TADA24 Session 8: Making Data-Informed Decisions—and Navigating Challenges in the Process

For NACUBO Members Only

Constituents at colleges and universities want to use data to inform their decisions, but making sure analysis of data leads to actionable insights that are actually relied on can be a challenge. In this webinar, facilitators will share the “Make Data-Informed Decisions” play from the Change With Analytics Playbook and how leaders at one institution used the play. The play walks constituents through determining appropriate questions, interpreting data analysis, making a decision, and reviewing the decision made. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss challenges in decision-making processes and to learn what other plays in the playbook can support them in their data journeys.

This session will not be recorded.

Jack Suess

Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)

Mr. John "Jack" Suess is Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). He has led UMBC's IT organization for the last 26 years. Jack has led administrative projects in implementing ERP, developing and deploying analytics, and cybersecurity. At UMBC, he has been an active researcher in advanced networking and was PI on UMBC's 1997 NSF grant for vBNS networking and was the PI on a 2014 NSF cyber infrastructure grant to upgrade the network to 100 Gbits. In addition he has been co-PI on a NSF grant to increase women in IT through improved access to global resources and a state grant for broadening IT skills across all majors. He currently leads the Maryland Institute for Innovative Computing (MIIC) that works in partnership with the state of Maryland to advance cybersecurity practices and workforce development.

Nationally, he has served, or is presently serving, on the boards of Internet2, EDUCAUSE, IMSglobal, InCommon, REN-ISAC, and the NIST National Strategy for Trusted Identity in Cyberspace He has been a thought leader and researcher in the areas of advanced networks, cybersecurity, identity management, analytics, and the technology standards for learning technologies. His work has been recognized by Internet2 with the Presidential Award for Community Leadership and by EDUCAUSE for Leadership in the Profession. Currently, he is co-host on the EDUCAUSE podcast, The Integrative CIO.

Leah Ewing Ross

Associate Deputy Director

Association for Institutional Research

Leah Ewing Ross, Ph.D., is associate deputy director at the Association for Institutional Research. She leads AIR’s national research, scholarship, and innovation agenda to effectively position IR and related fields within the changing landscape of higher education. Ewing Ross partners with stakeholders to create forward-looking models to advance evidenced-based decision making and to equip higher education professionals with the knowledge and tools they need as leaders within their organizations.