Campus & Community

Institutional Research Team Joins Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Monday, September 15, 2025, By Wendy S. Loughlin

As part of a broad strategy to strengthen data-informed decision-making and institutional performance across campus, the University’s institutional research team has been formally integrated into the (OIE), effective June 1. The newly consolidated office continues to fall under the purview of the .

“This merger, which brings together two teams with complementary missions and expertise, is a strategic step toward creating a unified and agile continuous improvement and analytics-driven unit,” says , chief of staff for academic affairs, whose portfolio includes oversight of OIE. “It allows us to deliver more impactful insights and better support ϲ’s strategic goals—especially in the areas of student success, academic excellence and institutional effectiveness.”

OIE provides University leadership, academic programs and administrative offices with timely insights and decision support that ranges from data analysis and analytics to use of meaningful assessment and data. The office plays a key role in supporting accreditation, assessment, strategic planning and program review, while expanding contributions to ϲ’s institutional mission and values.

As part of the reorganization:

  • The institutional research team, led by Amy Gardiner, retains responsibility for retention, graduation and student performance research, while gaining access to enhanced tools, methodologies and collaborations in OIE. Gardiner now reports to OIE director Laura Harrington.
  • The Office of Institutional Data and Reporting (IDR), led by Seth Ovadia, remains a distinct unit and retains responsibility for official reporting, data integrity and compliance, with continued oversight of federal, state and other external reporting; official census data; internal data needs; and ad hoc data requests. IDR also reports to Edmonds.

Faculty, staff and senior leadership will benefit from more coordinated and forward-looking data services and consultation to inform planning and continuous improvement initiatives, Edmonds says. The new structure will include:

  • A single point of access for data and analysis needs.
  • More responsive and streamlined processes for data requests.
  • Enhanced dashboards and decision-support tools.
  • Greater clarity on official data definitions and sources.
  • Collaborative engagement that fosters shared responsibility for data-informed decision-making.

For more information, visit , or contact Harrington at lalvut@syr.edu or Ovadia at saovadia@syr.edu