2008 Woodie Awards
YU Revolutioning Data Analysis
Yoni Lipshitz
Issue date: 9/4/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Among the many important additions taking place at Yeshiva is a new department in the Office for Academic Affairs. The Office of Institutional Research and Reporting has been created to collect and analyze all sorts of data about Yeshiva that will be used for administrative decision-making throughout numerous facets of the university such as student and faculty productivity.
"We need to be able to benchmark ourselves against other universities," explained Vice President of Academic Affairs Mort Lowengrub. "For this purpose, we need to be data driven. For years, the University has been relying on anecdotal evidence for making major decisions. In order to continue improving, we need to be better defined and better informed."
The new department will be headed by Ariel Fishman. Fishman, who called his position "somewhat of a cross between a statistician and an internal consultant," is currently completing his Ph.D. in management at Columbia University's graduate school of business with a concentration in organizational behavior and applied econometrics.
Previously, Fishman spent a number of years as a management consultant. All of this makes Fishman very well suited for his new job as Director of Institutional Research, according to Dr. Lowengrub.
The new department, the likes of which have long been mainstays at other universities, should bring a bevy of benefits to Yeshiva. "YU constituents spend a great deal of time generating data but not enough time analyzing it to see how to use that data to improve the university" said Fishman. "I would like to advance that analysis, including everything from surveys that have been conducted to course evaluation data."
According to Fishman, one way for his department to improve the university through their work is by providing the university with all the information neccesary to make well-informed decisions in an organized fashion. "We aim to serve as a repository about university data, so that our leadership can have a better understanding of trends over time."
The office has already been spending an abundance of time working together with the senior leadership of the university, specifically the Office for Academic Affairs, attempting to provide them with the data they need to make better decisions. Fishman said he plans to eventually partner with the faculty to conduct scholarly research on the University.
Ms. Andrea Burdick also joins the new department, leaving behind her position as Head Registrar, to become Director of Institutional Reporting. As opposed to Dr. Fisher, who will primarily be responsible for data analysis, Ms. Burdick will be responsible mainly for collecting data and providing it to the necessary parties. Fishman remarked on how both he and Ms. Burdick are each well-suited for their distinct responsibilities. "Our responsibilities and backgrounds complement each other's very nicely. My own background is more suited toward consulting, survey analysis and academic research while Andrea has extensive knowledge of university data from her experience as the Registrar."
"We need to be able to benchmark ourselves against other universities," explained Vice President of Academic Affairs Mort Lowengrub. "For this purpose, we need to be data driven. For years, the University has been relying on anecdotal evidence for making major decisions. In order to continue improving, we need to be better defined and better informed."
The new department will be headed by Ariel Fishman. Fishman, who called his position "somewhat of a cross between a statistician and an internal consultant," is currently completing his Ph.D. in management at Columbia University's graduate school of business with a concentration in organizational behavior and applied econometrics.
Previously, Fishman spent a number of years as a management consultant. All of this makes Fishman very well suited for his new job as Director of Institutional Research, according to Dr. Lowengrub.
The new department, the likes of which have long been mainstays at other universities, should bring a bevy of benefits to Yeshiva. "YU constituents spend a great deal of time generating data but not enough time analyzing it to see how to use that data to improve the university" said Fishman. "I would like to advance that analysis, including everything from surveys that have been conducted to course evaluation data."
According to Fishman, one way for his department to improve the university through their work is by providing the university with all the information neccesary to make well-informed decisions in an organized fashion. "We aim to serve as a repository about university data, so that our leadership can have a better understanding of trends over time."
The office has already been spending an abundance of time working together with the senior leadership of the university, specifically the Office for Academic Affairs, attempting to provide them with the data they need to make better decisions. Fishman said he plans to eventually partner with the faculty to conduct scholarly research on the University.
Ms. Andrea Burdick also joins the new department, leaving behind her position as Head Registrar, to become Director of Institutional Reporting. As opposed to Dr. Fisher, who will primarily be responsible for data analysis, Ms. Burdick will be responsible mainly for collecting data and providing it to the necessary parties. Fishman remarked on how both he and Ms. Burdick are each well-suited for their distinct responsibilities. "Our responsibilities and backgrounds complement each other's very nicely. My own background is more suited toward consulting, survey analysis and academic research while Andrea has extensive knowledge of university data from her experience as the Registrar."