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Dr. Jeffrey A. Seybert

Jeff, 72, of Overland Park Kansas died June 19, 2019, at KC Hospice House due to complications of liver cancer and kidney disease. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Linda; his pets, Newton (golden retriever) & Frankie (cat); son Greg and his family (Tina, Jordan, and Cody); son Matt and his family (Heather, Johnny, and Hudson); sisters, Janet, Jill, and Jody; and many dear friends he considered family, including Bob (his racquetball partner) and Charlotte, his ‘Delaware brother’ Mike, and Steve (his best man) and Gail.

 

Jeff made life a celebration; each day a new adventure. He enjoyed cooking for his friends, drinking good wine, and those conversations that happened around the dinner table during the consumption of a well-cooked meal (and wine). He loved to travel, and became a masterful self-taught travel agent who loved organizing and planning his trips with Linda. Most of his travels involved visits to wineries, including those in California and Washington, Italy, France, and South Africa. He had a magical gift of being able to suss out the best restaurants in any city where he traveled. He also enjoyed a well-written mystery, all the cooking channels, and KU basketball.

 

At the time of his retirement, Jeff was Director of the National Higher Education Benchmarking Institute at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas (in the Kansas City, Missouri metropolitan area). Prior to assuming directorship of the Benchmarking Institute, he served as Director of Institutional Research at JCCC for 21 years. From 1974-1981, Jeff served as assistant professor of psychology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

 

Jeff held a bachelor’s degree in psychology (from Cal-State Long Beach), a master’s degree in public administration (from the University of Missouri-Kansas City) and master’s and doctoral degrees in experimental psychology (from the University of Oklahoma).

 

He was past president of the National Community College Council for Research and Planning and the Mid-America Association for Institutional Research, and had served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR).

 

Jeff served as associate editor for Planning for Higher Education, consulting editor for the Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, and The AIR Professional File, consulting editor and contributing columnist for Assessment Update, and project director for the Kansas Study of Community College Instructional Costs and Productivity and the National Community College Benchmark Project. He published more than 50 articles and book chapters and served as consultant to more than 100 colleges, non-profit, and other organizations in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Chile, the Pacific Region, and the Caribbean in the areas of assessment of student outcomes and institutional effectiveness, benchmarking, institutional dashboards and scorecards, program evaluation, strategic planning, and institutional research. He was a recipient of the Association for Institutional Research John Stecklein Distinguished Member Award, the highest honor in the field of institutional research.

 

A private family celebration of his life is being planned. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the KC Hospice House https://www.kchospice.org/hospice-house
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Condolences

Bob Herman Jun 21 ,2019

long-time friend ,Kansas City ,Missouri

I am very glad to have known Jeff, to have played many a racquetball game with him (we were a damned good doubles team!), to have shared many dinners and bottles of wine. Our condolences to all his family and other friends.

Daniel J. Phelan Jun 21 ,2019

Friend & Colleague ,Jackson ,Michigan

I celebrate the life of Jeff and am saddened by his passing from this earth. He was a good friend and colleague. I appreciated his advocacy for students and the resolute use of data to answer the question of “how do you know?” My life was made better for having known him and worked with him. Blessings Jeff.

John Cosgrove Jun 21 ,2019

Work Colleague ,Saint Louis ,Missouri

Jeff was a great friend, who loved life and gave so much to others. He will definitely be missed. I offer my thoughts and prayers as you move through this difficult time. John Cosgrove

Soon Merz Flynn Jun 21 ,2019

Friend and colleague ,Austin ,Texas

I am so saddened to hear of Jeff's passing. I've known Jeff since my days at the University of Kansas Medical Center in the early 90's. I loved the quarterly lunches he organized for the KC IR folks and looked forward to the new restaurants he selected for the meetings. He was also a great help to me when I worked at the KBOR and we were developing a statewide reporting system. I have so many fond memories of Jeff and I will miss his friendship greatly. My deepest condolences to this family.

KAREN CONKLIN Jun 21 ,2019

Worked under Jeff for 15 years at the JCCC IR office. ,Shawnee ,Kansas

I'm so sorry to hear Jeff has died. He was definitely one of a kind, and had helped me in many ways to achieve as much as I did as the Market & Survey Research at JCCC under his direction. He was a terrific boss in that his had the wisdom to allow us to do our thing. May he rest in peace.

Jim williams Jun 22 ,2019

Former colleague ,Overland park ,Kansas

So sorry to learn of Jeff’s passing. My condolence to his family. The obituary was an accurate reflection of his love of good food and wine.

Dr. Mary Lou Taylor Jun 22 ,2019

College Colleague and Dear Friend ,Lenexa ,Kansas

I was deeply saddened by the news of Jeff's death. What a loss it is for those of us who always appreciated his help and advice on personal or college issues. We spent many hours in committee meetings and lunches "solving" educational problems. It was always such a pleasure to work with Jeff to get things accomplished. We had such fun doing it. My condolences to Linda and all the family at this difficult time. Rest in painless peace dear friend.d4v24

Jeri Green Jun 22 ,2019

Cousin ,Denton ,Texas

Jeff lived life well. Linda we are sending our love. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Hang tough. ❤️ Greg and family/Matt and family our sincere condolences. The loss of a parent/grandparent is always difficult. Jo, Jill and Janet we love y’all and we are so very sorry for your loss. If there is anything we can do please let us know. Love to all, Jeri and Katy

Steve Nash Jun 23 ,2019

Long time friend ,Taos ,New Mexico

Jeff was my mentor in college and my dearest friend for the next 45 years. He and I, along with Linda and Gail(our respective wives), spent many wonderful times together. We learned to appreciate fine wine and gourmet dining and we traveled together with Jeff and Linda to many of the wine growing regions of the U.S. and Europe. But most of all we enjoyed their friendship and company. Gail and I will miss Jeff greatly. Our condolences to Linda and Jeff"s extended family.

Jana Reeves Jun 24 ,2019

Cousin ,Fort Worth ,Texas

Jeff was incredibly smart and funny & he truly will be missed. My most heartfelt condolences to all of Jeff's family and friends. Jana

Pat Sumner Jun 25 ,2019

Colleague and friend ,Leawood ,Kansas

I was so sorry to hear of Jeff’s passing. He was my boss for 20 years when I worked in IR at JCCC. He was a great boss, always supportive, always available to discuss a problem, always helping me grow in my profession. It was always fun when the office went to a conference — Jeff had already scoped out the best places to eat and always ordered a great wine. My thoughts and prayers for his family.

George Kuh Jun 27 ,2019

professional colleague ,Bonita Springs ,Florida

I first came to know Jeff about 20 years ago because of our participation at an annual assessment conference. A highlight of those meetings was at least one dinner (sometimes two!) with Jeff at the table -- his wit, story telling, and robust lifestyle in full display. I also had the good fortunate to visit Jeff and Linda in their home, which (no surprise) included a meal and libations fit for a gourmand. I will miss him as will his many colleagues around the world who learned so much from him and enjoyed and benefitted from his company. My sincere condolences to Linda and the rest of Jeff's loved ones.