Executive Director, Office of Institutional Effectiveness - 501449
University of Richmond

Job Info

---

TO APPLY

Confidential inquiries, nominations/referrals, and applications (including resumes and letters of interest responding to the opportunities and challenges outlined above) should be sent electronically to the Isaacson, Miller team via the link below.

Kate Barry, Partner

Elizabeth Dorr Weithman, Managing Associate Mia Carpiniello, Senior Associate

Kaitlin Cruz, Senior Search Coordinator Isaacson, Miller

https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/university-richmond/executive-director-office-institutional-effectiveness

THE SEARCH

The University of Richmond ("the University" or "Richmond") seeks an intellectually curious, forward- thinking, and collaborative professional to serve as its next Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness ("IFX" or "the Office"). The new Executive Director will join an institution on an impressive upward trajectory with a distinctive culture that is both data-literate and data-hungry and with the resources and will to make real impact as a result of sophisticated and high-functioning institutional research and analysis. With engaged and supportive senior leadership and an experienced and expanding team, the Executive Director will seize the opportunity to position IFX at Richmond as a true thought partner and leader on campus and in the field, contributing to major institutional initiatives beyond the necessary reporting and accreditation work.

Richmond has a unique profile in higher education; it combines one of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation with excellent professional schools and an impressive record of scholarship. Ranked 25th among liberal arts colleges by US News and World Report, the University is home to an intellectually rich and diverse community of 3,800 students, 1,300 staff, and 650 faculty. Organized into five schools and exceptionally well-resourced to meet its high ambitions, Richmond is nationally recognized for its beauty and for the stellar liberal arts experience it provides to its students.

Reporting to the Vice President for Planning and Policy, the Executive Director of IFX plays a critical role in leading, championing, and facilitating data-based decision-making at the University of Richmond. Leading a team of analysts and data architects who provide both external and internal reporting and data collection and management expertise for the University, the Executive Director facilitates a culture in which the Office is strategic, proactive, and analytical in serving the University's mission and its constituencies. In addition to providing the data and analysis required to support institutional effectiveness, the Executive Director will be a thought partner in advising Richmond's leadership on trends and key issues to advance the University's strategic goals and initiatives. The Executive Director also provides leadership to ensure Richmond's delivery of accurate and timely reports to the Federal Government and key data exchange organizations. Additionally, the Executive Director will be Richmond's key contact for and coordinator of the University's accreditation process.

The ideal candidate will bring strong analytical skills and a sophisticated understanding of effective, rigorous institutional research and decision-making support in the current higher education context. With exceptional interpersonal skills, they will exhibit a collaborative leadership style; the capacity to work and communicate productively with multiple stakeholders across diverse perspectives; and the ability to synthesize and present complex data in a clear, concise, and understandable manner. The Executive Director must be flexible, inquisitive, and possess a strong commitment to customer service while leading, managing, and developing both staff and processes to best meet the needs of a complex institution. The role demands a leader with excellent relational skills to work across the entire University, and the capacity to engender trust and inspire a team and campus.

The University of Richmond has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in conducting this important search and to help identify outstanding candidates. All inquiries, applications, and nominations for this opportunity should be directed to the search firm as indicated below.

THE UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND

The University of Richmond offers a distinctive educational experience where academic and campus life are well integrated and the faculty and student relationship is at the core. Exceptionally well-resourced to meet its high ambitions, Richmond has an endowment of approximately $3.2 billion as of June 30, 2023. The University offers both the close-knit community of a small college and opportunities that rival those of larger institutions, including innovative research, professional schools, and a strong Division I athletics program.

