service as a faculty member, she received both the Christian R. & Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Sears Roebuck Foundation Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award.
Dr. Gay served on the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) from 1997-2005, including being elected to the Executive Committee as Vice-Chair and then as Chair. During her tenure at MSCHE, the Commission revised self-study documents to increase emphasis on student learning assessment, piloted a program in international accreditation, and developed a new strategic plan.
Current service includes the Executive Board of the Delaware Valley Association of Black Psychologists (Immediate Past President); the Executive Board of Academies, Inc. (Chair of Higher Education Committee); and the Executive Board of Interim House (Secretary).
Dr. Gay’s professional presentations and publications focus on equity issues and leadership issues. In 2003 Dr. Gay received the Brighter Futures Award from the City of Philadelphia for her leadership in developing a program for persons with mental retardation. Other achievements as Chief Academic Officer include oversight for the development of an Academic Master Plan and oversight for the creation of a College Leadership Institute.
Dr. Gay holds a B.A. from Findlay College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
Dr. Laura Goe is an Associate Research Scientist in Research and Development at Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley’s Policy, Organizations, Measurement, & Evaluation program in the Graduate School of Education. She earned her M.S. from the University of Memphis in Educational Leadership and Policy and her B.A. from the University of California, San Diego in Language and Learning Theory in Social Context. Prior to attending Berkeley, Dr. Goe was a 7th grade English teacher in the Memphis, Tennessee public school system, where she taught language arts and writing in North Memphis. She also taught 7th and 8th grade special education in a rural school in Tunica, Mississippi. Dr. Goe’s current research efforts at ETS focus on value-added measurement, teacher quality, teacher preparation, teacher induction, professional development, the social benefits of education, rural education issues, Native American education, resource allocation in schools and districts, and mixed-methods evaluation.
Scott Jaschik, editor, is one of the three founders of Inside Higher Ed. With Doug Lederman, he leads the editorial operations of Inside Higher Ed, overseeing news content, opinion pieces, resources, and interactive features. Jaschik is a leading voice on higher education issues, quoted regularly in publications nationwide, and publishes articles on colleges in publications such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Salon, and elsewhere. He has been a judge or screener for the National Magazine Awards, the Online Journalism Awards, the Folio Editorial Excellence Awards, and the Education Writers Association Awards. From 1999-2003, Jaschik was editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education, leading the news operations for its weekly newspaper and daily Web site during a period in which the publication received four nominations for National Magazine Awards and numerous other honors. Previously at The Chronicle he held numerous other positions and his reporting work was honored by Investigative Reporters and Editors and The Washington Monthly. Jaschik graduated from Cornell University in 1985.
Rob Jenkins is a frequent speaker at colleges and universities around the country and is probably best known for his regular Chronicle of Higher Education column on community college issues. He holds a master’s degree in writing from the University of Tennessee and is currently associate professor of English and Director of The Writers’ Institute at Georgia Perimeter College. In addition to his Chronicle series, he also writes a weekly column for The Gwinnett Daily Post, and his stories, poems, and essays have appeared in The Clearing House, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Gwinnett Magazine, Southern Poetry Review, The Dekalb Literary Arts Journal, The Knoxville New Sentinel, and The Monroe Journal, to name a few.
Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin has been Executive Vice President for Educational Services at Brookdale Community College since July 2005.
Dr. McMenamin began her community college teaching career as an instructor of physical therapy at Lehigh Carbon Community College. She was subsequently named coordinator of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program, served as Interim Dean of Allied Health and Social Science, Dean of Faculty, Vice President of Academic Services and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at Lehigh Carbon Community College. In 2005, Dr. McMenamin was named Executive Vice President for Educational Services at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey.
She received her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Temple University, Master of Science in Human Resources Administration from the University of Scranton and Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University.
Stephen K. Mittelstet is president of Richland College of the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD), where he has served on the humanities faculty since the college opened in 1972. Dr. Mittelstet has served since 1979 as president of Richland College and was recognized by the 79th Texas Legislature in 2005 for his “contributions to the educational vitality of North Texas” and congratulated him on “25 years of outstanding service as President of Richland College.” Under Dr. Mittelstet’s leadership, Richland is the first community college to be recognized by the White House and the U.S. Department of Commerce as a recipient of the 2005 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, was also the recipient of the Texas Award for Performance Excellence (2005), and named a Vanguard College by the League for Innovation in the Community College (1999, 2000), a Greater Expectations College in the Liberal Arts by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, a Pacesetter Best in Class Honoree by Florida State University, and one of eight pilot institutions for new accreditation standards by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Dr. Mittelstet also serves as the Superintendent of Schools for the newly chartered Richland Collegiate High School for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, the only community college charter school in Texas (2005).
