Carl Calkins, PhD, University of Missouri, Kansas CityMargaret Nygren, EdD, AUCD

Research Design Workgroup

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Workgroup Members

Brent Askvig, North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities, North

Dakota

Carl Calkins, UMKC Institute for Human Development, Missouri

Elisabeth Dykens, Vanderbilt Kennedy UCEDD, Tennessee

Michael Gamel-McCormick, Center for Disabilities Studies, Delaware

Gloria Krahn, Oregon Institute on Disability & Development, Oregon

Fred Orelove, Partnership for People with Disabilities, Virginia

Sarah Rule, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Utah

Zolinda Stoneman, Institute on Human Development & Disability, Georgia

Barbara Wheeler, USC UCEDD, California

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Purpose, Plan, and Intended Outcome 3

Purpose of Workgroup: To assist in the development of a research design to explore how universities are approaching the recruitment and selection of new UCEDD directors

Plan: Phase I: Conduct a brief survey of the entire network to provide initial data and

to inform phase II Phase II: Conduct in depth interviews of a small cross-section UCEDD Directors

and university officials on issues of importance in hiring at universities today

Intended Outcome: we hope to inform the next generation of leaders what credentials they might develop, provide opportunities to develop expertise in these areas, and to be better prepared to supply search committees with relevant information.

Timeline & Activities To Date

September-October 2007 Workgroup identified areas of interest and discussed data gathering and

analysis plan November-December 2007

Reviewed draft survey and suggested revisions Determined that a focus group of former Directors and retiring Directors

should be used to further inform the development of Phase I & II questions. January 2008

Focus group held February 2008

Survey modified in response to focus group comments March 2008

UCEDD Directors surveyed; Directors/Co-Directs of 44 UCEDDs responded, a 66% response rate

April 2008 Initial results reviewed Next steps in data analysis identified Thematic areas for Phase II questions identified

June 2008 Presenting initial findings at ADD TA Institute

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Tools and Method5

Focus Group The focus group panel was held via a one-hour conference

call. The group participated in a roundtable discussion directed by an experienced moderator and observed by members of the workgroup examining this issue and the ADD project officer..

Survey The survey included 8 quantitative questions, 2 qualitative

questions, and 1 opportunity for general comments. The survey was organized into 2 sections:

First, addressing elements related to the current director’s position

Second, asking respondents to predict how a search would be conducted for a new UCEDD Director if undertaken today

Focus Group6

All UCEDD Directors who had retired in the past year or who had

announced a plan to retire within the next 6 months were invited

to participate in the focus group.

Of the 9 invited, 8 participated in the focus group.

The purpose of the focus group interview panel was two-fold, to:

Gather feedback on a draft survey designed to capture information from UCEDD

Director/Co-Directors on their current job responsibilities and to gather their

predictions on the candidate qualifications and recruitment processes if a new

UCEDD Director/Co-Director were to be hired in the near future.

Provide a forum for emeritus and near-emeritus Directors to share their

thoughts on the UCEDD Director recruitment and transition processes.

The Consensus of Focus Group Participants on the UCEDD Director Recruitment and Transition

processes

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UCEDD Director recruitment processes are determined by the university and

often divorced from those with knowledge of the UCEDD.

Variables that affect recruitment are tenure status, perceived value of the

UCEDD to the university (size, project, or infrastructure), processes for internal

candidates to be considered, opportunities to develop or mentor junior staff to

take on the role, and formal exit strategies for retiring Directors.

Assuring that UCEDD Directors have credibility in their university setting is

essential to navigating the system, securing resources, and influencing

processes that impact the UCEDD. Credibility is conferred by tenure in some

settings, in other settings there are other currencies that confer credibility and

respect.

The diversity of the network makes it impossible to have a one size fits all

approach, but that it may be possible to develop profiles or types of UCEDDs for

which candidate qualifications and recruitment processes could be tailored.

Consensus continued.8

Changes in UCEDD leadership may reflect or provoke the university’s interest

in change in the qualifications of the next director or intention to change the

direction of the work of the UCEDD. The search may be part of a dynamic

change that reconceptualizes the division of labor of the UCEDD Director and

any other hats the current person wears.

Search committees need consultation to help them understand what the skills

the UCEDD needs in a leader to be able to operate.

The search may take 9-12 months or longer.

The UCEDD is likely to be at its most vulnerable during the recruitment and

transition processes, as forces in the university may act to appropriate UCEDD

resources.

Focus Group Recommendations9

Universities should engage in a self-study prior to initiating the recruitment, that is, determine its needs and set goals before it starts looking for a new UCEDD Director.

UCEDD faculty and/or outgoing director should be involved in the hiring of a new one.

AUCD, as an outside source that could not be perceived as influencing the search, should assist universities in the recruitment processes by providing Director job descriptions from other UCEDDs Consultation to help the search committee understand what expertise is required to meet UCEDD

grant deliverables A list of comparable UCEDDs, so that the search committee might engage in informational interviews

with their Directors Provide any “profile” information that might be developed on UCEDD types.

ADD should not offer nor require that its staff participate in the recruitment of new UCEDD Directors.

Initial Results of Survey: Current UCEDD Director Responsibilities

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Scope of Responsibility Most (60%) both manage the day-to-day operations and lead

their UCEDDJob Description

Most have a current job description (79%) Among those with a job description, 53% of those descriptions

were updated within the past 12 months; 25% reported their job descriptions were updated in the last 2-5 years

Tenure Given where their UCEDD was administratively housed, 47%

reported it was very important, 21% indicated it was somewhat important

Narrative comments strongly suggested that to be successful, UCEDD Directors need to have credibility within the host university, if not through tenure, then through alternative promotion schedules or other institutional currency

Initial Results of Survey: Predictions on the Necessary Qualifications and Recruitment Process for a new UCEDD

Director at the University

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 Recruitment processes were predicted to very likely entail A national search (74%) The consideration of internal candidates (63%), Inclusion of UCEDD staff on the search committee (64%) Inclusion of non-university staff such as CAC members,

community partners, etc. on the search committee (64%) Respondents indicated that the use of a head hunting firm

was either not very likely (44%) or not likely at all (46%) Predictions on the likelihood of the current director’s

inclusion on the search committee for the next director was 28.5% very likely 28.5% somewhat likely 24% not very likely 19% not likely at all

Initial Results of Survey: Predictions on the Necessary Qualifications and Recruitment Process for a new UCEDD

Director at the University

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Qualifications identified as very likely to be important Capacity to bring in grants/revenue (91%) Management/leadership credentials (86%) Disability experience/expertise (82%) Publication history (52%) Community outreach/engagement experience (50%) Tenurability (46%)

Qualifications identified as somewhat likely to be important Familiarity with UCEDDs (55%) research (52%) Teaching (44%)

Next Steps13

Further analysis of survey data The survey responses will be matched with data on

variables that might be relevant (administrative location of the UCEDD; university Carnegie classification, land grant status, public/private status). The resulting dataset will be examined to determine what, if any, correlations may be observed.

Begin Phase II Themes suggested by the survey and focus groups will be

used to gather data from in depth interviews with a small cross section of UCEDD Directors and University leaders

Report on findings at AUCD Annual Meeting