Ranked 25th among liberal arts colleges by US News and World Report, Richmond hosts an intellectually rich and diverse community of 3,800 students (with about 3,200 traditional undergraduates), 1,300 staff, and 650 faculty. The University is organized into five schools (Arts and Sciences,Leadership Studies,Business,Law, and Professional and Continuing Studies), the first three primarily serving traditional undergraduate students and the latter two graduate and adult learners. Student retention and graduation rates are excellent. As with each entering undergraduate class for the past four years, the 2023 fall entering class set a new standard for academic quality. The average high school GPA was 3.9 and, for students who applied with testing, the SAT was 1485. Over one quarter of students identify as U.S. students of color, and 15 percent are first-generation college students. Ten percent are international citizens. Richmond is one of only approximately 80 institutions in the country that practices need-blind admissions and meets full demonstrated need for domestic undergraduate students.

The University offers 64 traditional undergraduate majors as well as minors and concentrations. It offers a wide array of high-impact educational practices from undergraduate research to experiential education to living-learning communities and more. The faculty have just completed a general education curriculum revision. The new Web of Inquiry curriculum, a play on Richmond's unique spider mascot, engages students in new and relevant modes of inquiry across all four years of their education, preparing them to build their networks and map their journeys through the University by forging pathways that are not always linear, but are connected and integrated.

The University of Richmond is the nation's only top liberal arts college that is also home to a top-20 undergraduate business school, the first undergraduate school of leadership studies in the nation, a highly regarded school of law, and a school of professional and continuing studies that reaches thousands of individuals in the region each year. Richmond's learning and research environment is grounded in the liberal arts and is enriched by a singular integration of learning and scholarship across its five schools. It is defined by a culture of mentorship, interdisciplinary connections, collaboration, small class sizes, and robust curricular and co-curricular opportunities, guaranteeing students close interaction with faculty and the ability to shape their academic experience. Personal engagement of students with experienced, committed faculty is an institutional hallmark. Richmond's 3,200 undergraduates enjoy a student-faculty ratio of eight-to-one. The University also emphasizes the importance of international experiences and educationally grounded civic engagement in transforming student learning and preparing students to be engaged citizens in a complex world. Consistently recognized among the nation's most beautiful campuses, Richmond offers outstanding academic and residential facilities.

For more information about the University of Richmond, visit: www.richmond.edu. For more facts, rankings, and accolades, please see: www.richmond.edu/about/facts.

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

Richmond, the capital of Virginia, is host to a number of federal and state agencies, a dynamic biotech research center, a highly respected teaching hospital, a Federal Reserve Bank, two of the nation's top 100 law firms, and five Fortune 500 companies. The metropolitan population is 1.128 million, and Richmond's neighborhoods showcase a diversity of settings, building styles, and demographics. The campus location in the west end provides options for urban, suburban, or rural residential lifestyles within a few easily commutable miles of campus.

The city has a strong network of public and private schools both within and outside the city limits and is home to seven colleges and universities as well as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; the Richmond Symphony; the Virginia Opera; the Richmond Ballet; the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens; and the Flying Squirrels, a double-A San Francisco Giants affiliate baseball team. The James River runs through the center of the city and offers white-water rafting, canoeing, kayaking, tubing, and fishing. The city and surrounding area have a great local food scene, with some 900 restaurants offering a wide variety of cuisines, plus many microbreweries, distilleries, and wineries. The city of Richmond was recently ranked in Forbes magazine as the fifth best U.S. city for jobs and is frequently recognized for creativity and livability. For more information about Richmond and the surrounding area, visit: www.visitrichmondva.com.

LEADERSHIP

Dr. Kevin Hallock became the University of Richmond's 11th President in August 2021. President Hallock graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor of arts degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and earned a PhD in economics from Princeton University. In his inaugural address in April 2022, President Hallock identified five key areas of opportunity for the University of Richmond: academic excellence, belonging, access and affordability, well-being, and experiential learning and community engagement. As a labor market economist, President Hallock is passionate about data, and his cabinet is characterized by a culture of collaboration and deep engagement where data, expertise, and thoughtful ideas are highly valued.

