ZACH CLARK
EDUCATOR | CHANGE AGENT | ADVOCATE
ZNC CONSULTING
zach's portfolio
​This page contains selected works that serve as best examples of work product within my various skill & expertise areas. Each project is labeled with an identifier number, its title, its type of work, its related skill area, & a brief description. Click on the image to view a .pdf copy of the project for easy reference.
​
ALL WORK REMAINS THE SOLE PROPERTY OF ZACHARY N. CLARK & ANY USAGE HEREIN ASSUMES YOUR AGREEMENT TO ALL DOMESTIC & FOREIGN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR PERMISSION OF USE.
01
'20-'21 CO-OP ANNUAL REPORT
TYPE: REPORT
SKILLS:
-
ASSESSMENT
-
WRITING
OVERVIEW:
This is the depository of all important data points, evidence of success, points of challenge, & areas for future growth for each department of the Division of Student Affairs. Specifically, I crafted the Student Co-op's Annual Report to best tell our story of ongoing student-centeredness & consistent support of student learning, success, development, & holistic wellness. The Annual Report is part of a comprehensive framework, connecting the beginning-of-the-year Business Plan & through-the-year Assessment Plan.
02
EMPOWERMENT & ENVISIONING
TYPE: ARTICLE
SKILLS:
-
LEADERSHIP
-
GENERATIONS
OVERVIEW:
In Spring 2019, I was asked to write an article for NACA's Campus Programming periodical about Gen Z & leadership by Editor-in-Chief Glenn Farr. Based on my own research, as well as the research of others, I put together, "Empowerment & Envisioning: Creating Meaningful Generation Z Leadership Experiences," aimed at helping older, other generational member student activities educators better understand what their students expect to get out of their experiences & how to best support their success.
SKILLS:
-
RECRUITMENT
-
DESIGN
-
ADVISING
OVERVIEW:
STATIC struggled to recruit new members throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic, understandably so. Throughout 18 months of facilities being dormant, STATIC witnessed the reaction to virtual programming with utter delight & abject revulsion. To that end, promotional & recruiting methods in an all virtual space needed to bridge the gap carefully, so a highly energized video, pulling content from popular past promo videos, was a natural choice!
03
STATIC '21 RECRUITMENT VIDEO
TYPE: VIDEO
04
PROFESSIONAL GOALS
TYPE: GOALS
OVERVIEW:
At each academic year's end, Student Co-op staff are tasked with reviewing set goals from the year's beginning, noting areas of success & areas in need of improvement, with the resultant analysis helping draft new goals for the forthcoming academic year. Each one of the ten goals has a percentage score weighting, noting that some are more mission-critical & therefore more important to accomplish.
SKILLS:
-
GOAL-SETTING
-
EVALUATION
05
NSSE STUDENT AFFAIRS REPORT
TYPE:
RESEARCH
OVERVIEW:
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is an invaluable tool in an educator's tool chest. However, sometimes, the data may not seem very relevant to student affairs practitioners. To that end, members of the Student Affairs Assessment Team, since 2011, have identified those student affairs centered variables for detailed, longitudinal analysis, while examining trends in terms of overall student satisfaction & belonging. IUP administers the NSSE every other year, along with the other 13 State System schools.
SKILLS:
-
DATA ANALYSIS
-
ENGAGEMENT
06
ASSESSMENT PLANNING
TYPE:
PLANNING
SKILLS:
-
ASSESSMENT
-
COLLABORATION
OVERVIEW:
This is the Co-op's comprehensive framework guiding all assessment, evaluation, & evidence-based decisions: its Departmental Assessment Plan. It operates as a traffic cop, guiding staff members of workflows & assessment activities & delegating some responsibilities from its sole 'assessment' staff, while also keeping staff progressing, considering the Co-op's complexity.
07
STATIC'S NARRATIVE OF CHANGE
TYPE:
PLANNING
SKILLS:
-
EVIDENCE-BASED DECISIONS
-
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
OVERVIEW:
The Student Activity Committee (STATIC) was created in 2016 from two defunct programming boards, The Entertainment Network (TEN) & Black Emphasis Committee (BEC), operating closely but still very much separate. This Narrative of Change document provides the history of STATIC's creation & outlines steps taken to manage change & possible conflicts, avoid sacred cows, incorporate SWOT & PET analyses, decision-making strategies & evidence used, & finally launch the new board.
