Mente Llena, Alma Contenta: Evaluator Education Testimonios and The Case for an Undergraduate Major in Evaluation

Abstract Information: The field of evaluation is growing, yet according to a recent article by LaVelle & Donaldson (2021), there are no undergraduate degrees in program evaluation. Students typically only have access to a select few undergraduate classes, so aspiring evaluators must either major in a superfluous academic area or wait until graduate school to begin their training. One reason for the dearth of undergraduate programs might be that evaluator education is viewed as too narrow and vocational to be included in the portfolio of liberal arts offerings. From that perspective, the purpose of a degree in the liberal arts is to develop well-rounded individuals who have an informed perspective and are prepared for a wide range of graduate programs whereas completing a major in evaluation pigeonholes graduates into a singular career path thereby capitulating to the neo-liberal idea that college is ultimately about “getting a job.” In this paper, we present a case study of an undergraduate certificate program to illustrate how students benefit from evaluator education, even when most end up in graduate school programs or on career paths that are not specifically titled “evaluation.” Consistent with the tenets of culturally responsive evaluation (CRE), we begin by describing the context within which the academic certificate is nested. This includes a historical analysis of the relationship between the university, a Hispanic-serving Institution (HSI), and the surrounding region that a majority of certificate earners call home. We then share testimonios from a current student and two alumnae who speak first-hand to the pressures they felt to assimilate, as well their responses to the institution’s suppression of notable events in Chicanx history that were led or inspired by notable university alumni. Our paper then turns to a description of the theoretical foundation and student learning objectives associated with the certificate program to demonstrate how it fits within a liberal arts paradigm. We conclude the paper by providing examples of tangible outcomes of certificate earners (i.e., where are they now?) to illustrate the point that “success” should not be defined strictly in terms of the production of future program evaluators. The more important metrics, in the eyes of recent graduates and the program director, are far less tangible. We argue that success should be defined in terms of how the academic program affected their understanding of how they and others relate to their social worlds, the extent to which they see systemic causes of social stratification, their motivation to engage in prosocial behavior, and their willingness to attend to and prioritize the needs and wants of perpetually marginalized groups. Our intent is to encourage college and university faculty and administrators to build program evaluation majors at the undergraduate level because doing so is not only responsive to emerging trends in the labor market, but when they are CRE-driven, it also offers a unique opportunity to foster a power-aware, identity-affirming program of study that is consistent with what is good about a liberal arts education.