Springfield College- Dean of Students-

Internship Evaluation Form Spring 2022

Scale
5.0 = superior work that meets, or exceeds, all of the goal’s criteria; the student has shown
exceptional effort and ability and has nearly maximized her potential concerning this
project.
4.0 = above-average work that meets most of the goal’s criteria but needs improvement in
one or more minor areas; the student has shown considerable effort and ability concerning this project.
3.0 = average work that meets some of the goal’s criteria but needs improvement in one or more substantial
areas; the student has shown adequate effort and ability concerning
this project.
2.0 = below-average work that only partially meets some of the goal’s criteria and needs
significant improvement in several areas; the student has shown minimal effort and
ability concerning this project.
1.0 = unacceptable work that does not meet any of the goal’s criteria; the student has shown
little or no effort and ability concerning this project.
*Note: Potential should be determined as the amount and quality of work possible within the
time frame of one academic semester.

Learning Goals and Criteria

1) The recipient was able to tailor campus resources to support students' individual needs.
Criteria to gauge the level of achievement:
Attending weekly “Weekend in Review” Meetings and observing how
different offices work together to support a student
Get assigned ‘Students of Concern’ or Care cases and connect with them
through Maxient. I will listen to their struggles and needs and assess our
support services to help them
Collaborating with my office to learn about new resources for students on
campus
Connect Students to different support services on campus depending on
their needs
Be able to tailor campus resources to support students' individual needs.
Score: ______4__/5____________
Although on paper I completed everything I had set out to do, I don’t know that I feel I completed

them to the degree that I had hoped. This semester I had few CARE or SOC cases that went

past one meeting, and so my ability to work with a student to discover their needs and develop a

plan together was not as utilized as I had originally hoped. I was able to a few times though, and
those experiences definitely helped develop me and better prepared me to support different

types of students in the future. One student in particular, we had to try a few different things

before something really stuck for them. So I was still able to learn more about Springfield

College’s resources, and the way in which I can support them, and at times it’s better for me to

just connect them with someone else for their needs. Not every problem is in my control, and

sometimes I’m really not the best man for the job, but I could always be a guiding voice to

suggest, or work with the student to figure out who is.

Also although many of my cases were a “one and done,” it was still nice to see the care and

attention Springfield college gives its students. Many students were surprised I’d follow up with

them about their situation because it seemed so small, but they were always very appreciative.

These ‘little’ cases weren’t really what I was expecting in the role, but they’ve really made me

appreciate what a small campus can do and how they can support their students. This was also

reflected in the Weekend in Review meetings as well as the SOC meeting (which I will go into

more detail about later). Different key players all in the room together, informing one another,

and creating action plans together was a sight to behold. Between this experience and our visit

from last semester I'm finding myself drawn more and more to smaller campuses rather than

larger ones. One reason I picked my summer internship institution is because it is a slightly

larger institution than my undergrad was. It won’t have all of the students it has in the fall and

spring, but I’ll be able to get a feel for how the offices collaborate and communicate on a larger

medium sized campus to continue this exploration about my preferences.

Overall I was able to complete my first goal through accepting every experience Sue was willing

to give me and realizing no case was “too small,” however, I wasn’t able to dive into more

complicated cases as much as originally planned because of the cases I received.

2) The recipient was able to identify First-Generation students needs and provide proactive
outreach to support them:
Criteria to gauge the level of achievement:
 Researching First Generation needs through online resources and The
First-Generation Student Experience by Jeff Davis
Surveying First-Generation students about how best to support them
Creating a weekly bulletin that will contain tips, office and program
highlights, explain different ‘collegiate lingo’, and positive facts about
first-generation students
Increase First-Generation programming, by having at least one program a
month geared towards first-generation students
Surveying First-Generation students about the effect the weekly Bulletin
had
Score: ______4___/5___________
This is the area in which I was really able to take the reins. I developed the First Generation

Bulletin based on the research about where First generation students struggle most. It was

interesting for me to think about: What office might they not know? What are tips they might not

have heard? What program this week could most benefit them, and how- Socially, financially, via

opportunities? How do I help develop a sense of pride about being a first generation student?

