The Director of Academic Analytics will join Augsburg’s Office of Planning and Effectiveness (OPE), reporting directly to the Provost and VP for Academic and Student Affairs, and working to integrate academic data into institutional planning, resource allocations, faculty salary benchmarks, program innovation, student success, and metrics of effectiveness. The Director will serve as a member of the provost’s senior leadership team and foster cultural change in support of evidenced-based approaches to academic and institutional decisions.

Working collaboratively and effectively with academic (and campus) leaders, the Director will manage academic data, provide leadership and direction in the analysis and interpretation of data, and prepare reports that bring academic data to bear on institutional planning, resource allocation, and equity in faculty salaries. The Director leads and manages the assessment of student learning, program accreditation and review, institutional accreditation, and compliance with relevant federal and state regulations. In harnessing academic data in ways that make it actionable, the Director will work in direct support of academic program quality and innovation.

The Director will staff and serve as the provost’s representative on such faculty committees as the Assessment Committee, the Faculty Compensation Committee, and others.  The Director will serve as the primary institutional liaison to the Higher Learning Commission and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.  In working with other members of the core OPE leadership team - the VP for Strategy, the Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (who reports to the VP for Strategy), and the Provost, the Director will cultivate institutional strength and effectiveness.  

Augsburg University recently defined its quality initiative, required by the HLC as part of our accreditation, around strengthening academic data, building new capacities for evidence-informed decisions in the academic program, and growing the role and impact of OPE on campus.  We seek a motivated, creative, and self-managed colleague who will partner with us on leveraging the three-year quality initiative period to cultivate cultural change at the institution.  The successful candidate will bring deep commitments to Augsburg’s core mission, strong intercultural competence and capacities, and the emotional intelligence required to work effectively and respectfully with different campus groups and constituencies.

Responsibilities:

• Ensure that meaningful, appropriate, accurate data and supporting documentation is brought to bear on the key decision-making and accreditation needs of the University.

• Prepare high-level quantitative and qualitative analysis of data that focus on critical metrics and information for decision-making and policy formation.

• Oversee evidence-informed practices in academic program review self-studies, reports, action plans, and follow up.

• Maintain current understanding of best practices for the assessment of student learning and taking action on the results of assessments.

• Work collaboratively with the faculty director of assessment to provide leadership for the Assessment Committee and oversight of institutional, general education, and program-level assessment of student learning - to include direct (course-based) and indirect assessment (NSSE).

• Work collaboratively with the faculty director of assessment to maintain assessment data using an assessment management system such as Portfolium or Taskstream (or equivalent), providing periodic reports to academic leaders.

• Serve as the University’s Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) for regional and postsecondary accreditation needs; serve as Augsburg’s representative to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

• Routinely monitor HLC, MOHE, and program-specific accreditation and compliance guidelines; educate and coordinate response of academic leaders, faculty and staff regarding any compliance issues;

• Provide support for professional accreditation; develop and maintain data and reports to support program-level accreditation.

• Develop, maintain, and make visible to all stakeholders relevant and timely accreditation, assessment, program review, and strategic planning information.

• Collaborate, as necessary, with the Director of IR, who is responsible for data and processes information reporting to state and federal governments (mandated reports; accountability reports such as IPEDS).

Work collaboratively with the provost and VP for strategy to bring academic data to bear on institutional planning and evaluations of effectiveness.

Qualifications:

• An earned master’s degree from an accredited institution is required; doctoral degree preferred.
• At least three (3) years of assessment leadership experience to include assessment methodology, educational research design, accountability issues, and student learning outcomes.
• Leadership experience in higher education accreditation (regional and/or program specific).
• Expertise in practices of continuous assessment and improvement.
• Strong analytical and research skills and experience. Experience accessing data from multiple sources and merging them to perform analyses.
• Ability to analyze data and prepare reports to inform policy questions, research purposes, and strategic planning efforts.
• Experience with assessment software (such as Taskstream or Portfolium) and with student databases.
• Fluency with data visualization tools.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple assignments using various data sources.
• Ability to organize and present complex, technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with diverse partners.
• Ability to build and maintain good interpersonal relationships with work associates and internal and external constituencies.
• Strong organizational skills, flexibility, sound judgment, high energy, attention to detail, emotional intelligence, intercultural competence, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to communicate complex and technical information in a clear and concise manner.
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion in data collection methods and analysis.