THE OPPORTUNITY

Loyola University Chicago (LUC), a private university, has been a leader in Jesuit Catholic education for over 151 years. LUC comprises four campuses (Lake Shore, Water Tower, Health Sciences, and the John Felice Rome Center in Italy) and is home to 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. Enrolling nearly 18,000 students in 2021, including 11,819 undergraduate students, LUC attracts students from all 50 states and 40 countries and has a devoted alumni base of over 150,000. Recognized by Forbes as one of “America’s Best Mid-size Employers,” and as one of the “Best Employers for Diversity 2022” among only 500 other companies nationwide, Loyola University Chicago strives for a diverse work environment that values service excellence, stewardship, personal well-being, and professional development.

The Position

ROLE OF THE ASSOCIATE PROVOST AND DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS FOR LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO

Reporting to the Provost, the Associate Provost and Director of Institutional Effectiveness will provide leadership in developing and administering effective practices for institutional research, information retrieval, data analysis, and use of data for planning, implementation, and monitoring. This position will coordinate institutional research, learning outcomes assessment, institutional reporting, and projects to ensure operations and future strategic and budgetary plans align with sound analytical data and continuous improvement, furthering the mission-driven vision for equity and social justice. This position will be instrumental in promoting continuous improvement across the University and measuring the outcomes of strategic university priorities.

The Associate Provost manages a budget of approximately $1.4M and leads a team of highly engaged and experienced research and data administration professionals to execute an integrated and strategic approach to accomplish a complex and dynamic set of projects with competing deadlines and priorities. The Associate Provost works collaboratively across the institution to identify, define, and prioritize institutional research and assessment to support enrollment planning (including enrollment projections, recruitment yields, student retention, and student graduation); faculty instructional workload; academic and non-academic program review; instructional costs and academic productivity; peer benchmarking; student characteristics; student outcomes; and campus accreditation. This individual leverages data to provide analysis, insights, and recommendations related to all aspects of University operations, planning, quality improvement, and decision-making to strengthen student learning outcomes and experience across diverse identities, backgrounds, and educational paths.

Additionally, the Associate Provost and Director of Institutional Effectiveness must:

  • Be an integral part of ensuring that the social justice and equity mission of the institution is at the center of data collection methodologies and insights generated.
  • Provide high-level leadership for the design, usage of data, and operation of the existing enterprise data warehouse system comprised of platforms such as Peoplesoft, Oracle, and Microsoft Power BI.
  • Work with faculty and staff to identify needs for information and problems for investigation and identify areas for faculty participation in institutional research activities.
  • Monitor, review, and report broad, national, and industry trends in academia regarding data collection, analysis, and reporting practices to keep current with evolving national practices.
  • Serve on University committees and task forces on an as-needed basis and other duties to support the University’s mission. Including, but not limited to, the Provost Leadership Team, Dean’s Council, Strategic Plan’s Key Performance Committee, Data Governance & Integrity Committee, Academic Technology Committee, IT Executive Steering Committee, Faculty 180 Implementation Team member, and OIE Post-Implementation representative.

HISTORY OF THE POSITION

The department, previously known as the Office of Institutional Research, was led by for the inaugural director for 30 years. Upon retirement, LUC conducted a national search and a long-time faculty member and administrator from Loyola was named the Associate Provost and Director. In 2018, LUC updated the department name to the “Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE)” to reflect the broader mission of the department. The position was vacated in 2021 when the incumbent returned to the faculty. Two staff members, Dr. Brian Erdman and Dr. Eilene Edejer were selected to serve as co-interim directors during the national search.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF THE ROLE

Loyola University Chicago is a data-driven organization. The new Associate Provost must be able to design and deliver sophisticated research methodologies that yield metrics to distill and communicate levers of institutional effectiveness in teaching, research, admission, yield, retention, outcomes, and satisfaction. Specifically, the new Associate Provost and Director will have the opportunity to:

