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Reporting to the Associate Director of Institutional Research, with a dotted reporting line to the Dean of Student Success and International Programs, the Student Success Research Specialist's primary responsibilities include gathering, synthesizing, analyzing, and communicating information related to university-wide retention initiatives. The Student Success Research Specialist will comprehensively examine, shape, and make meaning from a robust flow of data and evidence from a variety of internal and external sources to inform decision-making and will be responsible for research, assessment, data extraction and analysis, and report delivery related to student success, persistence, and retention initiatives at Bellarmine University. The overall goal for this position is to generate insights and intelligence that drive decision-makers to strategic, decisive action. This role will join an IR&E team that is focused on data-informed change, expanding data literacy on our campus, and continually improving how we foster student success.

Our team culture is one of collegiality and collaboration, with a commitment to supporting professional development and scholarship activity for all members. We recognize that each of us are more than our jobs and we strive to do good, meaningful work with dignity and respect that honors our shared humanity.

Essential Functions:

• Assemble, analyze, and present specific data from relevant student success platforms (Beacon Anthology, SAP Business Objects/CROA, Ellucian Colleague), as well as data collected for academic services, academic advising, co-curricular involvement, and academic support, to inform student success strategies, decision-making, and communications
• Conduct assessment and evaluation of current retention programs and initiatives, particularly those deemed as successful high impact practices, in order to maximize impacts
• Determine KPIs for progress-monitoring of campus initiatives related to retention and graduation rates in the new university strategic plan
• Coordinate data support for functional areas of the Student Success Center, Student Affairs, and related high impact practice initiatives
• Coordinate and conduct institutional research studies on topics such as student persistence and graduation; analyze and interpret results
• Prepare and update reports, dashboards, and other presentations of student success institutional data for broad use by campus constituents
• Analyze and interpret data trends related to student success (e.g., DFIW rates, retention and progression, belonging, engagement in high impact practices, graduation, sub-populations)
• Develop and implement predictive analytics practices related to student success strategies
• Provide summary reports for student success initiatives
• Serve on the Student Success Task Force and relevant subcommittees
• Manage and respond to ad hoc data requests
• Serve as a member of the broader institutional research and evaluation team, taking on special projects as time permits
• Collaborate with relevant areas across campus; educate campus leaders on good practice for the use of data

• A completed master's degree in educational research or another applied social science field with a strong research component
• A fundamental understanding of the issues affecting student success in a higher education setting
• Understanding of research design, as well as quantitative and/or qualitative methods
• Strong interpersonal, collaborative, and critical thinking skills
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement
• Ability to prioritize work while remaining proactive and adaptable to changing needs
• Experience with contemporary statistical and other software tools for data management, analysis, and reporting.
• A collaborative attitude; openness to working regularly with people at many organizational levels and from many offices.
• Experience with Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and other workplace productivity applications
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) and organizational skills with proven attention to detail.
• Methodical problem-solving skills.
• A willingness to continually grow and learn professionally from many sources.

Preferred Qualifications:

• One or more years professional experience in higher education, particularly in areas of student success, persistence, and retention
• Experience with Ellucian Colleague or similar enterprise-level student information systems
• Basic skills using SQL to construct queries, extract and manipulate data
• Experience with Tableau or similar data visualization software packages
• Experience with and advanced knowledge of higher education and student success

Work Environment:  This role has the potential to be performed on-site or as a hybrid of in-person/remote work.  Candidates wishing to be considered for a hybrid work arrangement must have minimal technology requirements including a high-speed, secure home internet connection.

Bellarmine University is committed to core values of diversity, equity and inclusion and embraces diversity in our workforce among members of faculty, staff and administration. We remain committed to affirmative actions, policies, procedures and attitudes necessary to continue to build and retain a diverse and equitable workforce. We will demonstrate a fully realized and lived commitment to equity and inclusion, empowering all members of our increasingly diverse community and supporting them to achieve their full potential. As part of Bellarmine's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, we will seek to ensure that all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, job assignment, training, compensation, benefits, discipline, promotion, layoff and termination processes remain free of discrimination based upon race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other protected class.

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About Bellarmine University

Bellarmine University is a dynamic, growing university with a strong liberal arts focus in the Catholic higher education tradition and a bold vision for the future. Bellarmine has undergraduate and graduate enrollment of nearly 4,000 students, and continues to add new academic programs while maintaining small class sizes and personal attention to students. Bellarmine is listed in the Princeton Review's Best 382 Colleges, is one of the top 15 Southern regional universities in U.S. News and World Report's 2018 college rankings, and is a top university in Forbes' list of America's best colleges. In a survey by The Princeton Review, students praised Bellarmine as a place that is "welcoming to every single person and makes an effort to include everyone." Bellarmine students, faculty and staff engage in more than 25,000 cumulative hours of service each year, in Louisville and around the nation and world. Bellarmine is located on a scenic 175-acre campus in the Highlands neighborhood of Louisville, KY, which Glassdoor recently recognized one of the nation's top 10 cities where pay goes the furthest, and National Geographic calls it a top 10 food city. ZipRecruiter calls Louisville a top 1...0 city for job seekers, thanks in part to its central location and low unemployment. Louisville is within a day's drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population. Bellarmine is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer and encourages applicants with diverse backgrounds to apply. Bellarmine University is committed to core values of diversity, equity and inclusion and embraces diversity in our workforce among members of faculty, staff and administration. We remain committed to affirmative actions, policies, procedures and attitudes necessary to continue to build and retain a diverse and equitable workforce. We will demonstrate a fully realized and lived commitment to equity and inclusion, empowering all members of our increasingly diverse community and supporting them to achieve their full potential. As part of Bellarmine's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, we will seek to ensure that all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, job assignment, training, compensation, benefits, discipline, promotion, layoff and termination processes remain free of discrimination based upon race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.

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