Dr. Mittelstet earned his B.A. degree in English, French, and History/Religion from McMurry College, Abilene, Texas, in 1967 and earned his Ph.D. in 1972 in higher education administration/English from the Community College Leadership Program at The University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Mittelstet is a frequent consultant, keynote speaker, and author with more than 100 community colleges, higher education organizations, and civic and business groups in 38 states and abroad on topics such as: building and celebrating organizational community among employees; leadership development; strategic planning; the role of humor in organizational culture and productivity; establishing organizational values; intercultural communications; service learning; the role of arts in culture; organic organizational structures and accountability; environmental scanning; organizational deployment of national Baldrige criteria for comprehensive institutional effectiveness; embedding the Learning College; nurturing authentic behavior in teaching, learning, and leadership; and building sustainable community.
Before assuming the presidency of Richland College, Dr. Mittelstet served on Richland’s founding staff as Director of Community Services and Continuing Education, followed by positions as Assistant Dean, Associate Dean, and Dean of Instruction, as well as DCCCD Director of Instructional Television, Assistant to the Chancellor, and Assistant Chancellor of Operations and Planning.
Dr. Mittelstet has served on numerous national, regional, and state boards and task forces for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the American Association of Colleges and Universities National Leadership Council (2005-present), the national board of the Community College Humanities Association (1990-present), the board of the National Institute for Leadership Development (1996-03), the national board of the Continuous Quality Improvement Network (1993-03), the board of the American Association of Community Colleges (1994-96), and chair of the Community College Satellite Network board (1994-96).
Dr. Mittelstet has earned honors and awards for his academic, organizational, and community leadership, as well as for his teaching and instructional television productions, including The Chair Academy’s 2006 International Exemplary Leader Award; National Council for Learning Resources’ Administrative Leadership Award (2004); Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction, Phi Theta Kappa student honor and service organization(1997); Outstanding Foreign Language Educator, American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (1994); Distinguished Humanities Educator of the Year, Community College Humanities Association (1995 and 1989); Outstanding Continuing Education Leader, National Council for Community Service and Continuing Education (1992); Master Teacher Award, National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development(1991); Distinguished Graduate, U.T. Austin (1990); Transformational Leader in the Community College, League for Innovation in the Community College (1989); Citizen of the Year, City of Richardson Chamber of Commerce (1989); Innovator of the Year, League for Innovation in the Community College (1985); Honorary Doctorate in Humanities, McMurry College (1980).
Dr. Jeffrey A. Seybert is currently Director of Research, Evaluation, and Instructional Development at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas (in the Kansas City, Missouri metropolitan area). He has been in the Office of Institutional Research at JCCC for twenty-five years. Prior to his appointment at JCCC, Dr. Seybert served as assistant professor of psychology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Dr. Seybert holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology (from Cal-State Long Beach), a master’s degree in public administration (from the University of Missouri-Kansas City) and master’s and doctoral degrees in experimental psychology (from the University of Oklahoma).
He is past president of the National Community College Council for Research and Planning and the MidAmerica Association for Institutional Research, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR).
Dr. Seybert serves as consulting editor for the Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, The AIR Professional File, and consulting editor and contributing columnist for Assessment Update. He has published more than 50 articles and book chapters and served as consultant to more than 100 colleges, non-profit, and other organizations in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Chile, the Pacific Region, and the Caribbean in the areas of assessment of student outcomes and institutional effectiveness, program evaluation, strategic planning, and institutional research.
Dr. Ellen J. Weed is currently Vice President for Academic Affairs at Nashville State Community College. Dr. Weed has been in the Board of Regents system since 1976, holding positions at the university, two-year college, and governing board levels. She was a faculty member and chairperson of the Department of Sociology and Social Work at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville for eight years, served on the Academic Affairs staff of the Board of Regents for six years, and then held the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs at Nashville State Technical Institute from 1988 until 2000, returning to that position in 2003.
View the program.