  • Strengthen collaborations within the ecosystem of institutional data owners to encourage improved and optimized data collection and utilization with a focus on more robust data, efficient operations, and ultimately, improved decision-making.
  • Direct and prepare various internal and external narrative and statistical records related to research projects, institutional assessment, planning, decision-making, quality improvement, policies, procedures, personnel, enrollment, accreditation, collegiate rankings, and state and federal data.
  • Bring a modern and efficient orientation to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to position OIE as a data hub where dynamic data is pulled from continuously updated sources, automating reporting in a responsible self-service model, including offering training to data stewards and users to prepare stakeholders to research, understand, and use data to inform decision-making.
  • Oversee the development of comprehensive data models and provide high-level data analysis and optimize data visualization to respond to and communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Quickly grasp the new strategic plan, develop an integrated and agile implementation initiative, and maintain the tracking and reporting of key performance indicators.
  • Create a vision, in partnership with the provost, and develop a research agenda and implement processes that are thoughtful, intentional, and clearly articulated to advise LUC in continuous improvement and strategic planning.
  • Participate in implementing and utilizing the new faculty activity tracking system and refreshing and implementing existing data systems.
  • Bring a fresh perspective, an entrepreneurial spirit, an agile mindset prepared for rapid change, and a collaborative approach to advance Loyola University Chicago via a data-enriched environment.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

At an interval deemed appropriate by the Provost of Loyola University Chicago, the Associate Provost and Director will:

  • Establish a more systematic approach to respond to vast institutional demand with an integrated strategy to the University’s needs for data; ensure the University community perceives methodologies to be transparent and the data accessible.
  • Deploy training and education across campus on data utilization and interpretation, increasing appropriate end-user data utilization.
  • Improve visibility of OIE across campus and ensure OIE is perceived as a trusted partner to facilitate how to answer the most complex issues facing the institution.
  • Increase research to understand student success throughout the student lifecycle, from prospect to alumnus to optimize impactful levers resulting in ideal enrollment, retention, satisfaction, and overall perception of Loyola University Chicago.
  • Keep abreast of industry trends and remain agile and responsive to new methodologies.
  • The OIE team operates under a shared vision, is flourishing, and feels valued. OIE nurtures talent and promotes professional development.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

A doctorate in research methods or a field related to social sciences, measurement, or quantitative methods and ten years of higher education experience involving strategic planning, program review, outcomes assessment, and institutional research is required. The successful candidate will demonstrate an ability to credibly develop and deploy staff to advance the institution’s goals. Evidence of a focus on equity and social justice; content expertise in research design and statistical methodologies that include both qualitative and quantitative approaches; experience providing leadership concerning data policy, governance, access, integration, and standards; demonstrated success in presenting data and analyses clearly and accurately in both verbal and written formats; and, a proven ability to work in partnership with senior leadership are required. Experience with reporting and visualization platforms; data governance initiatives and tools; data management and mining, predictive analytics, and modeling; and an understanding of complexities inherent in large, multi-campus University systems are preferred.

Characteristics that would enhance the likelihood of success for the new Associate Provost and Director

  • Focused on ensuring an equity lens guides the work of OIE through thoughtful and intentional design of the entire data process (collection, analysis, reporting).
  • Be an astute data strategist who leverages expertise and acumen to analyze, interpret, and draw implications from data to advise others on how to make data-driven decisions that advance the strength and stability of the University and the managerial skill to deploy the team to contribute proactively.
  • Communicates effectively, responsive to competing demands, and creates alliances to break down silos and translates data to various audiences to and sets a transparent, persuasive, credible, and compelling vision with senior leadership to strengthen data validity, visibility, and utilization.
  • Exhibits and encourages a growth mindset, is a solution-oriented and creative problem solver, and enables the OIE to be the same.
  • Demonstrates the highest level of ethics and integrity, appreciates the enormous responsibility of the influence and impact that OIE has on Loyola, is committed to ensuring the highest level of integrity regarding data structure and reporting.
  • Develops, advocates, and champions of OIE, is prepared to guide with mission and purpose, defines and communicates OIE’s value to the institution, establishes priorities, holds staff accountable, and understands and effectively navigates a highly complex University and organizational dynamics.

Institution & Location

OVERVIEW OF THE DIVISION OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

The Division of Academic Affairs comprises Loyola’s academic, academic support and student development units. The Division is home to Loyola’s Colleges and Schools, several institutes and Centers of Excellence, University Libraries, Global Initiatives, Enrollment Management, Student Academic Services, University Core Curriculum, Honors, Engineering Science, and Research programs.

