Director for Assessment, Evaluation, and Strategic Planning
- Employer
- Towson University
- Location
- Maryland, United States
- Salary
- Competitive Salary
- Date posted
- Apr 14, 2022
View more
- Position Type
- Administrative, Student Affairs, Other Student Affairs, Student Activities & Services
- Employment Level
- Administrative
- Employment Type
- Full Time
Director for Assessment, Evaluation, and Strategic Planning - (220000AR)
Job Summary
Towson University (TU) is one of the nation’s top 100 public universities. Located north of Baltimore, TU currently enrolls over 22,000 students and is the second-largest university in the prestigious University System of Maryland. Towson University values diversity and fosters a climate that is grounded in respect and inclusion to cultivate the intellectual and personal growth of the entire university community.
Reporting to the Associate Vice President & Dean of
Students, the Director for Assessment, Evaluation, and Strategic
Planning implements, supports, oversees, and tracks assessment and
evaluation within the Division of Student Affairs. In conjunction
with the AVP and Dean of Students, the Director is responsible for
partnering with Institutional Effectiveness to facilitate and
advance evidence-informed assessment practices including in data
entry, data audit, data management, collection, analysis,
reporting, presentation, and archiving. The Director works
collaboratively with over fifteen (15) departmental units to
develop assessment and evaluation strategies that provide progress
and impact reports emanating from the goals and outcomes outlined
in the TU Strategic Plan, Middle States Recommendations, and
Student Affairs Road Map. As a co-chair of the Student Affairs
Assessment Committee, the Director will support the ongoing
assessment goals and standing assessments throughout the division
including in the Career Center (First Destination Survey), and
Housing and Residence Life (Ebi/Skyfactor), and other standing
annual assessments.
Core Functions of the Position:
1. Leadership, Vision and Advancement of
Assessment and Evaluation
2. Assessment, Evaluation, and Data
Analytics
3. Reporting, Communicating, and
Archiving
4. Resource Development Through Training,
Mentoring, Consulting, and Coaching
5. Other Functions
Responsibilities and Duties
Leadership, Vision and Advancement of Assessment and Evaluation: Provide leadership, vision, and expertise in assessment and evaluation that advances the current knowledge base and outcomes. Actively engage staff and the Division of Student Affairs in promoting a positive culture of assessment by actively recognizing and celebrating assessment work done by Student Affairs staff, helping to provide opportunities for training and skill development related to assessment, and providing as needed consultation and thought leadership to units and the Division on assessment-related questions. Benchmark and engage in regular identification and use of best practices and high impact practices. Research and develop resources that create timely and efficient workflow. Co-chair the Student Affairs Assessment Committee and serve on the Institutional Effectiveness Committee. Recommend initiatives and implement changes to improve quality and services. Identify and determine causes of problems; develop and present recommendations for improvement of established processes and practices. Maximize productivity through use of appropriate tools, planned training, and performance initiatives.
Assessment, Evaluation, and Data Analytics: Translate data into
actionable, evidence-based insights to further understand the
impact of the programs and services on student and alumni
engagement, learning, needs, satisfaction, and learning outcomes.
Provide coordination and expertise in designing, implementing, and
interpreting assessment projects related to learning outcomes met
through our educational programming and services with a focus on
measuring how these initiatives impact student success and
retention. Complete regular reports, infographics, impact reports,
quarterly reports, annual reports, and other impromptu reports as
needed. Partner with Student Affairs Departments to improve
programming, enhance the quality and outcomes of student
out-of-class experiences and student services throughout the
Division of Student Affairs. Track and report outcomes associated
with Student Affairs as outlined in the TU Strategic Plan, Student
Affairs Road Map, and other leadership driven materials. In
conjunction with Institutional Research and Institutional
Effectiveness, review and conduct statistical and qualitative
analyses of data from national surveys (NSSE, CIRP, etc.) and other
assessment efforts to evaluate program and university goals and
learning outcomes. Serve as a top-level master user of assessment
database software, Anthology (formerly, Campus Labs), to collect
and analyze assessment data, and write reports to support ongoing
assessments for university initiatives and institutional and
specialized accrediting bodies. Conduct one-on-one interviews,
focus groups, and large-scale evaluation with students and/or
faculty and staff. Validate data and manage data integrity issues
and resolutions. Identify errors and inconsistencies in data and
implement process for improvements. Ensure completeness, accuracy
and timeliness of all assessment and evaluation
functions.
