Kristina Brousseau to Present Research at Professional Conference

CAZENOVIA, NY (05/03/2012)(readMedia)-- It is not often that undergraduate students are invited to present papers at professional conferences. Kristina Brousseau, of Schenectady, N.Y., worked in an area where little research has been done, and will present her findings on best practices for higher educational websites at The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) Annual Forum, June 3 – 6, in New Orleans.

The research, done during an internship with Cazenovia College's Institutional Researcher, Bridget Miller, focuses on the design and use of higher education websites. Brousseau says, "I found, in an E-Expectations 2010 survey of 1,000 students, that 51 percent would consider eliminating the school as a choice if they could not find what they were looking for on the institution's website. The typical high school student who is researching colleges will spend less than 20 seconds looking for specific information before moving on to the next option."

This highlights the importance of having information for prospective students readily accessible, and led Brousseau to study the websites of institutions in the northeast comparable to Cazenovia College to discover how quickly she could find specific information. Based on her research, Brousseau made specific recommendations which will be considered in Cazenovia College's upcoming redesign of its website.

The research will be presented by Brousseau and Miller, co-authors of the paper, during a session titled "Collaboration: Communicating Inside and Outside the Institution," which focuses on strategic planning, producing reports and data, fact book and web portal content and delivery, and the mission and staffing of institutional research offices.

Brousseau began her academic career as a fashion merchandising major. Her interest in research developed when she worked on a marketing project for Professor Francine Varisco, who said, "Her first-year marketing project was excellent, far above the typical freshman level. I had her show it to a friend in the industry, who would have hired her on the spot if she was a graduating senior. That fueled Kristina's interest in the project and we began talking about her career track."

Brousseau says, "I liked the marketing side of my major, but the fashion side was not for me. I found myself wanting to find out 'why.' I liked 'Intro to Psychology;' and the 'Consumer Behavior' course I took for my fashion merchandising major was really all about finding out 'why.'"

On the strength of her research skills, Varisco eventually suggested that she change her major. "This is the kind of the opportunity students have here at Caz – it's one of the things that sets us apart," she says. "Students have opportunities to explore areas outside their majors and develop newly discovered talents."

The internship confirmed that Brousseau's decision to change her major to psychology was the right one. "Psychology is a very wide field with many research opportunities," says Brousseau, and this summer, she will have an opportunity to expand her skills at Siena College Research Institute. She was recommended by Varisco, and was hired after a telephone interview. She says, "I am going to be working on the National Assessment of Service and Community Engagement (NASCE) survey, as well as learning how to write a grant proposal to expand on the current research for that survey. I'm thrilled and cannot wait to obtain more skills, especially learning how to write a grant proposal, which will be important to know for a career in research."

The AIR conference will also be a learning experience for Brousseau. "I'm flying to New Orleans on my own, and will meet Bridget there. I'm not an experienced traveler," she says. "I'm really excited about this – We are adding more data to the paper and creating visuals for the conference presentation. I'm glad to have an opportunity to share the information I've found with people who can use it. I might even try to publish it."

Cazenovia College, founded in 1824, is an independent, co-educational, baccalaureate college near Syracuse, N.Y., offering a comprehensive liberal arts education in an exceptional community environment, with academic and co-curricular programs devoted to developing leaders in their professional fields. Cazenovia, named one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report, is also a national College of Distinction. For more information, visit www.cazenovia.edu.

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