Organizational Chart for Campus

Organizational Chart for the Office of the Provost

Leadership of the Division of Academic Affairs

Dr. Margaret Faut Callahan – Provost and Chief Academic Officer

Margaret Faut Callahan is the Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Loyola University Chicago. She is also a professor in the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Prior to this appointment, Callahan served Loyola as Provost of the Health Science Division, Interim Provost and Chief Academic Officer, and Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation.

Callahan received her bachelor of science in nursing from Loyola and has more than 35 years of experience in health care and higher education. Before coming to the University, she served as interim provost at Marquette University and dean and professor of the University’s College of Nursing. There she led the Marquette University College of Nursing through a successful reaccreditation, expanded the college’s first year class size, started a hybrid masters entry program, and implemented the doctor of nursing practice program.

Before her time at Marquette, she was at Rush University for many years, where she served as chair of adult health nursing, director of the nurse anesthesia program, and professor. Callahan also holds a master of science in nursing and a doctor of philosophy in nursing science from Rush University College of Nursing. Her research on pain management, palliative/end-of-life care, and health policy is widely published. Additionally, she is a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

She is an elected fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, National Academies of Practice and the Institute of Medicine, Chicago.

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) supports continuous quality improvement across the University by providing research and reporting services to support the following endeavors.

Assessment
The OIE defines assessment as a data-informed, systematic and iterative conversation about teaching and learning that reflects our common ideals about the ways that current and future students will be formed and transformed by their Loyola experience. Using multiple sources of information, faculty and staff collaboratively interpret how and why students demonstrate their achievement of learning outcomes. They then use these insights to formatively adjust their pedagogy and practices to continuously improve courses and programs. OIE’s role is to work as a partner to help units across the University to develop their capacity to set strong learning outcomes and to assess them as a means to improve teaching and learning.

Evaluation
The American Evaluation Association defines evaluation as “a systematic process to determine merit, worth, value, or significance.” Loyola University Chicago engages in a continual process of evaluation, which is supported by data collected and analyzed by the OIE. In addition to the vast amount of data collected, organized, analyzed, and disseminated by our institutional research team, OIE manages the collection of student surveys for course evaluation through the SmartEvals system, as well as the collection of faculty data through the Faculty 180 system. This data is then made available to faculty, staff, and administrators to facilitate the evaluation process through collaborative and reflective interpretation and planning.

Academic Program Review
In the spirit of good practices for the continuous improvement of teaching and learning, academic program review is a specific type of evaluation required at higher education institutions to align the goals of an academic unit and its various programs periodically with a University’s mission, priorities, and strategic plans. The overall purpose of the process at Loyola is to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of each academic unit and its various programs and enhance faculty and staff led collaborative, strategic program planning, and improvement efforts.

Action Planning and Continuous Quality Improvement
Universities engage in assessment, evaluation, and review to gather and interpret data, which is then used to inform action plans and develop benchmarks. If this process is to be truly useful in shaping a continuously improving institution, it must be faculty and staff led, collaborative, and transparent. The OIE supports this process by providing accurate and reliable data, facilitating a rich and reflective dialogue among a diverse group of stakeholders, and ensuring follow-through with action plans that include benchmarks and processes for monitoring implementation. Our role is not to conduct assessments, evaluations, and program reviews but to support units across the University to facilitate successful action planning and continuous quality improvement.

Mission, Vision and Promise

Mission

Loyola University is Chicago’s Jesuit, Catholic University-a diverse community seeking God in all things and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice and faith.

https://www.luc.edu/mission/mission_vision.shtml

Vision
Loyola University Chicago is the school of choice for those who wish to seek new knowledge in the service of humanity in a world-renowned urban center as members of a diverse learning community that values freedom of inquiry, the pursuit of truth and care for others.

Promise
Preparing people to lead extraordinary Lives.