This weekly opportunity to connect, reflect, and grow was actually really cool, and it also helped

me learn more about Springfield college, which in turn, helped me with my other goals as well.

One thing that was harder for me, but I think super beneficial, was trying to match the office and

advice to the timing of the year. What reminder or tip do they need now? Like two weeks before

advising started I made advisor the vocab word, the week before I made “meeting with your

advisor” the tip, and talked about why it was important. Both the scaffolding of information as

well as the timeline in which it would be best communicated were challenges for me. However,

it's a growth edge I didn’t necessarily realize I should develop. In any student affairs position it's

good to know the yearly and semester schedules, and maybe how that should impact what

questions you ask, what reminders you should give, and what support might be needed.

One area where I think I could’ve improved, though was the programming. Although I did

increase the level of targeted programming, it wasn’t with much success. Attendance was low at

all the events, and my final big program to end the semester had to be scrapped and changed

because of lack of interest or time on some of our faculties/ staff members. The event it
changed to is good too, and more fun, but not as informative. I’m hoping the office will be able to

continue to grow in how they reach this population using the assessment survey I developed.

The survey will not only ask about the FGB but about the programming, how best to

communicate with them, seeing what suggestions they may have, and tailored questions that

should help us know where our population is specifically struggling. I have not been able to

synthesize the results yet, but I know Sue is planning on using them next year with her new GA.

3) The recipient was able to communicate effectively with other offices and student groups
on campus:
Criteria to gauge the level of achievement:
Collaborating with over five other offices to plan and execute ‘50 days til
Graduation’ program
Be able to communicate specific responsibilities within our partnerships
Connect callers with different offices when they call Student Affairs with a
variety of different questions
Give Notice to offices when transferring a call
Serve as a caller for students in isolation and connected them to the right
offices to address their needs
Working effectively with the other Student Affairs offices within the space
Attending weekly “Weekend in Review” meetings and collaborating as
necessary
Participating in BIRT- the Bias incident committee, when and if needed
Attend SOC- Student of Concern, meetings when available to observe
and participate in offices working together to support the whole student
Connecting with a different office every week and highlighting their
programming or services as agreed in the First-Generation Bulletin
Score: ______4___/5___________
This goal was one area where I thought I had the most moments of growth. I’m decent at

in-person communication, but phone calls and emails sometimes I struggle. Not only did I have

to use those avenues to connect to different offices for my own needs, but I had to pick up the

phone and be prepared for any possible scenario or need to connect the caller to any possible

office. In some ways, I think the general office work I did was some of the hardest work I had

this semester and the area in which I was the least trained. However, despite my shortcomings,
I was able to handle the situations I encountered effectively, and I actually feel pride in some of

my responses.

Within my role as a coordinator and facilitator for the 50 days til celebration event, though, I

thought I kept up well with both the in-person and online communication and it ended up being

an overall successful event. Even so, there ended up being some miscommunication with some

offices or a lack of follow-through on some parts, so there are always ways to improve. As I

move forward, I will continue to try to find the balance of following up and supporting, and

trusting in my peers and not over-communicating with them either.

I wasn’t able to attend any BIRT meetings this semester, though we knew that might be possible

as they are an ‘as needed’ committee, however, I was able to attend SOC multiple times and

even be actively involved in discussions a few times. This meeting was interesting. It was great

to see how the staff worked together across offices to support and keep track of struggling

students. It was also interesting to see some of the conversations they had about these

students behind closed doors. I recognize that sometimes, if you’ve seen the scenario time and

time again, it’s easy to minimize or ‘roll your eyes’ at a student when they complain, especially

for students who always seem to have one thing or another. Still, as someone with a fresh eye,

and especially as we have these weekly conversations about student development, some of the

conversations rubbed me the wrong way. I’m not in a position now where I would have felt

comfortable saying something about it, but I will reflect on it as I enter the professional field.

What are my comments that I say flippantly or trying to be funny? Who are they affecting and

how, and where and how am I casting judgment on the students?