Methodological Memo:
Given some time-consuming past experiences with getting information from other campus offices, I decided to start requesting student information for this project early. I emailed our university Study Abroad office asking for preliminary information about how many students had studied abroad last semester under the conditions I had stipulated. Imagine my surprise when I received a comprehensive response that provided far more than the basic information I had asked for! Not only that, but the program assistant encouraged me to contact the office again if I needed more than she had provided. This highly positive first contact has been enormously encouraging, and it has helped motivate my progress on the project.
The lesson I've learned here is this: When requesting information from outside offices, I need to give myself plenty of time to follow up with additional requests (prodding) if needed. However, I shouldn't assume that these other offices will be unhelpful. Giving other people an opportunity to invest in a project that involves issues they care about is a great way to start conversations that can help drive the project forward. And of course it makes me happy to know that the world is full of people who are willing to help out a colleague in need.
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