RWU Welcomes Institutional Data Leader as New Assistant Vice President for Office of Institutional Research

BRISTOL, RI– Roger Williams University has named institutional research leader Jennifer L. Dunseath as the new assistant vice president for institutional research, a role in which she will lead the office of institutional research to become a center for research best practices and cutting-edge analysis that will help inform strategic planning for the University moving forward.

Dunseath brings more than 25 years of institutional research experience to the role and is recognized as a leader in the development of best practices to capture and report data, research design, data analysis and the assessment of learning outcomes.

She joins Roger Williams University from Rhode Island School of Design, where she expanded the institutional research office and helped establish it as the campus resource for data assessment and survey needs. As director, Dunseath was instrumental in gathering, analyzing and structuring data from internal and external sources for institutional planning and decision-making. She created and executed more than 60 internal surveys, implemented the use of the Common Data Set to answer guidebook surveys and developed the first Board of Trustee dashboard of key performance indicators, among other accomplishments.

Dunseath begins her new role today – October 21. Her appointment concludes a search conducted by a committee led by Vice President for Enrollment Management Catherine Capolupo. Dunseath says the faculty and staff’s eagerness to collaborate as a team attracted her to the position.

“As I began to meet and speak with more and more people on campus, I was very impressed with the level of collaboration, communication and transparency between departments and across disciplines,” she says. “At RWU, there is a real team culture and desire to work together and that excites me. I’m an innovator at heart and I’m excited to join the University and help expand the institution’s success.”

Prior to her appointment at RISD in 2010, Dunseath served as the chief institutional research officer at Framingham State University in Framingham, Mass. In that role, she was instrumental in implementing multiple student/alumni surveys, creating an admissions research plan to assist recruiting efforts, and organizing data to bring the FSU campus into compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act.

Previously, Dunseath held the position of director of institutional effectiveness at Kettering University in Flint, Mich. In that role, she led the institutional research office and developed standard research data practices in which she was responsible for training other campus staff members on how to use the new data assessment tools.

Her other professional involvements include current membership on the Association for Institutional Research including the association’s North East affiliate. Dunseath also serves as secretary on the North East Association of Institutional Research’s board. She has also presented at a number of industry conferences on the role of institutional research on areas such as alumni engagement, first year student success and administrating course evaluations and tracking graduation rates.

Dunseath earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology from Central Michigan University.

About RWU: Roger Williams University, with its main campus located on the coast of Bristol, R.I., is a forward-thinking private university with 45 undergraduate majors spanning the liberal arts and the professions, where students become community-minded citizens through project-based, experiential learning. With small classes, direct access to faculty and boundless opportunity for real-world projects, RWU students develop the ability to think critically while simultaneously building the practical skills that today’s employers demand. In the two years since launching its signature Affordable Excellence initiative, the University has established itself as a leader in American higher education by confronting the most pressing issues facing students and families – increasing costs that limit access to college, rising debt and the job readiness of graduates. In addition to its 4,000 undergraduates, RWU is home to more than a dozen graduate programs, a thriving School of Continuing Studies based in Providence as well as Rhode Island’s only law school.

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