08
CAMPUS SPACE STUDY
TYPE:
RESEARCH
SKILLS:
-
RESEARCH
-
FACILITIES
-
EVIDENCE-BASED
DECISIONS
OVERVIEW:
Before the onset of the global pandemic, IUP examined how students, faculty, staff, administrators, organizations, alumni, & community members utilized its physical spaces. The Cabinet commissioned the Campus Space Use & Reservation Committee to conduct a full research project, including a quantitative survey & multiphasic focus groups to collect data & inform forthcoming decision-making.
09
GEN Z & THE WORKFORCE
TYPE:
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
SKILLS:
-
GENERATIONS
-
COLLAB --ORATION
OVERVIEW:
Over the summer in 2021, I was invited to serve as guest faculty at the Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Summer Internship Program to share my research & knowledge surrounding generational studies within the 21st century American workplace. Throughout this week, I was able to interact with nearly 300 really special rising sophomores & juniors to discuss their fears & concerns with regards to working & surviving in a multigenerational workplace.
10
SP 2021 EVENTS CALENDAR
TYPE: EVENT
CALENDAR
SKILLS:
-
EVENT PLANNING
-
ADVERTISING & PROMOTIONS
OVERVIEW:
STATIC responded to the call for greater programming throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic, increasing event-load from 20 events per semester (40 events per year) to 40 events per semester (80 events per year). This was done with no expanded financial support; rather, STATIC saw a $60K budget reduction during this timeframe. This document is the official STATIC Spring 2021 Calendar of Events, featuring a variety of diverse events to meet each individual need.
11
ASSESSMENT PODCAST
TYPE: PODCAST
SKILLS:
-
ASSESSMENT
-
ENGAGEMENT
OVERVIEW:
In June 2021, I, along with Amber Shaverdi Huston, Executive Director of the National Association for Campus Activities, & Kayla Loper, incoming chair of the Research & Scholarship Group of NACA, joined Dr. Stephen Hundley of the Assessment Institute for an episode of its podcast, entitled Leading Improvements in Higher Education. The content of this episode centered around campus activities, the profession's impact on student learning & development, & various assessment trends across NACA.
12
CLOSING THAT LOOP
TYPE:
ARTICLE
SKILLS:
-
ASSESSMENT
-
EVENT PLANNING
-
EVIDENCE-BASED DECISIONS
OVERVIEW:
The event planning process is a six-part process, as we know: brainstorming, collaborating, planning, promoting, managing, & evaluating. That last step is VITAL. This article, first conceived as a deep-dive workshop provided at a NACA National Convention & then requested to be reworked as an article in NACA's Campus Programming periodical, provides an overview of different methods of effective assessment & evaluation in student activities, examples of best assessment & evaluation practices, & how to close the loop & use assessment data to improve campus programming.
13
GEN Z & COLLEGE
TYPE: INFOGRAPHIC
SKILLS:
-
GENERATIONS
-
DESIGN
OVERVIEW:
As part of my ongoing consulting services & research, I produced two easy-to-digest, easy-to-understand infographics to share information about Generation Z & their journeys across higher education. The first is a deep-dive about Gen Z coming to our campuses; the second is a cross-section analysis across the five generations currently inhabiting our educational & workplace spaces: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, & Alphas.
14
MENTORING 101
TYPE: PRESENTATION
SKILLS:
-
GENERATIONS
-
MENTORING
OVERVIEW:
As part of my ongoing consulting services & research, I was invited to present an online professional development opportunity for IUP Alumni & Friends across various disciplines regarding how to best mentor & lead Generation Z from the perspective of other generations. Recommendations for practical applications & ample time for questions&-answers played a large role.
