Assessment isn’t just numbers—it’s a growth mindset. In the latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field, Knowledge Community co-chairs Dr. Dana Weintraub (Rutgers University - New Brunswick) and Dr. Scott Radimer (William & Mary) share their perspectives with Dr. Jill Creighton on the vital importance of assessment, evaluation, and research in higher education, sparking conversations that will resonate with both experienced professionals and those newer to the field.

A key theme emerges early: assessment is not an “add-on” or a separate chore—it’s a tool that empowers student affairs professionals to make evidence-based decisions, improve the student experience, and honor the promise institutions make to help their students thrive and succeed. As Dr. Radimer puts it, “Assessment work is really just an extension of that promise…we’re failing to keep our promises if we’re not doing that.” Both leaders emphasize that assessment helps colleges move from “just vibes” to actionable data, allowing for advocacy, program improvements, and strategic change.

Dr. Weintraub offers practical advice for making assessment less intimidating, urging colleagues to see how data-driven decision-making fits into everyday life: checking the weather app before dressing for work, or setting personal fitness goals, both reflect continuous assessment cycles. She insists, “It’s about growth mindset. It’s equipping us with the information so we know how it helps us make decisions so much easier.”

For those wary of statistics, Dr. Radimer reassures listeners: effective assessment relies on relationships, collaboration, and critical inquiry—not just crunching numbers. “Usually in student affairs, it’s not that we’re doing bad things…it’s that we have so many things on our plate that sometimes the good gets in the way of the great.” His advice: intentional planning and building assessment into the program design from the start makes it less stressful and more impactful.

The episode also demystifies involvement in NASPA’s Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community (AERKC). Both co-chairs are passionate about the value of networking, professional development, and “work wellness” that the KC offers, encouraging anyone with even a passing interest in assessment to “just show up” and experience the supportive community firsthand.

Whether you’re a seasoned assessment lead or a curious student affairs practitioner, there’s something for everyone in this episode. Tune in to hear practical wisdom, relatable analogies, and uplifting encouragement from two experts committed to making data work for students—and their advocates.

Ready to turn assessment anxiety into actionable insight? Listen to the full episode and discover how you can be part of a thriving, supportive community committed to student success.

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:02 ]:
Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to seasoned experts brought to you by naspa. We curate free and accessible professional development for higher ed pros wherever you happen to be. This is season 13 on the value of student affairs. I'm Dr. Jill Creighton. She her hers your Essay Voices from the Field host Today on Essay Voices, we are continuing our journey with getting to know our Knowledge Community leaders with the AERC or the Assessment, Evaluation and Research knowledge community. Our two guests are co chairs Dana Weintraub, PhD and Scott Rademer, PhD. Dr.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:42 ]:
Weintraub is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategy, Assessment and Planning in Student affairs at Rutgers University New Brunswick and an Associate member of the Faculty at the Graduate School of Education. Since joining Rutgers in 2016, she's led division wide efforts in strategic planning, assessment, communication and development advancing student success through data informed decision making. Dana serves as the Primary Liaison to the Office of Institutional Research and Decision Support and collaborates closely with Senior leadership to shape and implement strategic priorities. She chairs the Student Affairs Assessment Learning Committee and leads training initiatives Taking that sentence over Chris, she chairs the Student Affairs Assessment Learning Committee and leads training initiatives on research and data strategy. Her scholarship, which explores topics like student leadership, gender equity in STEM and civic engagement, has been featured in academic journals and global conferences conferences. Outside of work, Dana is a proud mom of two, a marathon runner, dancer and passionate board game enthusiast. Always ready for a strategic challenge whether at the office or around the game table. She holds a Ph.D.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:41 ]:
in higher education and organizational change from UCLA, a master's from Indiana University in Bloomington, and a BA from Ithaca College. Dr. Radimer is the Assistant Dean for Assessment, Accreditation and Accountability for the School of Education at William Mary. Prior to working at William Mary, Scott was the Director of Assessment and Planning at the University of Houston for the Division of Student Affairs. He has over 9 years professional experience in assessment, 22 years working in higher education, and serves as the co Chair for NASPA's Assessment, Evaluation and Research Knowledge Community. He's published and given presentations on topics such as One More Time on that. He has published and given presentations on topics such as assessment, men and masculinities and urban serving institutions. Scott earned his Ph.D.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:22 ]:
in higher education from Boston College and his Master of Science in Higher Education from Florida State University and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Vermont. Welcome to SA Voices. Dana hello hello and hello Scott.

Scott Radimer [00:02:37 ]:
Hello.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:37 ]:
We are thrilled to have you on the episode today to talk about the NASPA Assessment Knowledge Community, aerc. And I'll let you all define that a little bit more as we get into the conversation. A lot to talk about in the assessment world right now, but as we jump into our topic, we still love to get to know you first. So, Dana, let's start with you. How did you get to your current seat at Rutgers?

Dana Weintraub [00:02:58 ]:
Thank you. Really wonderful to be here. Dr. Creighton, thank you for having Scott and I on, on the podcast. So I am actually starting my 10th year at Rutgers New Brunswick, which is, it's been amazing to have just completed nine full years. So I actually, I grew up in South Jersey and the funny thing which my parents actually like to tease me about is when it came to me to apply to colleges, I really wanted nothing, to be in my home state. I wanted to travel as far as possible, but that flipped. Prior to Rutgers, I spent 13 years working and going to school at UCLA.

Dana Weintraub [00:03:36 ]:
It was an amazing experience, very fulfilling experiences. And when I was graduating from the PhD program at UCLA and it was time to job search, job opportunity came up at Rutgers New Brunswick and it was, it was just, it was the perfect job on paper. It was an opportunity to create a student affairs assessment unit. And so it was going to provide me the opportunity to apply everything I was learning in my doctoral program and actually really returned to what I love most, and that's student affairs, but doing it through a research and an assessment lens. So that's how I got to Rutgers New Brunswick. And over the past nine years I've been very fortunate to gain new experiences and opportunities. And I just, I really love being at a large public research university, really love and appreciate my student affairs colleagues and campus partners and how much Rutgers really does center and prioritize and value the need for evidence in making decisions and using evidence based research to improve the student experience.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:04:41 ]:
I always love it when someone is able to find a role that fits both of their passions or multiple passions and comes together to be something that you can enjoy doing every day. I'm glad you were able to find that.

Dana Weintraub [00:04:51 ]:
Thank you.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:04:52 ]:
And Scott, how about you? How did you get to your current seat at William and Mary?

Scott Radimer [00:04:55 ]:
Yeah, so I'm originally from Vermont, grew up in Vermont and attended the University of Vermont for undergrad. I was one of those stereotypical student affairs college students in that I was involved in everything as an undergrad. And so I kept on interacting with all the master's students in the HISA program at the University of Vermont and I thought they were pretty cool people and that's how I got exposed to student affairs as a career. When I was a senior in college, I. I thought I wanted to go to law school and be a lawyer. And then I quickly realized I didn't want to do that. So it took me a little bit of time to figure out what I wanted to do after college. And I ultimately decided that I was going to go into student affairs because if I didn't like it, I'd be working at a university, I could get a different degree and I could move.

Scott Radimer [00:05:50 ]:
So that seemed less scary than my other kind of