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On July 18, Sarah Turnblom will join Princeton Theological Seminary as the Director of Assessment and Accreditation. Turnblom’s new role will consist of educational assessments and institutional evaluation, accreditation, and compliance, as well as collaborating with campus partners.
Ten years ago, Turnblom was Registrar, Institutional Research & Director of Financial Aid at Trinity School for Ministry. During her tenure, she experienced an accreditation process with The Association of Theological Schools for the first time. “I just loved it. We had the chance to make sure we were offering the best education we could and to have other people give us feedback.”
That’s when she became passionate about this work.
“I liked the process of raising the bar as opposed to just getting by,” she says. “I realized that it’s a good process, and there’s actually a lot to celebrate with it, and there are a lot of ways to learn new things and look intensely at the functions of the school in a way we usually don’t.”
And for Turnblom, assuming an active role in the processes that evaluate and therefore, help, an institution is important. She’s passionate about assessment and accreditation because this work affords her an opportunity to leverage her specialized education and experience to help others improve systems and strategies that can lead to greater effectiveness. It’s about taking the weight off the shoulders of others and guiding people through new processes that they might not otherwise have the time to learn while pursuing their own work with excellence, she says.
Turnblom’s previous experience includes Director of Institutional Research and Assessment at Hellenic College Holy Cross School of Theology, University Registrar at Simpson University and she also spent one year teaching high school. She has a doctorate in theology and culture, a masters in higher education and master’s degrees in both religion and humanities, to name a few.
Previous experience in higher education has taught Turnblom that there’s always room for improvement. If an institution lacks resources or time to prioritize investigating and researching to the point of data collection, which can help inform future decision-making, then it’s up to those who serve in a similar capacity as Turnblom to determine the ideal path to take when it comes to problem-solving if things need to improve and maintaining momentum when something noteworthy occurs.
Dr. Turnblom cares deeply about the fundamental work of this school—teaching, learning, and scholarship done in service to the church and the world. As our new Director of Assessment and Accreditation, she will help us get better as an institution devoted to this fundamental work. We are delighted to welcome her to Princeton Theological Seminary.
“It’s a real passion of mine to help keep institutions open by knowing what’s going on, recognizing why something happens, and being able to plan ahead with systems,” she says.
This passion was first recognized by two of Turnblom’s undergraduate professors. They took note of her perceptive ability to utilize her analytical and math abilities and bring them into humanities.
“They saw how I could keep one foot in both worlds, which is what helps me now,” she says. “I’m fine with analytics, numbers, and data but that doesn’t stay disconnected from the classroom, humanities or theology.
As the Director of Assessment and Accreditation, Turnblom will collect and analyze data. She will also create tools to collect the data. The relational aspect of the work is also appealing, she says. Through engagement with faculty, Turnblom will compile data that will not only be useful for accreditation purposes. Once analyzed, the results can also help maximize individual efficacy and overall effectiveness at Princeton Seminary. And building relationships and collaborating with intention is the path to take to get there.
While much of Turnblom’s work happens behind the scenes, she’s keenly aware that serving in this capacity has eternal ramifications.
“Scripture calls us to work unto the Lord, as opposed to humans,” she says. “And that is our call in Christian higher education. Our work is an act of worship. I think we’re called to a high standard, not just personally because our call to work is unto the Lord, but also just knowing that our work is so directly connected to the future of the church.”
While Turnblom is looking forward to furthering impact in her new role, she also aims for Princeton Seminary to pioneer approaches to assessment work and to be on the cutting edge of said work with hopes of being a resource to other seminaries.
“I’m hoping that the way we do things, and the way we refine them, can be something that’s shared with other institutions, and ultimately, helps us to further serve the church,” she says. “And I hope that through our work, we would improve theological higher education beyond our doors.”
