Evaluation survey research

I took a break from blogging this past week partly because I was trying to get Vincent and I ready to leave - Vincent for Denmark, me for Florida - and a big part of that was working hard (and late) at home (and also - a first at this job - going in to work on Memorial Day (the building has never been open on a holiday like that as I recall)). The number one project I've been working on is the evaluation survey research for the General Assembly's review of a couple of their own permanent committees. One of the committees advocates for racial and ethnic minorities before the General Assembly, and the other supervises the administration and grading of the tough ordination exams that Presbyterian seminary graduates must pass in order to become ministers. I've done this survey research about Presbyterian national agencies or committees half a dozen times before, but this December we talked about streamlining the process. I also just wrote these surveys, instead of relying more on the staffs that work with the committees being reviewed. And - a first - one of the committees being reviewed - the exams committee - had asked us before to do some survey research for their self-study, which we had done. Streamlining has proven to be useful, as we ended up on an extremely tight time line for these surveys. While I pore over the statistical summaries and write and edit a narrative summary, I've also been working on several other projects: evaluation survey research for the denomination's anti-poverty grants program, and evaluation surveys on the General Assembly meeting itself. Since New Year's, two of my managers have been going over all of my work, and by late Friday I had finished at least versions of everything, and both colleagues had signed off on the anti-poverty program surveys. But one of my managers has not yet been able to read my meeting surveys and my narrative summary. I've changed my plans and will go in briefly - maybe even twice - Monday to try to account for his suggestions. At the General Assembly itself - this year in San Jose - I'm slated to make a brief presentation the the review committee reviewing the two permanent committees, as well as being availble to talk with two subocmmittees, along with - most of the time - helping staff our department's booth.