Characteristics of a Jesuit Education

  • Commitment to excellence: Applying well-learned lessons and skills to achieve new ideas, better solutions and vital answers
  • Faith in God and the religious experience: Promoting well-formed and strongly held beliefs in one’s faith tradition to deepen others’ relationships with God
  • Service that promotes justice: Using learning and leadership in openhanded and generous ways to ensure freedom of inquiry, the pursuit of truth and care for others
  • Values-based leadership: Ensuring a consistent focus on personal integrity, ethical behavior in business and in all professions, and the appropriate balance between justice and fairness
  • Global awareness: Demonstrating an understanding that the world’s people and societies are interrelated and interdependent

Strategic Plan

To read about the Loyola University Chicago strategic plan:
https://www.luc.edu/strategicplan/

Leadership

Mark C. Reed – President

Mark C. Reed, EdD, MBA, was elected unanimously by the Board of Trustees as the 25th president of Loyola University Chicago in May of 2022. Reed joins Loyola after seven years as the first non-Jesuit president at Saint Joseph’s University, and before that, 15 years in senior leadership roles across Fairfield University. His career has focused on strengthening the institutions he has served, particularly in the areas of expanded academic programs, strategic partnerships, university finances and endowment, student formation, and advancement of the Jesuit, Catholic mission.

Academic Programs and Faculty

15 Schools, colleges, and institutes

80+ Undergraduate majors offered

80+ Undergraduate minors available

140+ Graduate, professional, and graduate-level certificate programs to choose from

600+ Full-time faculty members

14:1 Faculty/student ratio

92% Faculty hold the highest degree awarded in their field

NO. 81 BEST VALUE

NO. 7 IN NUMBER OF FEMALE STEM GRADS

TOP 3 PART-TIME MBA IN CHICAGO

99% Graduation success rate for three consecutive years

https://www.luc.edu/academicsresearch.shtml

The Student Body

98% Incoming first year students received grants and/or scholarships

98% Have a job or are in graduate school three months after graduation

16,893 Enrolled students in 2020, including 11,612 undergraduates

2,774 First year students from 47 states and 57 foreign countries

43% Identify as students of color

3.78 Average GPA

ACT middle 50%: 25-30 composite

SAT middle 50% verbal: 570-660

SAT middle 50% math: 550-650

Average financial aid package: $27,250

https://www.luc.edu/academicsresearch.shtml

INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY

Founded in 1870 by Father Arnold Damen, S.J., Saint Ignatius College was renamed Loyola University in 1909. The University began instruction at 1076 W. Roosevelt Road and in 1912 began a 10-year process of relocation to its Lake Shore Campus in Rogers Park. A downtown campus was established in the Loop in 1914 and, after a move within that neighborhood in 1927, eventually relocated to the Near North Side in 1946. To complement its liberal arts curriculum, Loyola established a law school in 1908, a medical school one year later, and a business school in 1922. The Chicago College of Dental Surgery merged with the University in 1923, closing 70 years later as part of a national trend. The medical and dental schools moved to Maywood in 1969 to create a health care complex now called the Loyola University Medical Center. The School of Sociology, which later evolved into the School of Social Work, was founded by Father Frederic Siedenburg, S.J., at the downtown campus in 1914. It included the first women to be admitted to Loyola. In 1966, undergraduate women—previously restricted to downtown programs—were given access to all courses on the Rogers Park Campus.

The University by its presence in Rogers Park has provided jobs and resources for the community and rendered assistance to the Rogers Park and Edgewater councils. The “Walk to Work Program” sponsored by the president’s office has provided housing loans to faculty and staff to remain in the community. Nursing students have provided health assistance at St. Ignatius Church, and students have volunteered at various shelters in the community. Loyola has continued to educate immigrant populations, earlier from Europe, and more recently from Asia and Africa.

In 1962, the University opened a campus in Rome, and the School of Business has offered summer programs in Athens, Bangkok, and Istanbul. In June 1991 the University acquired Mundelein College, which was adjacent to the Rogers Park campus, and in 1998, the board of trustees approved the purchase of the former Mallinckrodt College in Wilmette.

In 1970 the University legally separated from the Society of Jesus, placing it under lay control with an enlarged board of trustees.

Loyola and Chicago

Loyola and its students enjoy Chicago’s exceptional cultural and economic resources. In addition to providing an unparalleled setting for educational opportunities, Chicago is also one of the most prestigious cities in the world in terms of recreation and entertainment.

