From Metrics to Meaning: Leveraging Assessment to Showcase Public Impact Across Diverse Institutions

Friday, January 23, 2026

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM East Coast USA Time

Location: George Washington - Level M1

Primary Presenter(s)

Catherine Copeland

Director of Campuswide Immersion
Institute for Citizens and Scholars, United States

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Co-Presenter(s)

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Kara Dillard

Executive Director of the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement and Assistant Professor
James Madison University, United States
Paul Djupe

Professor, Data for Political Research Program
Denison University, United States
Carissa Slotterback

Dean
University of Pittsburgh, United States
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Marie Staniforth

Senior Program Officer for Measurement and Evaluation
Institute for Citizens and Scholars

In this interactive session, leaders from James Madison University, the University of Pittsburgh, Denison University, and the Institute for Citizens & Scholars will come together to explore how cross-institutional collaboration can transform the field of civic assessment. Despite differing missions and contexts—research, regional, and liberal arts—each institution shares a commitment to authentic assessment, public accountability, and improvement of student outcomes. Participants will engage with strategies that transcend traditional metrics, including narrative inquiry, student-driven reflection, and community-based impact mapping. The session will offer practical tools for capturing how students engage with civic life, grapple with public problems, and grow as contributors to democracy. Through storytelling and examples, presenters highlight how professional development across institutions can deepen assessment practices and fuel more meaningful, inclusive, and transformational learning. Attendees will walk away with actionable insights to elevate civic learning, build collaborative assessment capacity, and reframe how higher education measures engagement for the public good.