Description
As higher education faces shifting enrollment trends, policy transitions and rapidly evolving data ecosystems, the need for collaboration across institutional units has never been greater. The 2025 UT System Institutional Effectiveness Summit will bring together professionals across campuses and roles to explore how we can lead through uncertainty with confidence. Sessions will focus on how to remain data-led amid change, build resilient partnerships and harness the power of collaboration to drive meaningful impact for students, campuses and the communities we serve.
2025 Session Details
Tuesday, July 8 — Keynote Presentation
Session Title: Insights from the Field – How IR/IE Offices Are Adapting in a Time of Change
Keynote Speaker: Christine M. Keller, Ph.D., Executive Director and CEO, Association for Institutional Research (AIR)
Description:
Higher education is undergoing rapid and profound change — reshaping institutions, student experiences and the role of data professionals. In this this time of uncertainty, understanding how IR/IE offices across the country are approaching their work can provide valuable perspective and help you identify strategies that align with your institution’s context and priorities.
This session will share findings from the 2024 Association for Institutional Research (AIR) National Survey, offering a national snapshot of IR/IE office structures, staffing, output and institutional data maturity. It will also explore emerging areas of practice, including the role of chief data officers and the adoption of artificial intelligence.
Discover how your IR/IE peers are evolving in a time of change — and how we can strengthen our collective impact by sharing our knowledge and experience.
Wednesday, July 9 — Panel Discussion
Session Title: Navigating Uncertainty: Collaborating for Collective Impact
Panelists:
Bridgette Decent, Associate Vice Provost for Strategic Analytics, The University of Memphis
James Hunt, Associate Vice Provost and Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Florida State University
Denise Gardner, Assistant Provost and Executive Director of Institutional Research and Analytics, UT Knoxville
Justin Shepherd, Associate Vice Provost for Institutional Research and Decision Support, Emory University
Description:
In a time when “unprecedented” is becoming the norm, how do we lead institutions through ambiguity? This session will bring together IR leaders from within and beyond the UT System to explore how uncertainty can become a catalyst for collaboration and innovation. Panelists will discuss ways to integrate data across campus functions, align decisions with broader outcomes, and support student and institutional success in the face of evolving expectations.
Thursday, July 10 — Collaborative Project Showcase
Session Title: Collaborative Data Insights: Boosting Institutional Effectiveness through Visualization and Communication
Presenters:
Nick Humensky, Business Intelligence Developer, UT System
Dr. Cindy Williamson, Director of Accreditation and Assessment, UT Chattanooga
Description:
Complex needs often require significant resources to accomplish, which can be even more challenging as those resources evolve or even disappear entirely. In this environment, it’s crucial to collaborate and leverage the resources and capacities we have.
It was in this spirit that UT Chattanooga’s Office of Accreditation and Assessment partnered with the UT System Business Intelligence team to develop interactive dashboards in Power BI that turn student course evaluations and senior exit exam data into actionable insight. These tools allow users to filter and analyze feedback by instructor, subject and theme, providing value for tenure review, faculty development and continuous improvement. Nick and Cindy will walk through the development process, share practical lessons and highlight how cross-campus collaboration made it all possible.