The Observer, October 19, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 8
USG creating student satisfaction committee
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At its executive retreat held over the summer, USG developed the plan for a new method of reviewing student satisfaction with service offices on the Case campus. The plan calls for the development of the University Service Student Satisfaction Committee, with the goal of evaluating both negative and positive aspects of campus offices based on student feedback.
USG secretary Matthew Gardner was selected to chair the committee because of his management background and his experience working closely with offices on campus. The committee will consist of 10 members, and Gardner hopes for it to be finalized by the time school resumes after fall break.
The committee will not consist of only USG members. "We will first look to utilize marketing students from Weatherhead, as well as students ranging from freshmen to seniors, in order to have a broad range of members," Gardner said. He mentioned that often in management classes, students work with campus offices closely, so members with that experience will contribute positively to the committee.
In the first phase of the project, to be completed once the committee is formed, an assesment of student opinions reguarding levels of satisfaction with all campus offices will be conducted. These offices include those aligned under Campus Services and Student Services. Together they comprise the offices students deal with most frequently, such as the Registrar's office, Student Employment, undergraduate Studies, and the Career Center.
"We will have access to the senior exit survey, so we can learn what students have remarked in the past," explained Gardner. The committee will also conduct additional surveys, where current students will be asked to comment on their experiences with the offices.
The committee will then review all of the feedback and isolate what offices are doing well, in addition to what needs improvement.
"We are all familiar with some of the offices students will complain about the most," said Gardner, "but we can't make assumptions about the state of services based just on what we hear in casual conversation." Gardner underscored the importance of finding the right solutions to issues that may be found – for example, students may complain that they are receiving slow service from an employee, when in reality an office may be understaffed.
The end goal of hte committee is to open up a relationship between USG and offices on campus so students in the future will be able to work with campus offices to improve student satisfaction, based on the feedback. An important aspect will be the sharing of positive feedback from other offices, so one office may be able to appropriate ideas that have led to increased satisfaction in another office.
"I think the major reason that USG is doing this is that we want students to be happy here on campus," said USG president Adam Rupe. "This is not a witch hunt against offices or departments, but rather a thoughtful evaluation of all offices and areas of the university which students come into contact with."
Rupe sees the committee as part of the continuous improvement of the university.
"We pay $40,000 a year for a good education, but we also pay for services that are second to none, and there is no reason we should not expect the same quality and excellence out of the staff and administrators of this university that we expect out of the faculty," he said.