Academic Opportunities

Loyola students may take advantage of many academic opportunities in Chicago, including:

  • Three Chicago-area campuses: Lake Shore, Water Tower, and Health Sciences
  • Research and fieldwork opportunities at many major local institutions, including the Lincoln Park Zoo, Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and the Chicago Public Schools, and more
  • A diverse cultural and economic environment that enhances the Loyola community’s global sophistication

About our City

  • Chicago is home to 70 museums, more than 200 theaters, 7,300 restaurants, and 400 neighborhood festivals.
  • The nickname of “The Windy City” was bestowed on Chicago in 1893 by New York Sun editor Charles Dana. He was tired of listening to long-winded politicians boast about the World’s Fair that was held in Chicago the same year.
  • Chicago currently has 2,695,598 residents in its 237 square miles.
  • More than 50 million people visit Chicago each year.
  • Only 59 percent of Chicago residents were born in Illinois, and 21 percent were born in another country.
  • Chicago has 50 wards; 77 neighborhoods; 12,051 police officers; 47,330 fire hydrants; and 5,400 active taxis at any given time.

About Chicago, Illinois

Chicago is the principal city of the Chicago metropolitan area, defined as either the U.S. Census Bureau’s metropolitan statistical area (9.6 million people) or the combined statistical area (almost 10 million residents), often called Chicagoland. It is one of the 40 largest urban areas in the world.

Located on the shores of freshwater Lake Michigan, Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837 near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed. It grew rapidly in the mid-19th century; by 1860, Chicago was the youngest U.S. city to exceed a population of 100,000. Even after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed several square miles and left more than 100,000 homeless, Chicago’s population grew to 503,000 by 1880 — and then doubled to more than a million within the decade. The construction boom accelerated population growth throughout the following decades, and by 1900, less than 30 years after the great fire, Chicago was the fifth-largest city in the world. Chicago made noted contributions to urban planning and zoning standards, including new construction styles (including the Chicago School of architecture), the development of the City Beautiful Movement, and the steel-framed skyscraper.

Chicago is an international hub for finance, culture, commerce, industry, education, technology, telecommunications, and transportation. It is the site of the creation of the first standardized futures contracts, issued by the Chicago Board of Trade, which today is part of the largest and most diverse derivatives market in the world, generating 20 percent of all volume in commodities and financial futures alone. The economy of Chicago is diverse, with no single industry employing more than 14 percent of the workforce. It is home to several Fortune 500 companies, including Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, Allstate, Archer Daniels Midland, Boeing, Caterpillar, Conagra Brands, Exelon, JLL, Kraft Heinz, McDonald’s, Mondelez International, Motorola Solutions, Sears, United Airlines Holdings, US Foods, and Walgreens.

Landmarks in the city include Millennium Park, Navy Pier, the Magnificent Mile, the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum Campus, the Willis (Sears) Tower, Grant Park, the Museum of Science and Industry, and Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicago is also home to the Barack Obama Presidential Center being built in Hyde Park on the city’s South Side. Chicago’s culture includes the visual arts, literature, film, theatre, comedy (especially improvisational comedy), food, and music, particularly jazz, blues, soul, hip-hop, gospel, and electronic dance music including house music. Of the area’s many colleges and universities, the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago are classified as “highest research” doctoral universities. Chicago has professional sports teams in each of the major professional leagues, including two Major League Baseball teams.

Benefits Overview

To learn about the benefits offered at Loyola University Chicago, please visit:

https://www.luc.edu/hr/benefits.shtml

Application & Nomination

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. A resume with an accompanying cover letter may be submitted via the Spelman Johnson website at www.spelmanjohnson.com/open-positions. Nominations for this position may be emailed to Kara Kravetz Cupoli at kkc@spelmanjohnson.com. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895 or email info@spelmanjohnson.com.

Visit the Loyola University Chicago website at https://www.luc.edu/

Loyola University Chicago is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer with a strong commitment to hiring for our mission and diversifying our faculty and staff. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion (except where religion is a bona fide occupational qualification for the job), national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by law.

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