In 1971, Southeastern Louisiana University established an Office of Institutional
Research. The following is a chronology since 1983.

 

1983		Institutional Research staff consisted of a Director (Dr. Randall Webb) and a Secretary. The Director reported to the President. The functions of the office were to implement EEO compliance and reporting, to maintain minutes for key campus committees (e.g., Academic Affairs, Graduate Council) and to prepare HEGIS and other mandated reports.
1984		A new Director (Dr. James Davis) was appointed, and the office’s functions changed. New top-level administrators needed information for planning and evaluation purposes, and Institutional Research was assigned the role of providing that information. The office also was given responsibility for maintaining the University’s facilities database and for submitting facilities and space utilization reports to the Board of Regents. The Director’s minute-taking function for various committees was phased out.
1985		A faculty member in Economics (Henry Thomasson) was re-assigned to serve as a half-time Research Associate (his teaching duties were reduced). In addition, a full-time Research Associate position was approved (filled by Dr. Constance Smith). The practice of systematically extracting data from the Student Record System and from the Payroll/Personnel database and of using these computerized extract files for research was instituted.
1986		Responsibilities for EEO compliance and reporting were transferred to another office. I.R.E. acquired its first PC. Dr. Davis spearheaded planning the University’s assessment program. The words “and Evaluation” were added to office’s name.
1987- 1988		The half-time Research Associate position was changed to full-time, and Mr. Thomasson returned to full-time teaching. In order to better meet changing needs in the office, the secretarial position was replaced with a “mini-computer programmer”. Dr. Davis resigned as Director in December, 1989.
1989		The half-time Research Associate position was changed to full-time, and Mr. Thomasson returned to full-time teaching. In order to better meet changing needs in the office, the secretarial position was replaced with a “mini-computer programmer”. Dr. Davis resigned as Director in December, 1989.
1990		A new Director was hired (Dr. Ben Showalter), and the vacant Research Associate position was filled (Dr. Anna Waggener). The University’s Honeywell mainfram computer was replaced with a VAX, improving the productivity of the Research Associates. Assessment activities continued to increase.
1991		A management intern position was approved which enabled the office to hire a statistical Assistant (Donald Boeckman). There had been frequent turn over in the “mini-computer programmer” position due to the low salary, and so it was discontinued.
1992		Dr. Waggener was assigned to devote 25% of her time to meeting the information needs of the SACS Research Committee.
1992-1993		The University hired a Director of Assessment, but I.R.E. continued to be responsible for assessment-related survey projects. A half-time secretarial position was approved (Cora Von Aspern). The Provost assumed supervisory authority over the I.R.E. Director.
1993-1994		The SACS Coordinator’s position occupied by Ms. Dennis Watts was disbanded and her position was allocated to the Office of Institutional Research and Evaluation. In October 1993, Mr. Donald Boeckman applied and was accepted to a research associate position in the Office. Mr. Boeckman filled Ms. Watts old position. Ms. Lori Fairburn was hired in January 1994 to fill the position of statistical assistant vacated by Mr. Boeckman. Dr. Anna Waggener resigned from the university in January 1994 to take a position as a research associate with the University of South Alabama. Dr. Constance Smith took on a role of planning and policy analysis and was reporting to the Provost’s office. Her position was still allocated to Institutional Research and Evaluation.
1994-1995		Dr. Smith resigned from the University in August 1994 to start up and become the director of Institutional Research at Purdue University, Calumet. The director of the Office Of Assessment, Dr. Shelia Chauvin, resigned from the university in April 1995 to take a position with Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans. The Office of Assessment was disbanded.
1995-1996		Dr. Beatrice Baldwin became director and the name of the office was changed to Institutional Research and Assessment. Dr. Ben Showalter moved into a Research Associate position and Dr. Michelle Hall was hired in the other Research Associate position. The office became responsible for institutional effectiveness for the university. Part of the duties included spearheading the strategic planning process, coordinating and implementing the university survey process, and working with departments on Major Field Assessment. Ms. Glenda White was hired as a Word Processor Operator to assist with the institutional effectiveness efforts.