15
10 QUESTIONS FEATURE
TYPE: INTERVIEW
SKILLS:
-
MENTORING
-
LEADERSHIP
OVERVIEW:
The practice-focused periodical of NACA, Campus Programming, has a feature called "10 Questions With..." & it recognizes individual campus activities professionals for their outstanding work, their contributions to the campus activities field, & their commitment to mentoring future practitioner-scholars, letting readers know more about them. In the Summer 2018 volume, NACA featured an interview with me, speaking about his work with IUP, STATIC, & the NACA Research & Scholarship Group, as well as other professional development organizations.
16
SUPERVISOR GUIDE
TYPE: GUIDE
SKILLS:
-
SUPERVISION
-
TRANSPARENCY
OVERVIEW:
Transparency & cultivating an open & honest workplace have always been key professional values. One intervention in my toolbox to accomplish such is developing a comprehensive supervisor guide for my team members to quickly get acquainted with me as their new supervisor & collaborator. This guide provides an overview of my motivators, values, typologies, quirks, & more!
17
BLACK STUDENT SUPPORT & SUCCESS FRAMEWORK
TYPE:
FRAMEWORK
SKILLS:
-
CURRICULAR DESIGN
-
USE OF THEORY
OVERVIEW:
In support of each of our student affinity groups, all of whom have been systemically minoritized & marginalized, especially by educational systems, I designed individual frameworks for holistic support & success. These frameworks have been constructed with student development, identity development, & diversity & equity theory-centeredness, & are meant to read like a hierarchy of programmatic & support interventions, becoming more challenging & less supportive as their college experiences continue.
18
TRANS HISTORY INCLUDES BLACK HISTORY
TYPE: PASSIVE
PROGRAMMING
SKILLS:
-
INTERSECT--IONALITY
-
DESIGN
OVERVIEW:
In Fall 2022, in commemoration of Transgender Awareness Week & Transgender Day of Remembrance, I tasked my staff in Student Activities & Inclusion to design supplementary passive programming built around intersectional identities with individual staff affinity groups & the trans community: military-affiliated & trans, Latinx & trans, undocumented & trans, etc. I volunteered to design the African American / Black & trans exhibit, utilizing my love of history by honoring trailblazing intersectional individuals.
19
STUDENT CLUB & ORG RESOURCE GUIDE
TYPE:
HANDBOOK
OVERVIEW:
As the College of Lake County's Director of Student Activities & Inclusion, I bore sole responsibility for the implementation & management of the college's comprehensive campus life program, including student groups. I endeavored to grow the number of active groups from the post-pandemic low of 10 to nearly 50 in one semester. I spent a countless amount of time updating processes & designing this handbook to make student leader & advisor experiences easier & more productive.
SKILLS:
-
ADVISING
-
DESIGN
-
OPERATIONS
20
ASSESSMENT PATHWAYS
TYPE:
PLANNING
SKILLS:
-
ASSESSMENT
-
COLLABORATION
OVERVIEW:
The College of Lake County's Unit of Student Development, of which the Division of Student Affairs is part, has never had a comprehensive assessment plan in place. Then, they hired me, a proud data nerd. This is my first pass at both explaining cocurricular assessment, while also establishing clear guidance for how we as a division & a unit can best build a library of data to make actionable decisions.
21
WOMEN'S CENTER PET ANALYSIS
TYPE:
EVALUATION
SKILLS:
-
ASSESSMENT
-
ENGAGEMENT
-
BEST PRACTICES
OVERVIEW:
The CLC Women's Center was a defunct part of the Multicultural Resource Center, which itself is a part of the Department of Student Activities & Inclusion. When SAI's Women's Student Outreach & Programs Coordinator left the institution for a different job, I utilized the vacancy to completely inventory, review, & evaluate all interventions provided by the position & the 'center.' I used the PET Analysis framework, which stands for Preserve, Enhance, & Transform. Preserve means it's an effective intervention & should be saved. Enhance means it could be effective but needs a major overhaul. Transform means it's ineffective or outdated, & resources could be best used elsewhere. This PET Analysis helped inform the proposed realignment of staffing & affinity group outreach.
