This forum on assessment, with essays by Norman L. Jones, James I. Matray, and Robert Griffith, developed from a vigorous discussion on the AHA’s chairs listserv. Chairs raised the concerns addressed in these articles: how can outcomes assessment be productive rather than one more administrative chore; how can departments keep control of the process rather than have it dictated from above; and how can assessments be produced given faculties’ overly busy schedule. Gabrielle M. Spiegel, immediate past president, addressed the issue of assessment in her “From the President” column in the March 2008 issue of Perspectives on History, “A Triple ‘A’ Threat: Accountability, Assessment, Accreditation.”

—Noralee Frankel is the AHA’s assistant director for women, minorities, and teaching, and co-moderator of the AHA’s chairs listserv.