Leveraging Data to Create Change: Lessons Learned from Program-, College-, and Institutional-Level Assessment

Friday, January 23, 2026

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM East Coast USA Time

Location: University of DC - Level M1

Primary Presenter(s)

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James DeVita

Assistant Vice President for Academic Partnerships and High-Impact Experiences
University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
Baltimore, Maryland, United States

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Co-Presenter(s)

Jess Boersma

Chief of Staff
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, North Carolina, United States
Jeanne Persuit

Director of High Impact Pathways
University of North Carolina Wilmington, United States
Christie Poteet

Student Affairs
University of North Carolina at Pembroke, United States
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Paul Townend

Associate Dean
University of North Carolina Wilmington, United States

Institutions face urgent challenges to respond to external pressure (e.g., system-level initiatives, federal priorities and concerns, parent and board concerns about return on investment). Responsive, proactive, consequential institutional change is most likely when internal audiences and institutional leadership can be connected to data that clarify: 1) impact/effectiveness on learning, 2) needle-moving on student success, and 3) direct responsiveness to urgent need. This session will start with a brief overview of lessons learned from a five-year, large-scale ongoing institutional assessment of a campus-wide initiative focused on applied learning. The lessons learned provide transferable strategies that each panelist has utilized in new roles. Although each engaged with the applied initiative variously, current positions represent three different institutions and units including Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Executive Leadership at multiple levels. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions of the panelists and engage in a think-pair-share to discuss ideas with other participants.