22
WOMEN'S HISTORY EVENTS
TYPE:
CALENDAR
SKILLS:
-
PLANNING
-
COLLABORATION
-
ENGAGEMENT
OVERVIEW:
In celebration of Women's History Month 2023, I worked diligently with interdisciplinary partners to plan the most comprehensive, diverse WHM calendar of events in CLC's history. I did so as SAI continued its search for the new Women & Gender Diverse Student Outreach & Programs Coordinator. The calendar received high acclaim from administrative & faculty partners.
23
STUDENT SPACE REALIGNMENT CAPITAL PROJECT
TYPE:
PLANNING
OVERVIEW:
During my first week on campus, I received a directive from my supervisor, the Dean of Students, to coordinate & oversee a major capital project that realigned multiple offices, spaces, & other FFE for the direct benefit of students. This project involved over a dozen different units & various interdisciplinary partners. What resulted was a more student-centered approach to availability of space, & it created the Latinx Success Center, the Undocumented & Mixed Status Student Resource Center, the Student Leader Lounge, the Lancer Lounge, the Advocacy Suite, the Lancer Media Center, & the Lancer E-Sports Gaming Arena.
SKILLS:
-
EVIDENCE-BASED DECISIONS
-
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
-
CAPITAL PROJECTS
-
STUDENTS FIRST
As part of the Student Space Realignment Capital Project, the main office area of Student Activities & Inclusion was completely redesigned & reconfigured to best serve students. This schematic shows the incredible redesign of the space to maximize student satisfaction & use. What changed? Antiquated office furniture & unused or broken activity supplies were removed, staff spaces were moved to maximize efficiency & student space, & the unused student office spaces were reconfigured into a student lounge.
24
SAI SCHEMATIC DESIGN LAYOUT
TYPE:
SCHEMATIC
SKILLS:
-
DESIGN
-
FACILITIES
-
EVIDENCE-BASED DECISIONS
OVERVIEW:
25
GENDER & SEXUALITY STAFF POSITION REALIGNMENT PROPOSAL
TYPE:
PROPOSAL
SKILLS:
-
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
-
HUMAN RESOURCES
-
EVIDENCE-BASED DECISIONS
-
BEST PRACTICES
OVERVIEW:
In an effort to maximize available human & financial resources, while also responding to the institutional demand of culling one full-time staff position from my department & responding to the professional areas of interest & growth of my current LGBTQ+ Student Outreach & Programs Coordinator, I collaborated with this professional & my supervisor to design a staff position realignment, whereby the vacant Women Student Outreach & Programs Coordinator position would be folded into the LGBTQ+ Student Outreach & Programs Coordinator position; this proposal focused on evidence-based, student-centered, & best practice-informed decision-making.
26
TRAININGS REQUESTED BY STUDENT LEADERS & ADVISORS
TYPE:
ANALYSIS
SKILLS:
-
COCURRICULAR DESIGN
-
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
OVERVIEW:
When I arrived on campus, I made a promise to my student leaders in Student Government Association & across all student clubs & organizations: to advise & mentor them in student-centered, data-informed, & theory-infused ways. Part of this promise related to their ongoing pre-professional development & growth pertaining to their learning outside of the classroom. I satisfied this commitment through the assessment of requested workshops on the following topics.
27
SAI DEPARTMENTAL GOALS
TYPE:
DEPT GOALS
SKILLS:
-
ASSESSMENT
-
GOAL-SETTING
OVERVIEW:
Each year, CLC requires its various units, divisions, & departments to draft their own internal goals which then map to overall institutional goals set by college leadership to assist in attaining strategic plan goals. I developed a ‘stoplight’ framework to show how close to attainment my department was during each academic quarter. On this framework, I also included base language about the goals themselves & a brief narrative to defend my assessed color.
28
EL CENTRO: LATINX SUCCESS CENTER
TYPE:
PROPOSAL
SKILLS:
-
INCLUSION & ACCESS
-
BEST PRACTICES
-
EVIDENCE-BASED DECISIONS
OVERVIEW:
The U.S. Dept of Education designates CLC as an Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), where over 25% of its student population identifies as Latinx. For years, CLC had been criticized for not having dedicated spaces, services, or programming for these students despite associated HSI federal funding. Ergo, I worked with my supervisor to design & then launch El Centro: CLC’s Latinx Success Center to do just this, with no additional funding required.
