Mihir Named New Assistant Vice Chancellor
JONESBORO — Dr. Mihir is the new assistant vice chancellor for institutional effectiveness at Arkansas State University, Provost Lynita Cooksey announced this week.
Joining A-State from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, Mihir was the director of institutional effectiveness at UAFS the past three years. The author of several academic articles on the use of data in the strategic planning of universities, he earned his doctoral degree at Southeastern Louisiana University in 2011.
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Mihir to Arkansas State and look forward to an expanded role for this area in our overall planning, as well as the fulfillment of day-to-day needs of crucial data reports both on campus and to our state and external agencies,” Cooksey said.
“The chance to bring the impressive data, methodological and policy expertise of higher education to bear on understanding and building educational places that support and guide teaching and learning for all students is an opportunity I would embrace with passion and dedication,” Mihir said. “At Arkansas State University, I foresee an opportunity to identify measures of effectiveness such as student persistence, course progression, retention and completion, and to help develop new academic, student and administrative strategies to expand on institutional educational offerings.”
Mihir’s position expands the previous responsibilities of the Office of Institutional Research.
“The title reflects a new approach to our large data sets, and it is more in line with what we are asked to provide,” Cooksey said. “The goal is to look for trends and have our institutional research play a larger role in the decision making for our university five or 10 years into the future.”
While some may see the accumulation of data for a university as a necessary chore, Mihir views it as a chance to give back and be a part of a pro-active approach to student support.
“I am frequently reminded of my early struggles in college,” he said. “In fact, those challenges led me to become an educational researcher to investigate, and eventually, an administrator to instigate the interventions. Simply put, I wanted to ensure others did not have to face similar trials and tribulations without support and guidance.”
Before working at UAFS, Mihir worked as a director of national research and policy at the Association for Institutional Research in Tallahassee, Fla. Following his doctoral work at SLU, he was the director of institutional effectiveness at Norwalk Community College of the Connecticut State system.
“I look forward to working collaboratively with faculty, staff and students at Arkansas State University to provide evidence-based, data-guided decisions and policies to achieve improved, enhanced and excellent academic services,” Mihir added.
