President’s Letter 2022

It was mid-July and 100 degrees in Natchitoches - who could resist it! 😊

For the first time since 2019 LAIR convened a meeting of the IR, IE, and Assessment talent from across the state to share experiences, learn new skills, and build great working relationships.

Over 60 members attended workshops and presentations covering technical skills, IR and Assessment concepts, best practices, tools, projects, and outcomes.  We expanded the reach of the LAIR conference this year to include members of the Louisiana Assessment Group and the Accreditation Liaisons of Louisiana.  There was something for everyone from newcomers to dinosaurs.

Your feedback tells us that we were on the right track! ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

At the annual business meeting Erica Hughes from South Louisiana Community College was elected Vice President for this year, so the next LAIR conference will be held in Lafayette.

Collectively, your favorite things about the 2022 conference were:

• Collaboration
• Friendships/Networking
• Overall program, format, venue, and facilities

You specifically pointed out the Newcomers workshop, the reception at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum, and the chance to interact with staff from the Board of Regents.

You felt we could tweak a few things, too, and we’ve already started to bake your ideas into the coming conference.

• You’d like another way to pay besides a check. We have enabled PayPal and plan to offer that option for registration next year.
• You’d like more sessions for shorter times. We’ve talked about adding a poster session – 10 to 15 minute chunks to cover very specific topics or skills.
• You’d like round table discussions on specific topics. Great idea!
• You’d like to break up the lengthy workshops into smaller pieces and/or offer in the morning. We will review the structure and timing of these sessions.
• You’d like to have a motivational or aspirational speaker. We have ideas on that….

You all gave a long list of topics you’d like to see for the next conference including data governance, IR leadership, predictive enrollment models, and tons more.  Please start thinking about how you can present or facilitate in 2023!!!

All the best,

Dawn Mitchell