29
T-P-M POLICY
TYPE: POLICY
SKILLS:
-
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
-
POLICY DESIGN
-
STUDENT AGENCY
OVERVIEW:
There is perhaps no greater contemporary issue in higher education right now than our students & their First Amendment rights: the Freedom of Speech & Expression. I assisted my supervisor in updating & enforcing CLC’s institutional policy pertaining to such, also called the Time-Place-Manner Policy. Its name comes from best practices & a landscape assessment exploring how institutions can legally balance the First Amendment & institutional responses to unrest.
30
CLC WELCOME WEEKS
TYPE: WELCOME EVENTS
SKILLS:
-
ORIENTATION DESIGN
-
COLLABORATION
-
EVENT PLANNING
OVERVIEW:
My department, Student Activities & Inclusion, whereas not directly responsible for CLC New Student Orientation, provided in-depth programmatic offerings during the first two weeks of each semester to support, welcome, & orient new students. This series of ten different programs is referred to as Welcome Weeks. My vision for these programs centered around collaboration, wayfinding, social connections, & recreation.
31
BUILDING CAMPUS LIFE WITH THEORY
TYPE: PRESENTATION
SKILLS:
-
APPLICATION OF THEORY
-
VISION FRAMEWORKS
OVERVIEW:
I designed a presentation at the very beginning of my time at CLC to lay out my vision for how campus life programs can build an array of comprehensive programs, services, support, & facilities, each informed by key pieces of student development theory, identity development theory, learning theory, & equity & inclusion theory. This very full presentation offers a framework for changing how campus life staff members can best serve students.
32
FUNDING PROPOSAL
TYPE: PROPOSAL
SKILLS:
-
HEALTH & WELLNESS
-
STUDENT-CENTERED
OVERVIEW:
CLC’s Division of Student Affairs desired to relaunch major campus programming after the COVID-19 global pandemic. One such programmatic idea centered around the Director of Student Health & Wellness wanting to reconceptualize its annual health & wellness fair. After various conversations, a commitment to recentering the event as more than just educational, but interactive & recreational as well; thus, SexFest was born. This is a proposal for enhanced institutional funding from CLC’s Health & Wellness Commission.
-
SHARED RESOURCES
-
COLLABORATION
33
EVENT PLANNING & PROMO 101
TYPE:
OPS GUIDE
SKILLS:
-
EVENT PLANNING
-
POLICIES & OPS
OVERVIEW:
As part of my promise to the student body & to my direct staff members at CLC, I vigorously worked to update all operations, policies, procedures, & processes to be modernized, easier to understand, & more student-centered. I developed this event planning & promotional operations guide, named Event Planning 101, to assist student leaders & organizational advisors in their missions to provide events & programs to the campus community. The guide provides a one-stop shop on how to effectively brainstorm, collaborate, plan, promote, manage, & evaluate events. The guide is also a part of the annual student club & organization manual; it also informs the development of my New Program Consultation & Planning Form.
34
NEW PROGRAM CONSULTATION & PLANNING FORM
TYPE:
EVENT PLAN
TEMPLATE
SKILLS:
-
PLANNING
-
BRAINSTORMING
OVERVIEW:
As part of my promise to the student body & to my direct staff members at CLC, I vigorously worked to update all operations, policies, procedures, & processes to be modernized, easier to understand, & more student-centered. I developed this event planning & promotional operations guide, named Event Planning 101, to assist student leaders & organizational advisors in their missions to provide events & programs to the campus community. The guide helped me develop my inaugural New Program Consultation & Planning Form, which keeps a depository of all pertinent planning & operational needs.