Dr. Lorraine "Lori" Schuyler joined the University as the Chief of Staff to the President in July 2007 and was named Vice President for Planning and Policy in 2015. Previously she served as Assistant Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia. Her study of southern women's political activities following the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, The Weight of Their Votes, was published in 2006. Prior to her work in higher education, Dr. Schuyler served as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers working on education, health, welfare, and social security issues. Dr. Schuyler earned her bachelor's degree at Yale University and earned a PhD in history from the University of Virginia.

THE OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness collects, manages, synthesizes, and analyzes institutional data to fulfill mandatory reporting requirements, as well as support and enable strategic decision-making, planning, and evaluation of initiatives across the University. IFX is the central resource for data reporting to state, federal, and other external agencies. It is the primary source for major University facts and figures, including the Fact Book, Common Data Set, IPEDS, and other major institutional reporting. In addition to supporting external reporting obligations, the Office provides timely, accurate, and insightful data and analysis to support academic program assessment, administrative planning and evaluation, and strategic planning analysis, offering evidence-based recommendations to constituents across the University. With the arrival of the new Executive Director, IFX will also house and manage the University's data warehouse and centralized reporting capabilities. Beyond generating reports, the Office aspires to function as a think tank, providing analysis and consultation to senior administrative and academic leaders on data governance and integrity, survey design, peer benchmarking, and data visualization to inform key strategic questions. The Office also works with units across the University to ensure the quality, integrity, and appropriate use of data via collaborative partnerships and the cross-functional Data ManagementCommittee.

Accreditation

In addition to assessment, surveys, and institutional research, IFX is responsible for facilitating the University's accreditation process. The University of Richmond is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The Office of Institutional Effectiveness submitted its SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim report in March 2024. The University's Tenth Year Reaffirmation process will begin in September 2027 with the submission of its compliance report, followed by an on-site visit in spring 2028.

Beyond SACSCOC, other University accreditors include the American Bar Association (ABA) for the law school, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for the business school, and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for education programs.

Systems

Richmond employs various data collection systems and platforms, and data collection and stewardship is managed by data stewards in the key operational areas. The strong partnerships between data stewards and the Executive Director help ensure that the University has robust data on which to rely. The University's student system is Banner. Technolutions Slate is utilized for admissions, and Blackbaud CRM is used for fundraising. Watermark is used for assessment activities and faculty portfolios. Effective January 1, 2025, the University will transition to Workday for human resource management, finance, and payroll. Data analysts and subject matter experts within each system work outside of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness; they are important partners for IFX and work collaboratively as members of the University's Data Management Committee.

The University maintains a data warehouse called ROADS that is accessed and analyzed using Microstrategy. In addition, as part of the Workday implementation, the University will enhance its reporting capabilities through reporting in Workday and the use of Prism. Currently, the ROADS warehouse and development of Workday reporting are supported by two data architects in the University's Office of Information Services, and select individuals across campus, including those within IFX, can build reports in the ROADS warehouse. However, most users run existing reports in the warehouse or use the warehouse dashboards. With the arrival of the new Executive Director, the two data architects will move into the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and the new Executive Director will also have an opportunity to hire an Associate Director for Reporting, bringing ROADS, Workday, and Prism reporting all under the purview of IFX.

THE ROLE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness leads Richmond's efforts to leverage institutional data to support priorities and enable strategic decision-making by the leadership and various units across the University. The Executive Director ensures accurate and timely ongoing research, responsible data stewardship, and thorough assessment of student learning and institutional effectiveness that inform the success of strategic initiatives. In addition to scheduled reporting of data metrics and analytics, the Executive Director is responsible for timely response to urgent data needs and requests. Additionally, the Executive Director is the University's key contact for and coordinator of the University's accreditation process. The Executive Director also co-chairs the University's DataManagement Committee with the Assistant Vice President for Systems and Networks.

Serving as a thought partner to senior academic and administrative leaders across the institution, the Executive Director ensures they have the data and analyses necessary to meet the University's strategic goals. The Executive Director is an essential resource in a data-hungry environment, helping colleagues and leadership frame their questions in innovative ways, offering analytical insights, and proposing robust and thoughtful solutions. Working closely and collaboratively with colleagues in varied units, such as enrollment management, financial aid, and the registrar's office, as well as with deans and faculty, the Executive Director ensures that data is secure, of the highest integrity, and used to its greatest capacity.

