Associate Vice President for Institutional Research and Decision Support

Position Title:

Compensation:

Department:

About this opportunity:

What you'll do and what you'll bring:

Position Function: Servesas the senior university executive responsible for leading the effective use of administrative data for reporting, analysis, and decision support, while providing strategic leadership for and overall management of the staff in IRDS. Collaborates in leading data governance and enterprise data management efforts and promoting/leveraging a fully functional data warehouse in support of institutional analytics capability and operationalization of analytics to support student success.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate closely with information technology (IT) and other key stakeholders to promote both broad and targeted use of advanced analytics and data that is close to practice to support staff at all levels to better understand their work and make measurably better decisions that support student success.

• Oversee the collection, analysis, and reporting of a wide variety of data to determine trends, cycles, and underlying factors that impact student success and institutional effectiveness.

• Collaborate with subject matter experts across campus in the ongoing development of the University's mature data infrastructure and warehouse. Drive forward the ongoing integration of new data sources into the data warehouse (DWH) environment.

• Establish the Office of Institutional Research and Decision Supportas the official source of data representations and educate the campus community on the nature and sources of official institutional data and their use.

• Create and maintain mechanisms that monitor the progress of the University in the execution of its strategic plan and that measure institutional effectiveness, including the executive dashboard, management dashboards, and administrative performance dashboards.

• Collaboratively lead institutional efforts for data governance and enterprise information management, including attention to data needs, consistent definitions, data quality and availability, as well as collection, management, access, retention, and classification policies. Maintain collaborative and transparent relationships with data stewards, data liaisons, and other analysts across campus.

• Ensure accurate and timely delivery of mandatory and voluntary reporting to federal, state, and other relevant agencies. Provide research and analytical insight to promote the reputation and ranking of the University and its programs.

• Participate in the activities of various other councils and committees to provide analytic or research findings in support of decision-making and planning.

• Participate with professional organizations to ensure forward-looking leadership in the use of data, analysis methods, governance practices, and advanced analytics and reporting tools.

• Oversee all matters related to supervision, interviewing, hiring, compensation, discipline, performance appraisal, training, and career development of IRDS staff.

Supervision: Management of ten full-time staff, including three direct reports - Director of Institutional Research; Director of Decision Support; Administrative Coordinator; Graduate Interns - and two to seven part-time staff in IRDS.

Minimum Qualifications:

Master's degree from an accredited institution of highereducation.

A minimum ofa minimum of eight years of progressively responsible senior-level experience in institutional research and/or decision support in an institution of higher education.Demonstrated managerial expertise to collaboratively devise solutions to meet multiple needs, and demonstrated experience rolling out data analysis and governance at scale.

Preferred Qualifications:

Advanced expertise with large-scale multi-source databases, familiarity with student information systems and project management are preferred.

Strong analytical, research, verbal, and written communication skills.

A record of successful team management, supervision, and mentorship.

Demonstrated ability to form collaborative relationships with other University offices.

An ability to communicate complex data, information, and analytical results to a broad range of audiences of varying technical expertise.

The ability to prioritize and manage multiple, simultaneous projects with attention to detail and adherence to deadlines.

Knowledge of applicable laws, regulations, procedures, and processes governing data confidentiality and security.

Experience in managing staff in using advanced statistical and visual analytics software.

A record of successfully completed projects that have brought data, at scale, close to practice with demonstrated impact of those projects in moving the needle of student success and other university goals.

How to apply:

Ball State University has selected Spelman Johnson, a leading executive search firm, to assist with leading this search. Review of applications will begin Monday, November 17, 2025, and continue until the position is filled. Submit a resume and cover letter via https://spelmanandjohnson.com/position/associate-vice-president-for-institutional-research-and-decision-support/.

• Contact Michel Frendian at mrf@spelmanandjohnson.com for confidential inquiries.
• Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895 or email info@spelmanjohnson.com.

What we offer:

At Ball State University, we understand the importance of balancing professional responsibilities with personal well-being. That's why we offer paid 24 vacation days, 12 sick days and 10 holidays a year. Plus, our paid parental leave (6 weeks) is there for life's most significant moments. We offer affordable health and dental insurance, robust long-term disability and life insurance plans, as well a range of retirement benefits to provide financial security to you and your family. These benefits ensure that you can focus on your work and personal growth without worrying about the unexpected.

When you work for us, you are family. And to show our support of your family, we will cover 90 percent of your child's (or children's) undergraduate college tuition at Ball State. We do the same for you. In fact, we'll cover 100 percent of the tuition costs for you to earn your undergraduate degree and 80 percent of your graduate tuition. This offer is good from the very first day you start. It's just one way we do our part to uplift you.

Let's fly together toward a secure and prosperous tomorrow.

Curious about our excellent benefits package?

We have developed a calculator that shows you the value of our core benefits. Select the Total Compensation Calculator - Professional and download the spreadsheet. If you are applying for a 10-month position or one with Burris or Indiana Academy, please select the corresponding calculator.