Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Swarthmore College, one of the nation's leading liberal arts institutions, seeks a strategic, collaborative, and intellectually curious institutional research leader to serve as its next Assistant Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Assessment (AVP IERA). This individual in this role will balance innovation with stewardship, technical sophistication with relationship-building, and long-term vision with practical execution
Swarthmore was founded in 1864 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) as one of the earliest coeducational institutions in the country. Located on a 425-acre arboretum campus just outside Philadelphia, the College enrolls approximately 1,700 students and offers more than 50 academic programs across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, and interdisciplinary fields. Supported by more than 800 staff members and 262 full-time faculty (184 are full-time tenured and tenure-track), Swarthmore combines the personalized educational experience of a residential liberal arts college with the resources, talent, and capacity to advance its mission at the highest levels. Its culture continues to be shaped by Quaker values, including collaboration, ethical leadership, respect for individuals, and a commitment to advancing knowledge in service of the common good.
The next AVP IERA will join Swarthmore at a pivotal period of transition: The College expects to announce its next president by early 2027, and it is in the process of implementing Workday for Human Resource, Finance, and Student operations, and will be evaluating the future of the platform's data, reporting, and analytics environment on an ongoing basis. Together, these transitional moments offer the incoming AVP IERA an exceptional opportunity to help shape institutional priorities and strengthen the College's capacity for strategic planning and decision-making. At the same time, Swarthmore continues to advance important goals related to student success, enrollment, financial sustainability, philanthropy, assessment, accreditation, and long-range planning. The AVP IERA will play a critical role in helping the College strengthen its information ecosystem, leverage emerging technologies, and further embed evidence-informed decision-making across the institution.
The AVP IERA leads a team of two directors, serves as a member of the President's Cabinet, and provides strategic leadership for institutional research, assessment, accreditation, data governance, federal reporting, and decision support. Working closely with academic and administrative leaders, the AVP IERA will translate complex information into actionable insights, support institutional planning and resource allocation, and ensure the College has the analytical capacity necessary to achieve its strategic goals.
The next AVP IERA will guide the evolution of Swarthmore's analytics and reporting environment, strengthen coordination among distributed data and analytics functions, advance data governance efforts, and help shape the College's approach to AI and other emerging technologies. They will also oversee institutional effectiveness initiatives, assessment activities, accreditation planning and compliance efforts, and federal reporting requirements while helping position the College for its next comprehensive NECHE accreditation review in 2036.
The ideal candidate will bring significant experience in institutional research, institutional effectiveness, assessment, analytics, or a related field; a demonstrated ability to support complex organizational decision-making; and a collaborative leadership style that inspires trust across a wide range of constituencies. As a trusted advisor to the President, Cabinet, Board, faculty, and staff, the AVP IERA will help ensure that data, assessment, and evidence-informed planning continue to support Swarthmore's pursuit of academic excellence and institutional success.
Swarthmore College has retained Isaacson, Miller to assist with this important recruitment. Review of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the search is completed. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications, including CVs and cover letters, should be submitted via the Isaacson, Miller website: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/swarthmore-college/assistant-vice-president-institutional-effectiveness-research
Dan Rodas, Partner
Amble Ryan, Managing Associate
Steph Simon, Senior Associate
Katanya Cathcart, Senior Search Coordinator
Isaacson, Miller
Swarthmore College is committed to creating a culture of respect and inclusion so that every member of our community feels a sense of belonging. We actively seek and welcome candidates with diverse perspectives and experiences, exceptional qualifications, and a demonstrable commitment to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on any identity or characteristic protected by law or College Policy.
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