Reporting to the Vice President for Planning and Policy, the Executive Director manages an annual budget in excess of $1M. The Executive Director will join IFX at an inflection point, when the existing Office is expanding in capacity with the addition of the data warehouse and other institution-wide reporting capabilities. The Executive Director currently leads a team of four direct reports, including two senior research analysts, an assessment specialist, and an administrative coordinator. One of the senior research analysts focuses on surveys and survey data, and the other focuses on quantitative data from the University systems. Following the arrival of the new Executive Director, IFX will gain two data architects who will move from the Office of Information Services into IFX. In addition, the Executive Director will have the opportunity to hire for a newly created role of Associate Director for Reporting to manage the data warehouse. The Executive Director is responsible for bringing the merged team together and for ongoing assessment and enhancement of the Office's policies and practices.

KEY OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Specifically, the Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness will work to address the following opportunities and challenges:

Provide strategic leadership and vision for institutional effectiveness.

The Executive Director will work closely with the Vice President for Planning and Policy and other academic and administrative leaders to understand their evolving data needs and develop effective data- driven strategies to enable them to achieve their goals. With the overarching goal of optimizing Richmond's collective capacity to make data-informed decisions, the Executive Director will think creatively about the data collected by the University and support colleagues in its effective use. For example, they will provide consultation and thought leadership on data governance, government and agency reporting, survey design, research and reporting, peer benchmarking, and assessment. Where appropriate, the Executive Director will inspire colleagues to think multi-dimensionally about data by probing the purpose underlying data requests, leading conversations around the strategic use of data, and facilitating the articulation of an overarching vision for data usage. The Executive Director will also stay current with best practices and propose solutions for new data, dashboards, and data analytic technologies to improve Richmond's decision-making and IFX's work. With key campus data stewards

throughout the University and the Office of Information Services, the Executive Director will oversee the ongoing implementation of university data governance policies, structures, and processes and will work to ensure alignment of data definitions, usage, integrity, and accuracy across Richmond's varied systems and decentralized data collection and stewardship. The Executive Director will also develop strategies and operational processes to improve the warehousing and sharing of data.

Collaborate effectively with key partners and serve as a thought partner, leader, and resource across campus.

The Executive Director serves as the key contact for IFX with other Richmond departments and units. As head of an outwardly focused unit on campus, they must be able to liaise effectively with stakeholders across the University regarding requests and information needs. Moreover, the Executive Director will serve as a critical thought partner to senior leadership by raising questions and offering insights when providing data and analyses to drive Richmond's planning and decision-making, including regarding the current strategic plan and the University's Tenth Year Reaffirmation process with SACSCOC beginning in September 2027. The Executive Director will enhance and extend the Office's influence by bolstering partnerships with administrative and academic units across the University, ensuring institutional constituents view the Office and the Executive Director as primary and trusted partners, and a sought resource for data analysis and research, reporting, data governance, survey design, peer benchmarking, and data visualization. The Executive Director will ensure that IFX is strategic, proactive, and analytical in supporting Richmond's data-hungry and data-literate culture, which is led by an economist President who is deeply engaged in data.

Oversee reporting and data visualization efforts for internal and external constituents.

The Executive Director of IFX will provide leadership and guidance on the reporting and visualization of data for both internal and external constituents to ensure integrity, accuracy, and consistency. It will be critical for the Executive Director to lead their team in communicating complex information in a clear, concise, and accessible manner to diverse stakeholders at all levels. The Executive Director will strive to develop innovative and efficient ways for constituents to access and employ data and reports that meet their requirements and further their goals, while balancing the safeguarding of confidential, sensitive, and regulated data (e.g., under FERPA, GDPR). Because each office and department utilizes data and reports in unique ways, it will be important for the Executive Director to learn and understand the individual needs, expectations, and timelines for each. Internal constituents will include senior leaders, both at the University level and at the five degree-granting schools, as well as other strategic institutional partners and faculty. External constituents will include federal and state government agencies, academic consortia, and institutional accreditors. The Executive Director will be responsible for providing accurate and timely data reporting to local, state, and national agencies and authorities. They will also guide the SACSCOC accreditation review process and reporting.

