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Chambers Named Director of Institutional Research at Southeast
06/14/2017
Eric Chambers, an institutional researcher with extensive experience in Missouri higher education, has been named the director of Institutional Research at Southeast Missouri State University. Chambers, of Kirkwood, Missouri, will begin his new duties July 5. He replaces Dr. Chuck McAllister, vice provost, who has been serving as interim director of Institutional Research for the past year, following the retirement of Dr. Kang Bai. With Chambers’ arrival, McAllister will return to his leadership role in the School of Graduate Studies where Dr. Allen Gathman had been serving as interim dean in 2016-2017. Gathman recently retired. 'I am excited for the opportunity to join Southeast Missouri State University as the director of Institutional Research,” Chambers said. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues to leverage my skills and experience in research, policy analysis and predictive analytics. Data and information are valued commodities in the postsecondary landscape, and I believe institutional research serves an essential function in empowering decision makers and helping the institution achieve its goals.' As director of Institutional Research at Southeast, Chambers will provide senior leadership for the collection, analysis and reporting of information for institutional planning and accountability, administrative decision-making and accreditation. His expertise will be valuable to develop and update predictive models for student persistence and completion. Institutional Research will be instrumental in helping maintain data integrity, compliance and reporting relationships between the University and external constituencies. “I am excited to welcome Eric as our Director of Institutional Research” said Dr. Carlos Vargas, President of Southeast Missouri State University. “I want to thank Dr. Chuck McAllister for his leadership as Interim Director and the entire Institutional Research staff for the valuable and important work they do for our university. I believe Eric has a unique skill-set that will benefit Southeast, and I look forward to him joining our community later this summer.” Chambers has spent the past four years as a senior research associate at St. Louis Community College, where he has developed, managed and coordinated college-wide research and policy analysis. Prior to that, he was employed as a research associate by the Missouri Department of Higher Education in Jefferson City, Missouri, managing the statewide student record systems, and designing and conducting surveys of postsecondary institutions and stakeholders. He began his career as a graduate research assistant with the University of Missouri-Columbia. Chambers holds a Master of Public Affairs with a specialization in public policy from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of South Florida. He received the St. Louis Community College Innovation of the Year award for 2015-2016 and the 2015 MidAIR Best Paper Award.
06/14/2017
Eric Chambers, an institutional researcher with extensive experience in Missouri higher education, has been named the director of Institutional Research at Southeast Missouri State University. Chambers, of Kirkwood, Missouri, will begin his new duties July 5. He replaces Dr. Chuck McAllister, vice provost, who has been serving as interim director of Institutional Research for the past year, following the retirement of Dr. Kang Bai. With Chambers’ arrival, McAllister will return to his leadership role in the School of Graduate Studies where Dr. Allen Gathman had been serving as interim dean in 2016-2017. Gathman recently retired. 'I am excited for the opportunity to join Southeast Missouri State University as the director of Institutional Research,” Chambers said. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues to leverage my skills and experience in research, policy analysis and predictive analytics. Data and information are valued commodities in the postsecondary landscape, and I believe institutional research serves an essential function in empowering decision makers and helping the institution achieve its goals.' As director of Institutional Research at Southeast, Chambers will provide senior leadership for the collection, analysis and reporting of information for institutional planning and accountability, administrative decision-making and accreditation. His expertise will be valuable to develop and update predictive models for student persistence and completion. Institutional Research will be instrumental in helping maintain data integrity, compliance and reporting relationships between the University and external constituencies. “I am excited to welcome Eric as our Director of Institutional Research” said Dr. Carlos Vargas, President of Southeast Missouri State University. “I want to thank Dr. Chuck McAllister for his leadership as Interim Director and the entire Institutional Research staff for the valuable and important work they do for our university. I believe Eric has a unique skill-set that will benefit Southeast, and I look forward to him joining our community later this summer.” Chambers has spent the past four years as a senior research associate at St. Louis Community College, where he has developed, managed and coordinated college-wide research and policy analysis. Prior to that, he was employed as a research associate by the Missouri Department of Higher Education in Jefferson City, Missouri, managing the statewide student record systems, and designing and conducting surveys of postsecondary institutions and stakeholders. He began his career as a graduate research assistant with the University of Missouri-Columbia. Chambers holds a Master of Public Affairs with a specialization in public policy from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of South Florida. He received the St. Louis Community College Innovation of the Year award for 2015-2016 and the 2015 MidAIR Best Paper Award.
