Chairing an External Review Panel: Recommendations for Action Before the Visit

1. 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

2. Build Your Team • Communicate early • Communicate often • Communicate to everyone • Communicate clearly that you welcome expertise from everyone

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. First Conference Call • Give Information About • Expense reimbursement • How the ERP Report is structured • Helpful COA links on the ALA website

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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)