A Guide for Campus Consultations

The SAGE Group of twenty-one experienced consultants was formed to help campuses with the process of implementing the comprehensive educational reform recommended in the report, Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes to College. Many colleges and universities have begun to transform curricula and pedagogy to create integrated, coherent programs for student learning. Others are at the planning stages. SAGE consultants provide external support and validation as campuses focus on the reinvigoration of liberal education.

Raising the expectations for undergraduate learning and delivering on the promise require careful planning and a long-term commitment. This guide is intended to help campuses derive the greatest benefit from working with a SAGE consultant to create and implement a campus-wide design for change.

Questions and Issues for Campuses to Consider

Preparing for a Consultation:

• How widely has the report, Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes to College, and its concepts been shared on your campus? Have campus conversations occurred and who has been involved? Has the report been used for strategic and/or curricular planning or faculty retreats? How much interest has the report generated? What are the views of campus stakeholders including faculty, students, staff, administrators, and the president with regard to the ideas in Greater Expectations? What is the local relevance of the recommendations proposed in Greater Expectations?
• What are the institutional issues regarding Greater Expectations that require the expertise of a consultant? Are they longstanding problems or do they stem from a current campus situation?
• How would a consultant best serve your campus and advance the institutional commitment to Greater Expectations?
• Consultants are most effective when they provide an independent point of view on pressing campus issues. What are the campus politics that may derail the effectiveness of the consultant's recommendations?
• What is the scope of the work you expect the consultant to undertake to move the campus's particular interests forward? Would short-term or long-term individual or team consultation best serve your institution's needs?
• What relevant materials, reports, and/or surveys and initiatives would consultants need to review prior to visiting a campus?
• Will the consultant be asked to provide either written feedback or a report? If so, who will be the audience?
• Which members of the campus community should meet with the consultant? Will they be part of the team responsible for facilitating the implementation of the consultant's recommendations?
• Has there been adequate discussion with key stakeholders about the decision to hire a consultant?

During the Consultation

• What consultation format will be most effective? A blend of one-on-one and group meetings with the consultant? Meetings with representatives from key constituencies? Meetings with senior administrators and faculty leaders? Will students be invited to participate in the meetings? Will some meetings be informal (e.g., over dinner)?
• Will the consultant be asked to make a formal presentation on a topic of relevance at a retreat or an open forum? Who has been involved in selecting the topic? Who will be invited?
• How can the consultant's expertise serve as a catalyst for change on your campus?
• Will additional data be readily available should the consultant require it?
• Will the consultant have unscheduled time to learn about the campus culture and talk informally with members of the community?
• What mechanism will allow for a change of direction if the original plan does not seem to be working?
• Will the schedule include time for debriefing?

After the Consultation

• How well did the consultant address the community's interest in moving forward in implementing aspects of the Greater Expectations vision?
• Are the next steps clear and has the campus developed a plan of action with timetable and prioritization?
• How will the institution integrate the consultant's recommendations within its on-going planning agenda? How will campus-wide support be garnered for Greater Expectations?
• If the consultant produces a written report, will it be disseminated? If so, to which groups?
• Was the experience an inclusive one for the campus community? Was the consultant persuasive in convincing some of the skeptics? Did the skeptics feel listened to?
• How will the consultant's impact be assessed?
• How effective was the organization and planning for the consultant's visit? Were institutional goals met? Were there structural barriers to meeting expectations?
• If it were advisable to bring in a consultant again at a later date, what changes could or should be made at the planning stages to achieve a greater degree of effectiveness?

The SAGE Group is an initiative within AAC&U's Office of Education and Quality Initiatives. For more information, please call Gretchen Sauvey at 202-884-7413 or sauvey@aacu.org.