Primary Duties and Responsibilities

This role advances a culture of evidence by partnering with academic and administrative leaders to strengthen institutional research functions (e.g., official reporting, trend analysis, and ad hoc studies), improve data quality, integrity, and shared definitions, and enhance the accuracy and usefulness of internal and external reporting, including state and federal requirements. While collaborating closely with the University’s accreditation leadership to provide data and evidence as needed, the AVP does not oversee accreditation activities or serve as the University’s SACSCOC liaison.

• Lead institutional research, analytics, and decision support by designing and communicating analyses and evaluation projects that inform academic strategy, student success, enrollment, budgeting/resource planning, and operational improvement.

• Develop and maintain performance measurement and visualization tools (KPIs, SLO metrics, dashboards, scorecards, and routine reporting) in partnership with Academic Affairs leadership, chairs, divisional VPs, and unit leaders to drive institutional performance continuous improvement.

• Strengthen institutional effectiveness and assessment practices by helping units build measurable outcomes, assessment plans, improvement cycles, and evidence-based decision-making through consultation, training, and analytic support.

• Ensure data integrity, transparency, and governance by standardizing definitions and documentation, implementing quality assurance practices, reducing duplicative reporting, coordinating with key offices (Office of Information Technology, Office of the Registrar, Enrollment Management, Finance and Administration, and others), and helping lead the University’s Data Governance Council.

• Oversee internal/external reporting and compliance submissions (e.g., Fact Book, IPEDS, National Student Clearinghouse, and other state/federal/national surveys), maintaining consistent methodology and audit-ready processes.

• Lead Tennessee Higher Education Commission Quality Assurance Funding analytics and reporting by coordinating institutional participation and evidence for required components (e.g., gen ed assessment, major field tests, program reviews/audits, program accreditation status, student success initiatives, satisfaction surveys such as NSSE, and access/success metrics).

• Produce executive-level reporting and forecasting by delivering decision-ready briefs and presentations and conducting trend analysis, scenario modeling, and forecasting to support planning, enrollment, outcomes-based funding performance, and risk management. 

Minimum Requirements

•  MS in Computer Science, Data Science, Data Analytics, or related field required; Ph.D. preferred

•  A minimum of four (4) years of experience in developing data-informed planning tools, including key performance indicators, dashboards, scorecards, and forecasting models used to support academic planning, student success, program review, and continuous improvement in higher education.

Austin Peay State University is a four-year public, doctoral-level university, with six colleges and four Chairs of Excellence. The University has an enrollment of over 11,000 students and is located in Clarksville, Tennessee, a community of an estimated 150,287 people located approximately 40 miles northwest of Nashville, TN.

Austin Peay State University is a proud supporter of hiring veterans. We hire veterans with equivalent experiences and pay grades from their military service, rather than requiring or preferring only college degrees. Please visit our website for more information on how veterans can qualify for additional employment opportunities at APSU: https://www.apsu.edu/human-resources/hiring-veterans/.

Austin Peay State University (APSU) prohibits discrimination in all employment, programs, and activities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), disability, age, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. For Title IX inquiries or complaints, contact: Chief of Institutional Culture & Title IX Coordinator, LaNeeça R. Williams at williamslr@apsu.edu | 931-221-7690, Browning Building, Room 140, Clarksville, TN 37044. For other non-discrimination concerns, contact: Director of Title VI & VII Compliance, Sheila M. Bryant at bryantsm@apsu.edu | 931-221-7178 or Assistant Director of Accessibility Compliance, Jayme Dunn at dunnj@apsu.edu | 931-221-7160. View APSU’s full nondiscrimination policy at Policy 6:001.