Illinois State University will welcome Ryan Smith as the new director of University Assessment Services effective July 1.
Smith is currently vice president for Institutional Advancement and Research at Joliet Junior College, a position he has held for five years. His previous positions were in planning and budgeting, financial aid, admissions and athletics at the University of Illinois, the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Drake University.
“Dr. Smith comes to Illinois State with outstanding experience and extraordinary references,” said Jan Murphy, associate provost. “He brings a wealth of experience in assessment and institutional effectiveness to University Assessment Services.”
Smith earned his Ph.D. in higher education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a master’s degree in education from Drake University and a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Renee Tobin, associate professor of psychology, has served as the interim director of University Assessment Services and will continue to represent the area on the General Education Task Force, chairing the assessment subcommittee of the group.
University Assessment Services functions as a central location for assessment related information. The staff conducts institution-wide projects at multiple points of students’ academic and co-curricular experiences, such as the Alumni Survey and the National Survey of Student Engagement. University Assessment Services staff members are available to serve as consultants and co-researchers on class, department/school and unit assessment projects.
