by Leah Jackson
The Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission is supporting a meeting of the Louisiana Association for Institutional Research, hosted by Northwestern State University July 13-14. The NHDDC presented a $2,000 sponsorship/grant to support the conference that will draw more than 100 professionals to the city from all over the state.
Dawn Mitchell, director of Institutional Research at NSU, is vice president of LAIR and program chair for the upcoming conference. Kelsey Claspill, institutional research data analyst at NSU, is LAIR secretary. LAIR president Dane O’Blanc is from McNeese State University and treasurer Steve Cox is from the Louisiana Community Technical College System.
“Institutional researchers are ‘the data stewards’ of higher education,’ Mitchell explained. “IR develops, tracks and reports key institutional metrics, such as enrollment, retention, graduation rates and more, to internal and external stakeholders. This data is used for national and regional trending, institutional decision-making and informing statewide initiatives and policies.”
The conference is open to anyone interested in post-secondary institutional research or assessment. The fee to participate is $55. For more information, contact Mitchell at mitchelldawn@nsula.edu.
“We are grateful to the NHDDC for their sponsorship of this event. Attendees from across the state will get to enjoy a fantastic downtown Natchitoches experience with Wednesday night’s reception being held at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame,” Mitchell said.