-
COLLABORATION
35
CO-AUTHORED CHAPTER IN TRENDS IN ASSESSMENT 2ND ED
TYPE:
CHAPTER
PUBLICATION
SKILLS:
-
ASSESSMENT
-
TRENDS & BEST PRACTICES
OVERVIEW:
The Assessment Institute is the nation’s oldest & largest professional development organization dedicated to assessing & improving higher education. A key piece to meeting its mission centers around developing texts & providing greater access to support & resources across a variety of topical areas for the direct benefit of higher education institutions. One such topical area forecasts contemporary trends in higher education assessment. I was asked to co-author a chapter in Trends in Assessment: Ideas, Opportunities, & Issues for Higher Education, specifically its chapter dedicated to Student Affairs & Cocurricular Programs. My team & I developed a comprehensive & impactful text, entitled Assessing Student Needs, Learning, & Impact Beyond the Classroom: Trends in Student Affairs & Cocurricular Assessment.
36
STUDENT ACTIVITIES & INCLUSION ONE-SHEET
TYPE:
PROMOTIONAL
ONE-SHEET
SKILLS:
-
INFORMATION SHARING
-
COMMUNICATIONS
OVERVIEW:
In order to best communicate the changes happening in my department, Student Activities & Inclusion, as well as its mission, vision, services, & directory information, I developed this double-sided one-sheet promotional document. I highlighted the updated departmental mission statement, updated programs & services, updated staffing information, & updated contact information for the department & its staff. These were published & distributed across campus & were made available to new students during orientation.
-
PROMOTIONS
37
SAI MISSION, VISION, VALUES, & GOALS
TYPE:
POSTER
GRAPHIC
SKILLS:
-
INFORMATION SHARING
-
COMMUNICATIONS
OVERVIEW:
In order to best communicate the changes happening in my department, Student Activities & Inclusion, as well as its mission, vision, services, & directory information, I developed this large, poster-sized directory which was displayed in each office, lounge, or other facility overseen by me & my department, including the main SAI office, Lancer Lounge, Veterans Lounge, E-Sports Gaming Arena, Latinx Success Center, & others. The directory also featured QR codes to direct students or other community members to online resources for more information.
-
WAYFINDING
38
REVISED PENN THEATER NON-PROFIT CORPORATE BYLAWS
TYPE:
BYLAWS
SKILLS:
-
GOVERNANCE
-
COMPLIANCE
-
POLICY-WRITING
OVERVIEW:
Pennsylvania requires every non-profit organization in the Commonwealth to develop & maintain corporate bylaws, which act as its constitution & guiding document. Because the non-profit had atrophied & gone inactive in the months following the Penn Theater’s structural condemnation, the bylaws had gone out-of-date & were in dire need of revisions. I completed said revisions in collaboration with the newly appointed Board of Directors & both its solicitor & accountant of record. The bylaws also outline key policies of the corporation, including its invaluable non-discrimination & conflict of interest policies.
39
NON-PROFIT BUDGET DESIGN
TYPE:
BUDGET
SKILLS:
-
BUDGET PLANNING
-
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
OVERVIEW:
As a newly-recreated corporation, the Penn Theater’s Board of Directors tasked me to create an initial organizational budget, as well as a full budget for the integral facility revitalization & renovation capital project. When examined fully, what resulted was a fully-balanced $13.5 million operating budget, as well as a $8 million capital project.
40
KEYSTONE GRANT APPLICATION & SUPPORTING MATERIALS
TYPE:
GRANT
SKILLS:
-
CAPITAL PROJECTS
-
GRANT WRITING
-
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
OVERVIEW:
In order to support this newly-created $13.5 million operating budget & $8 million capital development project, the Board of Directors tasked me to explore every available mode of resource generation, including private individual donations, corporate sponsorships & donations, & grant-writing for both public & private grant opportunities. This is the comprehensive application I submitted for one of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Community & Economic Development grants, also known as the Keystone Grant Program. What resulted was the approval, in full, for $1 million of support from the Commonwealth.
43
PENN THEATER ONE-SHEET
TYPE: PROMO ONE-SHEET
SKILLS:
-
PROMOTIONS
-
DESIGN
OVERVIEW:
So as to best communicate new information about the Penn Theater & share important updates & changes for those community members wanting to support its hometown communal space, I designed a two-sided one-sheet promotional document to distribute across Butler & made such available at promotional events.
more projects added regularly!