Craig Johnson

I was a Ph.D. student in the Department of Statistics at Purdue, graduating in 2004. Now, I am on the faculty at Brigham Young University-Idaho, a private university in southeastern Idaho. I became involved with STATCOM to obtain more statistical consulting experience and because I had a desire to give back to the community.

I was the second director of STATCOM (Statistics in the Community,) succeeding Nels Grevstad. When I first became involved with STATCOM, it was a relatively new organization with an informal structure, and the workload was handled by a handful of students. As director, it was my goal to develop the structure of STATCOM so that many students would have meaningful leadership roles and fulfilling consulting responsibilities.

It was important that the students recognized STATCOM as a sanctioned organization within the Department of Statistics. Students needed to see that the department valued their service in STATCOM. The department chair, Mary-Ellen Bock, was a great champion of STATCOM to the students, the faculty, and the administration. The department supplied funds for refreshments at the bi-weekly meetings. Providing food at the meetings was a subtle, but important indicator to the students of the department's support of STATCOM. A committee of STATCOM consultants developed a web site, which became linked to the Statistics Department's official web page. These actions brought increased validity and recognition to STATCOM, helping to ensure its success.

In order for STATCOM to be successful over time, it needed to be formalized. A committee of student volunteers produced a handbook defining policies and procedures for STATCOM, which provided structure for the group. This document provided procedures for meeting with clients, managing projects, writing reports, maintaining records, etc. The handbook's creation was a key element in the development of the organization.

Students were organized into project teams, with "senior" consultants serving as team leaders. This facilitated the transfer of training from experienced consultants to new volunteers. If a student became too busy to work on STATCOM projects, there were other team members who could continue work for the client.

Providing substantial consulting and leadership opportunities to several students requires an adequate, but not excessive, number of projects. If there are too few projects, consultants will not feel needed. Having too many projects simultaneously can leave graduate students overwhelmed. We tried to manage the number of clients so that students could work about 2-3 hours of weekly.

The projects were rarely technically challenging. Most involved creating graphical summaries of data and computing summary statistics. However, students were challenged in ways they do not experience in a classroom. Proper communication with clients is a skill that cannot be taught and must be practiced. STATCOM consultants learned to express statistical concepts in a way that their clients can utilize the information. When students completed a project, it was gratifying to them to see the impact it could have within an organization.

Obtaining good projects was an essential part of STATCOM's survival. Cold calls by students rarely resulted in successful projects. These clients tended to view the work as a class project and did not seem to value the results. It appeared that they felt they were doing STATCOM a favor by participating.

Ideally, a faculty or staff member who has a strong connection to the community should make the initial calls to find projects. Regina Becker, a staff member in the Statistics Department, graciously made several calls to several of her contacts. Regina contacted the mayor of West Lafayette, which led to the Sagamore Parkway Task Force project and several other projects for the city. The government projects received a great deal of publicity in the local press. Highly publicized, successful projects generated interest among other community groups.

Regina's constant support and encouragement was crucial to the development of STATCOM. It was Regina who first envisioned the possibilities of a volunteer student-run community consulting service and encouraged Nels Grevstad to create it. Teena Seele, an administrative assistant in the department, also provided much support and expertise. Teena and Regina attended the staff meetings and would spend a lot of time giving suggestions, proofreading documents, helping print brochures, taking pictures, etc. Without the support of the department chair, the faculty, and key staff members, the existence of a volunteer student consulting service would be impossible.

Many of the students in the Department of Statistics at Purdue participate in the school's academic Statistical Consulting Service (SCS). This service teaches principles of consulting as students help faculty and graduate student researchers on campus. Although prior consulting experience is not required for STATCOM volunteers, the SCS provides a great training ground. Experience gained in the SCS also facilitated STATCOM's ability to function with little faculty involvement. When I left Purdue, nearly half of the students in the department (and some students from other departments) were working as STATCOM volunteers. The "senior" consultants would serve as supervisors and mentors to the less experienced volunteers. The peer mentoring that occurs within STATCOM benefits everyone involved.

It is important to note that STATCOM had support from, but was not management by, the department. Student leaders had autonomous control of the organization. This required mutual trust and respect between the faculty and the students.

My involvement with STATCOM reinforced my desire to be a positive force in the community. Many organizations including government groups, school corporations, local charities, and local arts organizations reaped tangible benefits from the work done by STATCOM volunteers. The students gained many personal benefits including valuable consulting experience, improved leadership skills, and the satisfaction of helping others.

I would encourage every graduate student in the Department of Statistics at Purdue to volunteer as a STATCOM consultant and leader. This is a great opportunity to get real world consulting experience in a supportive environment. Employers value the types of experiences STATCOM provides. Students who avail themselves of the consulting and leadership opportunities of STATCOM enrich their educational experience and are more marketable.

My experiences with STATCOM have been beneficial in my employment. I implement service learning in my undergraduate introductory statistics classes. These projects help students recognize the importance and relevance of the course, and my employer values the contribution to the students and community.

To someone contemplating creating a volunteer student-run consulting service like STATCOM, I would say two words: "do it!" The benefits to the university, the department, and the students are great. It is my impression that STATCOM was a unifying force in the department. It brought the students together, and I perceived an increase in the faculty's respect for the students' contributions. A statistical consulting service that provides free service to local nonprofit groups yields many tangible and intangible benefits.