Coalesce, lead, and mentor IFX staff under a shared identity in an expanded office.

The Executive Director will oversee a team of seven, including four current IFX staff members, two data architects, and a new Associate Director for Reporting whom the Executive Director will hire. The Executive Director will build out this expanded team with new responsibilities and capacity in reporting, unifying a growing team under a shared identity and purpose, while ensuring that the Office continues to be an effective organizational unit with strong morale and a commitment to customer service. They will ensure that IFX operates with optimal efficiency and that it is meeting institutional needs. The Executive Director will establish a strategy for staff development, including professional development around new technologies and resource allocation to ensure the team maximizes its talents and impact and that data analyses are timely and rigorous. They will advocate on behalf of their team, making certain that the resources, services, and thought partnership offered by the Office are widely understood, valued, and accessible.

CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALIFICATIONS

The University of Richmond seeks in its new Executive Director an experienced leader in higher education and a strategic thinker who combines an ability to communicate effectively with a commitment to collaboration. Candidates should possess significant experience in data analytics, a demonstrated ability to engage confidently in dialogue around data, and a sense of shared purpose in a diverse community.

The search committee understands that no single candidate will bring all the ideal qualifications, but it seeks candidates with the following experience and abilities:

• Significant and relevant experience that includes data collection, predictive modeling and other statistical analysis, interpretation, and reporting;

• Deep knowledge of the higher education reporting and compliance environment, including expertise in federal reporting requirements, familiarity with the types of data collected in higher education, and knowledge of data sets that can be accessed to provide benchmarking information;

• Integrity of the highest order, particularly regarding data collection and management;

• Proven success at improving and transforming existing institutional effectiveness systems and efficiency informed by best practices in higher education or similar institutions;

• Success leading data governance efforts;

• Familiarity with requirements and processes related to assessment and accreditation; a working knowledge of SACSCOC not required but a plus;

• Success presenting complex information in different formats to various audiences, including senior leadership, faculty, staff, and external constituents;

• A collaborative and collegial orientation, and the ability to engage others across the organization to build strong professional relationships with faculty and staff at different levels;

• Emotional intelligence, intercultural competence, and awareness; a demonstrated ability to communicate with clarity, nuance, and foresight; demonstrated experience with and a commitment to engaging and listening to diverse constituencies and audiences;

• A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and fostering a collaborative, equitable environment;

• Exceptional organizational, project management, and problem-solving skills, and a deep curiosity about the University and how data informed practices can advance the mission;

• Demonstrated ability to lead a team of professionals in advancing the institution's mission;

• Strong listening skills, and a transparent and open style;

• Willingness to work hard and respect the hard work of others, balanced with the capacity to foster and model a culture of well-being; and

• Forthrightness combined with tact and diplomacy; ability to handle challenging questions with empathy and grace and to mediate and make tough decisions when

TO APPLY

Confidential inquiries, nominations/referrals, and applications (including resumes and letters of interest responding to the opportunities and challenges outlined above) should be sent electronically to the Isaacson, Miller team via the link below.

Kate Barry, Partner

Elizabeth Dorr Weithman, Managing Associate Mia Carpiniello, Senior Associate

Kaitlin Cruz, Senior Search Coordinator Isaacson, Miller

https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/university-richmond/executive-director-office-institutional-effectiveness

The University of Richmond is committed to developing a diverse faculty, staff, and student body, and to modeling an inclusive campus community which values the expression of differences in ways that promote excellence in teaching, learning, personal development, and institutional success.

In keeping with this commitment, our academic community strongly encourages applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds and candidates who support diversity.

This job has expired.