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Members

CIMA Meetings & Events

CIMA provides a forum around effective and efficient use of data to guide campus planning and decision making. The topics and content of the Summer Meeting and Annual Meeting sessions reflect this aim. Summer Meeting sessions typically focus on how APLU campuses are engaging with predictive analytics, creating a cross-campus culture of evidence, and determining costs of instruction, as well as how our national research partners handle big data and post-collegiate outcomes reporting.

Upcoming Meetings & Events

2026 CIMA Summer Meeting. Co-hosted with APLU’s Council on Academic Affairs (CAA) and the University of South Florida on July 12-14 in Tampa, Florida, this convening will bring together institutional research officers, data officers and analysts, chief information officers, chief academic officers, presidents, and others to discuss cultivating innovation, harnessing analytics, and enhancing collaboration in an evolving technological and regulatory landscape. For more information, visit the 2026 CIMA Summer Meeting page or email the CIMA Support Staff (data@aplu.org).

2026 APLU Annual Meeting. Hosted by the University of Texas at San Antonio from November 15-17 in San Antonio, Texas, this meeting brings together leaders across departments at APLU institutions for substantive discussions, collaborative workshops, and strategic networking focused on advancing the education, research, and engagement mission of public and land-grant universities. More details are provided here.

Previous Meetings & Events

CIMA Repository

APLU developed a resource that consolidates all CIMA presentations from past APLU Annual Meetings, CIMA Summer Meetings, and CIMA Webinars into a single, searchable dashboard. This tool includes presentation slides and recordings dating back to 2015.

Note: Click on the arrow in the bottom right corner to expand to full screen mode.

Recent Meetings/Webinars

This webinar covered how postsecondary-to-workforce outcomes are currently tracked in some states, the strengths and limitations of commonly used data sources, and how the U.S. Census Bureau’s Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) data can complement existing approaches.

It provides practical guidance on joining the PSEO and using the dataset and visualization tool in program review and accountability, institutional planning, and other decision-making.

Slides

Recording

This webinar covered key updates from the U.S. Department of Education’s negotiated rulemaking process affecting earnings‑based accountability, STATS reporting, and Workforce Pell data requirements. Data‑focused professionals across APLU member institutions should gain practical insight into upcoming changes, data challenges, and how to prepare.

Slides

Recording

Final Agenda
Sunday, November 9, 2025
Beyond the Price Tag: Data Tools for Higher Education Investments
Moderator: Beth McCuskey, Vice Provost for Student Life, Purdue University
Justin Draeger, Senior Vice President of Affordability, Strada Foundation
Paul Garton, Assistant Vice Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis, East Tennessee State University
Levi Shanks, Assistant Vice President, Academic & Student Affairs, APLU
Loralyn Taylor, Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Analytics, Ohio University

Monday, November 10, 2025
Implementing the One Big Beautiful Bill
Moderator: Amanda Wintersteen, Associate Vice President for Federal Relations, Pennsylvania State University
Lowell Davis, Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Texas at Arlington
Michelle Hansen, Associate Vice President for Institutional Research and Planning, Ohio State University
Michelle Trame, Executive Director, Office of Student Financial Aid, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; National Chair of the Coalition of State University Aid Administrators

Innovation in Action: What Members Are Teaching Each Other About Technology
Daniel Newell, ED Career Services, San Diego State University (Strada)
Paul Marty, Associate Vice President of Student Advocacy and Engagement, Temple University
Rick Burnette, Senior Vice Provost, Chief (Academic) Strategy Officer & Institutional Data Administrator, Florida State University
Deanne DeCrescenzo Assistant Vice President of Student Advocacy and Engagement, Temple University
Junius Gonzales, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, California State University
Melissa Vito, Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, The University of Texas at San Antonio,

Critical Consideration in Leveraging AI for Operational Effectiveness
Moderator: Nancy Gonzales, Provost, Arizona State University
Matt Riley, Associate Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Chief Information Officer, University of Illinois Chicago,
Wendy Hensel, President, University of Hawaii
Pranesh Aswath, Provost, Texas State University

The Future of Accreditation
Alex Cartwright, President, University of Central Florida
Robert Moran, BOSE Public Affairs Group
Maria Toyoda, President and CEO of WASC Senior College and University
Cameron Howell, Senior Advisor, Commission for Public Higher Education; Secretary of the University and of the Board of Trustees, University of South Carolina


