10 Questions for Academy Mentor Trudy Bers

Trudy Bers is president of the Bers Group, a higher ed consultant, and formerly executive director of research, curriculum and planning at Oakton College in Des Plaines, Illinois. For more than 30 years, she’s also worn many hats in HLC’s community as peer reviewer, site visit team chair, participant for Oakton in HLC’s Assessment Academy, and most recently as a mentor to others in HLC’s Persistence and Completion and Student Success Academies. Through all of it, her goal still is to give back and learn all she can about higher education.

When and how did you first learn about accreditation?  

I learned about accreditation as a faculty member and then administrator at Oakton College in Illinois. As the institutional research administrator, I was part of a trio, two faculty members and me, who led the reaffirmation work and wrote self-study reports.

How do you explain your work with HLC to people who aren’t familiar with accreditation?   

I work with colleges to maintain accepted standards of quality and integrity.

Why did you want to get involved with HLC?  

I wanted to learn from other colleges and have been able to do that as a peer reviewer, site visit team chair, and most recently, as an Academy mentor. Being a mentor has allowed me to probe deeply into what a college is doing to improve student success. I’ve also been able to “give back’ to higher education. I’ve gained an understanding of what is happening with higher ed in other states around the country.  I’ve also continually improved my own skills and have gotten to know many exceptionally talented people who have taught me a great deal.  

What aspects of your background have been particularly helpful in your work with HLC?  

My academic discipline is political science, and I know that while we may think in the ideal world that higher education institutions are not “political,” they are, in fact, quite political. These days, the challenges being faced by institutions are unprecedented, and in too many instances, are ugly and disruptive to teaching and learning. In my HLC work, I strive to understand the political environments, internal and external, that affect colleges’ work. As a researcher, I’ve blended scholarly work with pragmatic approaches to compiling, interpreting, presenting and using data to inform decisions and evaluate outcomes.  As part of this, I caution against confusing causation with correlation and I, probably like a broken record, remind people that data don’t act but are powerful in informing actions. 

What have you learned from working with HLC that’s been beneficial to you?   

I’ve learned that it’s more difficult to markedly improve student success than I had initially and idealistically believed. I’ve also learned that: every institution has its own culture and norms; the textbook description of college students as traditional, full-time 18 to 24 year olds living on campus represents just a small minority of college students; and change is hard! 

What has been one of your most memorable experiences working with HLC?  

The first site visit I made as part of an accreditation review team was definitely memorable. My team chair was superb and taught, by deed and word, the importance of fostering involvement from all team members, listening and taking different perspectives into account before team decisions were reached, and writing a clear, evidence-based team report.  He also attended to our need for some laughter and good fellowship as we did our work. As a team chair, I have tried to follow his lead, and I’m quite sure the lessons he taught me have enriched my chair experiences. 

How do you find the time to volunteer with HLC?  

I tend to pay little or no attention to formal working hours; when there’s work to do, I devote the time.  I also confess I’m not a hobbyist, so activities such as gardening and golf don’t call me away from work. I did once take a polar plunge in Antarctica and also have visited seven continents, all of which has been exciting. I’ve also been fortunate that my college’s president was active with HLC and very supportive of my involvement that’s now lasted more than 30 years; she recognized the value I returned to the college as a result of what I learned and I will always be grateful for the opportunities I’ve been able to pursue.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?  

Hmmm. I’m not sure I ever identified a grow-up goal. I picked my undergraduate major for reasons that violate all the advising guides and admonitions we now hear, and yet that major carried me through my doctorate. 

What is your greatest career or life achievement so far?  

I’m probably not a good judge of this, but I think it’s that I’ve stayed connected with many family and friends, including people I met through my professional life.  I’ve always continued to learn and try to look on the bright side even when it seems life is all in shades of black and gray.  I’m very honored and proud to have been awarded the Association for Institutional Research’s Sidney Suslow Scholar Award, a gold standard in the field of institutional research. 

What’s your favorite part of being a member of the HLC community?  

I really love meeting, learning from and laughing with HLC colleagues.  A second favorite part is staying connected with the world of accreditation.