Tiffany Rodriguez: Institutional Research

Posted by Jen Hanson in admin

Tiffany Rodriguez is an integral part of the inner workings of Santa Fe University of Art and Design. “In my role as manager of Institutional Research, I collect, analyze, and disseminate institutional data to campus leadership, program chairs, and faculty,” she says.

With a Ph.D. in biomechanics and a bachelor’s degree in science, Rodriguez previously worked eight years in research and data analysis before transitioning to SFUAD three years ago. “I was looking to advance my career when a former coworker told me about this position,” Rodriguez says of landing at SFUAD.

In one aspect of her work for the school, Rodriguez supports SFUAD’s “accreditation, assessment, and institutional effectiveness,” she says. She’s also (the important) middle man between the school and other organizations at the state and federal levels for data reporting.

“My goal is to share meaningful data to identify trends and inform campus leadership and program chairs to aid in making data-informed decisions,” she says.

Linda Swanson, dean of the School of Visual and Communication Arts, says, “Data has become critical to understanding, communicating, and advocating for certain specific aspects of any institution…Tiffany is able to make our raw data speak back to us as to how to improve the program.  I think the real quality of excellent institutional research is in this translation from data and statistics to a dynamic response. And I love it when Tiffany comes to campus because our conversations are always enlivened by her personal investment in making meaning from research. We’ve had some real “aha!” moments!”

One of Rodriguez’s main goals concerns students, “I take the results of the student satisfaction survey and share the findings with campus leadership and program chairs. This provides leadership and chairs with a better understanding of student satisfaction.”

All universities have research data management and, at SFUAD, Rodriguez is the glue that connects data with integration.