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Chairing an External Review Panel:

Recommendations for Action Before the

Visit

Thanks to the Chairs of ERP’s I have served on: Barbara Moran, Elizabeth

Aversa, Judy Field, Bob Grover, and John Richardson

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Build Your Team

Communicate early Communicate often Communicate to everyone Communicate clearly that you

welcome expertise from everyone

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Conference Calls

Minimum of three before the visit Five to six months before visit

(As soon as you know your team members) Four months before visit Three weeks before visit

ALA makes setting up these calls very easy

Worth the hassle of four or five time zone differences

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Before the first call

Establish good communication lines with the School dean/director

Get panelists’ ERP experience from COA Office

Send to each team member the names and addresses of other members

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First Conference Call(5 to 6 months before visit)

Self introductions and greetings Deadlines:

• Jan. 31 – Program Presentation sent to us• Mar. 12, 13, 14 – Visit to U. of A. Edmonton• Apr. 4 – Our draft report to ALA and U. of A.• Apr. 11 – Corrections from U. of A. due to us• April 18 – Our final report due to ALA

Resources• Program websites, city/university websites

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First Conference Call

Your hopes/expectations Arrive by early evening the day before

the visit so you can have a planning meeting at dinner

Depart no sooner than late afternoon of the last visit day

Clear calendars for 10-20 hours just after program presentation arrives

Read the entire program presentation Make own transport arrangements Have very draft versions of section

reports completed before arriving, and final reports completed before departing

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First Conference Call

Give Information About Expense reimbursement How the ERP Report is

structured Helpful COA links on the ALA

website

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Second Conference Call(approx. 4 months before visit)

Two weeks before call, send an email message asking for section preferences (1,2,3rd choices)

Finalize primary and back-up responsibilities for the 6 report sections corresponding to the 6 standards

Ask for suggestions re triumphs and tiger-pits that panelists have experienced on other External Review Panels

Give info re computer support expected Give info re communication tools the School has

that the team can use: faculty listserv? alumni listserv? student listserv? Electronic or paper-based directory contact info for sessionals?

Confirm your intention to have contact during the visit with the off-site team members – possibly a phone call on day 1 and day 3

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Second Conference Call

Confirm program presentation mailing addresses and arrangements

• Remember U.S./Canadian postal black hole Ask that panel members who are distributing

questionnaires to students, alumni, and sessional faculty send draft copies of those questionnaires to you and the other team members for feedback

Establish date of next call, and expectation that by that date, everyone will have read the program presentation, assessed their chapter, and have comments and questions

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Between 2nd and 3rd Calls

Send to all panel members a list of all the documents or types of documents that will be available in paper or electronic form on site, and update as necessary

Send to panelists (cc the Director) a draft schedule for each day, and update as required (example follows)

Ask Director to send a message to all panelists when program presentation has been mailed

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EXAMPLE OF SCHEDULE - Monday, March 13

8:00 a.m. Continental breakfast available at the School – coffee, juice, buns, muffins

8:30 – 9:15 Meeting with Maryon McClary - Librarian in charge of Humanities/Social Sciences library. Office in Rutherford South – Main Floor. One panelist.

12-1 Lunch with gathering of students – all panelists

2:30 - 3 Meeting with Provost Carl Amrhein – Ann and possibly one other panelist

3-3:30 Meeting with Associate Dean (Academic) of Faculty of Education Joyce Bainbridge – Ann and possibly one other panelist

3:30 – 4 Meeting with Assistant Dean (Finance) of Faculty of Education Joyce Hiller with Ann and possibly

one other panelist 5:30 Phone call to non-visiting panelists 7-9 p.m. Reception/meeting with employers and alumni Morning Visit LIS 592 class – one panelist Afternoon Visit LIS 591 class – one panelist All Day Meet with as many faculty members as possible in

their offices – schedule to be determined on Sunday, depending on panelist preferences. All faculty members will be in their offices all day Monday

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Third Conference Call(2-3 weeks before visit)

Make sure all transportation is in place Each panelist in turn gives assessment of

his/her assigned chapter, and areas that need clarification

Each panelist contributes re extra information gathered from questionnaires and other outside sources

*Chair compiles a list of the unclear areas and questions raised, and forwards list to Director

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General Suggestions

Suggest that students pick up panel members from the airport

Suggest that the School provide some basic sustenance for panel members in their hotel rooms (juice, energy bars, fruit)

Divide up the team so that not all members go to all interviews

Ask that faculty members be available in their offices all of one day (when not teaching)

Keep communication lines VERY open with the (stressed) Director

Ask Karen O’Brien and staff lots of questions re wording and how to proceed – they are very helpful

Make an extra effort to obtain feedback from ALL students, sessional faculty, and alumni

Do not take long holidays in the 3 months before the visit nor the 1 month after

Ask the School for restaurant suggestions If panel members are unfamiliar with the “context” of the

School (the University, the state/province, the economical base), suggest sources of information

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Final Suggestions

Don’t be intimidated by senior university administrators (Judy Field, You’re wonderful)

Don’t be intimidated by indignant Directors (Anonymous)

Proofread your report very carefully (Thanks, Bill Buchanan)

Base your report on EVIDENCE (Thanks, Bertrum MacDonald)

Have fun!!! (Thanks, Elizabeth Aversa)