Hi! I'm looking forward to using this venue to connect with many of you throughout the year. Our positions may vary, but some of our dilemmas are undoubtedly common.

My name is Malinda Matney. I serve as Senior Research Associate for the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Michigan. I have been in my current role full time since 2001, and at the University of Michigan since 1996.

UM has been a member campus of StudentVoice since November 2006. In fact, we launched our first survey five minutes after that “midterm” election, examining student response to the state of Michigan’s Proposal 2 for a constitutional amendment. That first effort was picked up by media organizations and used in many stories about student response to affirmative action ballot measures.

Since that time, we’ve literally surveyed tens of thousands of students, as well as many staff, clients, customers, and prospective students, using StudentVoice. SV is not our only method for gathering data; other projects across our Division use a variety of research methods. Our projects with StudentVoice have ranged from election response to Facebook use, from staff performance evaluations to recruitment evaluations, from new students’ hopes and expectations to what form graduates would like their commencement ceremony to take. Our assessment work reflects the reality of student affairs work: We’re busy!

Just like everyone else in the university community, each year is wildly different as we address current issues and events. Throughout the unpredictable, we remain focused on our mission and goals for our Division of Student Affairs. These guide most research and assessment projects we do.

I look forward to connecting with many of you about the work, challenges, and opportunities we share.