1996-1997		In October, Ms. Lisa McAllister was hired in the Research Associate position vacated by Dr. Ben Showalter. In January, the office cleaned out years worth of data, papers, reports, etc. and packed everything up and moved into new offices in McGehee Hall, the first academic building on campus. In June, Ms. McAllister resigned. The office took over responsibility for the Student Opinion of Teaching process and Ms. Tina Hensley was hired to coordinate that process.
1997-1998		In August, Dr. Chand Wije was hired in the Research Associate position vacated by Lisa McAllister. In November a new position, Institutional Database Coordinator, was created and filled by Ms. Lori Fairburn. Tina Hensley resigned and in December Ms. Glenda White took over responsibility for the administration of the SOTs. In March, Ms. Lisa Owens was hired as the new Word Processor Operator. During the year, SSPS for Windows was acquired and the staff began utilizing it in addition to the Vax version of SSPS.
1998-1999		In July, Ms. Lisa Owens and Dr. Chand Wije resigned. In August, Mr. Kenneth Smith was hired in the Statistical Assistant position vacated by Ms. Lori Fairburn. In August, Ms. Lana Ashcraft was hired in the vacant Word Processor Operator position, from which she resigned in October. The end of October, Ms. Julie Durel was hired in the vacant Word Processor Operator position. In January, Dr. Elizabeth Atkinson was hired to fill the vacant Research Associate position. During the academic year, Dr. Baldwin was put in charge of Project Leo, the preparation for and rollout of our new administrative system, PeopleSoft.
1999-2000		In September, Ms. Julie Durel resigned (to go work as a Secretary II in Purchasing) and in November Ms. Tina Wainwright was hired in that position. In January, Dr. Beatrice Baldwin became the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dr. Michelle Hall became Interim Director of Institutional Research and Assessment. During the Spring semester, an electronic time-keeping system, TimeCentre, was introduced by the university and the HR portion of PeopleSoft went live.
2000-2001		During the summer, the office prepared for the student record portion of PeopleSoft to go live in the Fall. In addition, the university underwent a major academic reorganization and selective admissions was implemented for the first time. In September Ms. Lori Fairburn accepted a position as the Associate Director of Office of the Registrar. Also in September, Ms. Cora Von Aspern moved to Dr. Baldwin’s office and Ms. Tina Wainwright moved into the Secretary II position. The Word Operator position was discontinued. Somehow, the office survived Fall 2000. In February, Dr. Elizabeth Atkinson resigned to take a position closer to home in Baton Rouge.
2001-2002		In September, Mr. Vinay Ramachandra was hired in the Institutional Database Coordinator position, and Mr. Kenny Smith moved from the Statistical Assistant position to the vacant Research Associate position. October, Ms. Tina Wainwright resigned and Ms. Mickey Inman filled the Secretary II position. In December, Mr. Jacob Jasin was hired in the Statistical Assistant position. During the year changes in the new SACS criteria were reviewed with trepidation, but after review, a committee felt that Southeastern is in good shape for our visit in Spring 2005.
2002-2003		In August, Ms. Mickey Inman retired. In October, Ms. Gertie Hyde was hired in the Secretary II position. Mr. Donald Boeckman was the technology guru for the AIR Forum in Tampa.
2003-2004		SACS began in earnest and the office was very involved. Dr. Michelle Hall was elected SAIR Treasurer, and Mr. Donald Boeckman finished his technology guru term at the AIR Forum in Boston. Fall 2003 appeared with the highest enrollment in Southeastern history, we are still not sure where we put all those students. The SOT Reports finally moved from being run on the Vax and faking the old SRS system to being run through Access.
2004-2005		Ms. Gertie Hyde moved to Public Information, and Ms. Priscilla Potts was hired in the Secretary II position. In August the parking lot in front of McGeehee was reopened after being closed for more than two years. It is the little things in life we take pleasure from. In November, Ms. Potts left and in March, Ms. Allison Blache was hired in the Administrative Assistant II position. Ms. Blache was thrown into the fire, she started only a week before SACS came to campus to visit.
Sources		1983-1992: Report prepared by Connie Smith1993-1995: Donald Boeckman1995-current: Michelle Hall