Director of Institutional Effectiveness

(posted 02/23/21)

Position Overview:

Hollins University’s mission calls the institution to be an independent, liberal arts university dedicated to academic excellence and humane values, a commitment that must apply to every student served. The university’s pledge to humane values signals that it must have an equity and inclusion lens through which it views and understands its community, student outcomes, and adherence to its mission. Critical to fulfilling the university’s mission is the application of an equity lens to its institutional effectiveness.

An equity-minded, data-driven institution reframes every question about student success and outcomes, student engagement and satisfaction, and institutional effectiveness through the lens of equity. This inaugural Director of Institutional Effectiveness position will create an equity-focused institutional research and planning function to frame the questions Hollins should ask, to help the university consider the actions to take to become a truly inclusive institution, and to drive institutional policy and practice. By centering equity in its strategic planning and measurement of institutional effectiveness, Hollins explicitly signals its intention to attain success through an equity lens.

Tactically, the Director of Institutional Effectiveness will provide strategic leadership including gathering, reviewing, and disseminating data in order to support and enhance Hollins’ success in a variety of areas. This position will be responsible for supporting the planning and evaluation of all programs and services; leading continuous assessment of student outcomes, needs, and experiences; and for providing data-driven information to support the university in improving institutional effectiveness, student success, and equity. Additionally, the position will coordinate the development and implementation of the university’s strategic plans, and will provide leadership support in efforts related to accreditation, program review, and planning.

This position will report directly to the President.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and support data-informed institutional decision-making with equity and inclusion at the forefront of the practice
• Oversee traditional institutional research functions while using an equity lens for data collection, reporting, and community education
• Support accreditation processes including, but not limited to, coordinating data and assessment to support a successful, transparent, and engaging accreditation process
• Develop and deploy predictive analytics efforts that ensure equity in student retention and success, engagement, and outcomes
• Lead and implement strategic planning efforts and assessment of planning initiatives to promote equity and inclusion
• Ability to and comfort with confidently presenting to significant institutional partners, including the Board of Trustees, donors, and external stakeholders
• Support programmatic and academic assessment and program review using equity and inclusion as the lens for curricular assessment
• Lead completion of all external data requests, and ensure regulatory compliance including SACS, IPEDS, and other external reporting requirements
• Serve as a data resource for academic and administrative departments and offices
• Provide data to inform what Hollins highlights and shares as part of its story to ensure maximum impact with student recruitment, retention, engagement, and success
• Assume responsibility for surveying the higher education landscape, and ensure Hollins is abreast of current demographic, social, and economic trends that impact the institution

Required Qualifications:

• A master’s degree in a field related to the goals of the position
• Minimum of three years of leadership experience in an institutional research or institutional effectiveness office
• Proven success as a leader, with experience appropriate to a senior leadership role
• Success with accreditation efforts, including experience with data gathering and report preparation and submission
• Significant experience with collaborative, engaging, and transparent strategic planning processes
• Experience utilizing data to inform planning and decision-making with a results-oriented mindset
• Demonstrated success partnering with faculty and administrative staff to support planning and assessment efforts
• Fluency in the principles of equity and inclusivity
• Impeccable interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written, and strong emotional intelligence
• Ability to lead, manage, and motivate diverse constituent perspectives
• Experience in and passion for the values of a residential, liberal arts education for students
• Ability to manage confidential and sensitive matters

Preferred Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree strongly preferred

Application Instructions:

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, salary requirement, and contact information for five references to IR@hollins.edu. Candidates should include in their cover letters a demonstrated interest in and understanding of how their experience and skills can help make Hollins a more data-driven and equitable campus community. Review of applications will begin March 22, 2021, and will continue until the position is filled.