Reporting, Communicating, and Archiving: Prepare and present
high-impact and influential assessment reports to drive
improvement, promote an institution-wide culture of assessment
through consultation, instruction and guidance of stakeholders.
Regularly create and develop infographics, digital resources, and
updates to social media and the website. Work closely with the
Student Affairs Social Media Team and University Communications to
provide and drive content to social media. Promote collaborative
and inclusive working relationships with various assessment
entities across all levels of the University. Effectively
communicate assessment results through multiple modalities to
diverse audiences. Serve as a repository for assessment and
evaluation artifacts. Develop and present comprehensive summaries,
complete reports with graphs and/or charts, and other appropriate
results that provide interpretation of assessment findings.
Complete ad-hoc summaries, reports or data gathering as
needed.
Resource Development Through Training, Mentoring, Consulting, and
Coaching: Actively educate divisional assessment partners in
development of student learning outcomes, effective assessment
practices and methods, rubrics, basic summary statistics, and
presenting findings. Develop item analysis reports as necessary to
help each unit evaluate the effectiveness of surveys and instrument
questions. Develop and create the Student Affairs Handbook on
assessment and evaluation in conjunction with standard best
practices and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. Mentor and
coach staff as through providing regular workshops, training,
support, and consultation to the units with the Division of Student
Affairs to develop and implement assessment and evaluation. Train
and routinely evaluate all elements of program level assessment and
evaluation including writing learning outcomes; curriculum mapping;
creating, developing or improving assessment plans; designing
meaningful assessments; and implementing action plans following
assessment. Engage, collaborate, and represent the Division of
Student Affairs on committees and work groups to ensure that
university-wide assessment schedules are articulated and planned in
an effort to not over survey students.
Other Functions: Coordinate with social media staff to provide
content and data visualization for storytelling. Maintain active
IRB Certification and partner with Grants Office to identify and
apply for grants. Participate fully in major University programming
and programming sponsored by Student Affairs including, but not
limited to, New Student Orientation, Family Weekend, and
Commencement. Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications and Skills
- Master’s Degree
- Five of more years’ experience.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (advanced knowledge and capabilities in utilizing Excel is desired). SPSS or another statistical program, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, Campus Labs and a graphing program.
- Must be organized and have a strong attention for detail.
- Ability to meet deadlines, prioritize responsibilities, and coordinate numerous projects simultaneously.
- Maintain quality customer service skills.
- Possess excellent interpersonal and coalition-building skills.
- Have a strong work ethic with the ability to work independently or as part of a team.
- Must have strong communication skills as well as sound interpersonal skills.
- Must have the ability to work collaboratively and to share skills with team members.
- Strong background in data preparation and statistical analysis.
- Excellent skills in data entry, data warehousing, and mining tools.
- Willingness to engage in a wide range of assessment and research activities from the foundational creation of surveys and basic observational evaluation through formal assessments with multiple statistical analyses.
- Experience utilizing a variety of research methods and strategies to collect, analyze, and report assessment data for quantitative and qualitative purposes.
- Ability to embrace and support TU’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Ability to write, prepare, and present accurate, effective, and clear-cut reports customized for specific audiences.
- Ability to communicate effectively across a diverse spectrum of campus stakeholders.
- Excellent public speaking and persuasive communication abilities.
- Proficient in implementation and management of multiple projects concurrently, achievement of outcomes, and use of data/evidence to assess performance and inform ongoing improvement.
- Ability to work independently and in a team environment to meet established goals.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality of records and information.
Salary and Benefits
Competitive salary and full University benefits that include 22 days of annual leave, up to 14 holidays, personal and sick days; excellent health, life, and retirement plans; and tuition remission. To learn more about our benefits, please click here. TU also offers a variety of great perks and discounts, which can be found here.
If you are motivated, innovative and team-oriented, we would
love to hear from you.
For consideration, please submit a cover letter and resume with
your online application.
This position will be open for a minimum of 14 days.
The safety of our students, faculty, staff, and neighbors has been our top priority and the focus of every one of our decisions since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The University System of Maryland (USM) has recently determined that mandating a COVID vaccine for all faculty, staff, and students at all schools in the USM is both a reasonable and necessary means of protecting our health and safety. As a prospective hire at TU, proof of your full COVID-19 vaccination must be demonstrated before you begin employment with the University.
Link to Apply: https://towson.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=220000AR&lang=en
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