Sunday, July 13, 2025

Session 1: Leading the AI Revolution: Case Studies and Strategies for Campus-Wide Integration of Generative AI in Teaching, Learning and Leadership
Speakers:
Paul Marty, Professor of Information, and Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, Florida State University
Matt Riley, Associate Vice Chancellor for Innovation, and Chief Information Officer, University of Illinois Chicago

Session 2: Continuous Listening: Using AI-Enhanced Survey Insights to Drive Student Experience Assessment and Institutional Decision-Making Tools
Speakers:
Ahmed Belazi, Executive Director of Strategic Analytics and Technologies, Stony Brook University
Rbbert L. Miller Jr., Director of Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness, Stony Brook University

Session 3: AI-Facilitated Transformation of Institutional Planning, Research and Effectiveness
Moderator:
Michelle Appel, Assistant Vice President, Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment, University of Maryland, College Park
Speakers:
Anna Kinney, Coordinator, University Writing Program, University of North Dakota
Ryan Zerr, Associate Vice President for Strategy & Implementation, University of North Dakota
Jonathan Dixon, Assistant Director, Data and Analytics Infrastructure, Virginia Tech
Robert L Hopkins II, Assistant Vice Provost for Analytics & AI, Virginia Tech

Monday, July 14, 2025

Session 4: Tracking Graduate Success: How State Systems Are Revolutionizing Outcomes Data
Speakers:
Alex Handler, Research Statistician, Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center,
Ann Kellogg, Director of Reporting and Services and Maryland Higher Education
Tod Massa, Policy Analytics Director, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
Troy Miller, Chief Data Officer, State University System of Florida

Session 5: From Insights to Innovation: Data-Driven Structured Conversations
Speakers:
Jessica Turos, Associate Director, Office of Academic Assessment, Bowling Green State University
Kali Trzesniewski, Professor of Extension, University of California, Davis

Session 6: Beyond Hypotheticals: Using Curricular Analytics and Course Effectiveness Reports to Guide Improvement Efforts
Speakers:
Carlos Jensen, Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Innovation (AVC-EI), Associate Professor, Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), University of California, San Diego
Erin Espaldon, Director of Student Success Research and Analytics, University of California, San Diego
Marco Molinaro, Executive Director for Educational Effectiveness and Analytics, University of Maryland, College Park

Business Meeting

Session 7: Designing Intelligence: Reimagining IR and Analytics for a Data-Engaged Campus
Speakers:
James Hunt, Associate Vice Provost and Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Florida State University
Rick Burnette, Senior Vice Provost, Chief (Academic) Strategic Officer, Florida State University

Session 8: Data Parties as Tools for Collective Insight and Strategic Clarity
Speakers:
Bonnie J, Becker, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success, Associate Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Washington Tacoma
Afiya C. Fredericks, Assistant Professor, Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the District of Columbia
Kali Trzesniewski, Professor of Extension, University of California, Davis

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Session 9: Data-Empowered Decision Making for Academic Leadership: Balancing Financial Realities with Strategic Goals
Speakers:
Carl Forney, Associate Director of Advanced Analytics, Ohio University Office of Analytics & Institutional Effectiveness, Virginia Tech
Loralyn Taylor, Associate Provost, HLC Accreditation Liaison Officer, Ohio University
Gesele Durham, Vice Provost of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning, George Mason University
John Dooris, Director of Research and Analysis, George Mason University
Amy Lebrecht, Assessment Planner, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning, George Mason University
Sheena Serslev, Director of Institutional Assessment, Office of Institutional Effectiveness Planning, George Mason University

Session 10: Value-Led Research Assessment: The Scope Framework
Speakers:
Baron G. Wolf, Director of Data Analytics, Institutional Research Analytics & Decision Support, REI-CC Co-Investigator, University of Kentucky

Session 11: Cultivating Data Resiliency Through Literacy, Governance, and Collaboration
Speakers:
Heather Epstein-Diaz, Program Director, Data Governance and Analytics Services, Florida State University
Kim Brooks, Director, Student Success Analytics and Technologies, Bowling Green State University
Marissa Green-Francescon, Assistant Director of Institutional Research and Assessment, Office of Assessment, University of Iowa
Matthew Anson, Director, Data Analytics and Insights, University of Iowa