Dr. Don Hossler Steps Down After Two Successful Years as Executive Research Director of the National Student Clearinghouse® Research Center™

Dr. Doug Shapiro to Assume Executive Director of Research Role

HERNDON, Va., July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Don Hossler has announced that he is stepping down as the Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center on July 1 in order to concentrate full time on his teaching obligations at Indiana University.

In February 2010, Dr. Hossler became the founding Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, while continuing to serve as a Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Indiana University. After nearly 2 1/2 years, Dr. Hossler has decided to return full time to teaching and research at the IU Bloomington campus. He will continue to serve as a consultant to the Research Center and Research Center Board.

Dr. Hossler reflected on his time at the Research Center.

The past 2 1/2 years have been one of the most interesting and professionally invigorating experiences I have had during my career. Because of the student-level data held by the National Student Clearinghouse, the Research Center sits at the intersection of some of the most pressing educational policy issues in the nation. The great colleagues I have in the Research Center as well as at the parent organization, the Clearinghouse, and the Board of Directors for the Research Center have made my time with the Clearinghouse rewarding and stimulating. However, the time away from home, the extensive travel, and the demands of carrying out both my role as the center's director and as a professor, have led me to the decision that it is time to step down.

The National Student Clearinghouse and the Research Center are playing an increasingly important role in enabling accountability and policy-oriented research for both the K-12 and postsecondary educational sectors. Indeed, in many instances, using the data held by the National Student Clearinghouse, the Research Center can provide student-level insights into educational outcomes ranging from the success of curricular reforms in improving the postsecondary success of high school graduates to developing more comprehensive understandings of student academic progress and degree completion at community colleges as well as public, four-year private not-for-profit, and four-year private for-profit institutions. The Clearinghouse enables outcomes-oriented research that is otherwise incomplete or impossible to undertake without drawing upon the student-level enrollment information we hold.

During the time Dr. Hossler has served at the Research Center, he has been responsible for bringing in approximately $5 million in external grant and project funding, including funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). The WICHE effort is an ambitious multi-state project that will for the first time enable data collection and analysis that connects P-20 and workforce data.

Under Dr. Hossler's stewardship, the Research Center launched two new report series tracking enrollment outcomes: Signature Reports™ and Snapshot Reports™. Two Signature Reports and six Snapshot Reports have been released since last summer, with a third Signature Report due to be released soon. This past year, the Research Center provided educational outcome reports for 1,247 postsecondary institutions and data reporting services to 20 state postsecondary educational agencies. In addition, 31 states and 3,603 high schools use the Research Center's P-12 data reporting services. The Research Center also facilitated research and evaluation studies for 767 educational organizations and researchers.

Dr. Doug Shapiro, who is currently the Senior Director of Research for the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, will be promoted to Executive Research Director for the Research Center. In concert with the Research Center Board of Directors, Dr. Shapiro will be responsible for moving the Research Center services and analytics forward. Dr. Shapiro is an expert in the uses of postsecondary student data for academic and policy research, program evaluation, institutional effectiveness, and strategic planning. Prior to joining the Clearinghouse, he was the Director of Institutional Research at The New School in New York City. Previous to that, he served as the Vice President for Research and Policy Development at the Minnesota Private College Council.

Dr. Shapiro has directed research in areas such as student retention, college costs, student access and financial aid, impact of recessions on enrollment, academic performance of student athletes, and markets for highly-educated labor. He holds a Ph.D. from the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan, an M.A. in Mathematics and a B.A. in History.  

Regarding Dr. Hossler's departure, Paul Lingenfelter, President of SHEEO and Chair of the Research Center Board, commented, "Don Hossler's leadership was critical to the successful launch of the Research Center during the past 2 1/2 years. His deep understanding of research in the field, his ability to identify and recruit talented staff, and his credibility as a scholar were essential. He has laid a strong foundation for the future contributions of the Research Center."

Rick Torres, CEO and President of the National Student Clearinghouse, added: "Don's contribution to the establishment of the Research Center cannot be overstated. The Research Center is striving to enable the national discussion on important public policy topics, such as access, persistence and completion statistics, and successful student outcomes. Our unique student perspective enables the identification of educational pathways and the measurement of an institution's relative contribution to the overall educational success of a student. The contributions of both Don and Doug have been critical to shaping the Research Center's direction as a national resource. Don's continued involvement in the Research Center serves as a testament to its important mission and role in the public policy discussion."

The changes took effect July 1, 2012.

About the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes.
To learn more, visit http://research.studentclearinghouse.org.

About the National Student Clearinghouse
The National Student Clearinghouse (a nonprofit formed in 1993) is the unique and trusted source for higher education enrollment and degree verifications. The Clearinghouse serves as a single point of contact for the collection and timely exchange of accurate and comprehensive enrollment, degree, and certificate records on behalf of its more than 3,300 participating higher education institutions, which represent 96 percent of all students in public and private U.S. institutions. The Clearinghouse also provides thousands of high schools and districts with continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics on their alumni.

Through its verification and reporting services, the Clearinghouse saves the education community cumulatively nearly four hundred million dollars annually. Most Clearinghouse services are provided to colleges and universities at little or no charge, including enhanced transcript and research services, enabling institutions to redistribute limited staff and budget resources to more important student service efforts. Clearinghouse services are designed to facilitate an institution's compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, The Higher Education Act, and other applicable laws.

In addition, the Clearinghouse provides accurate, timely enrollment and degree verifications to student loan providers, employers, student credit issuers, the U.S. Department of Education, and others who access its registry more than half a billion times annually.

For more information, visit www.studentclearinghouse.org.

SOURCE National Student Clearinghouse