J. Fredericks Volkwein

James Fredericks Volkwein

Professor Emeritus of Education, Higher Education Program
Senior Scientist Emeritus, Center for the Study of Higher Education

Email: volkwein@psu.edu
Phone: 203-276-0886

Introduction

Dr. Volkwein has a forty-year career as a researcher, administrator, and faculty member. He holds a B.A. from Pomona College and a Ph.D. from Cornell University. With interests in policy analysis and organizational effectiveness, he is especially well known for his studies and workshops on accreditation, assessing student learning outcomes, alumni studies, strategic planning and enrollment management, state regulation, and institutional research. He has produced more than 100 journal articles, research reports, conference papers, and book chapters.

Areas of Expertise

• Statistical methodologies: Multivariate statistics, OLS regression
• Survey design: Developed surveys for individual campuses as well as for multi-institutional studies of student and alumni outcomes, and campus autonomy
• Topics: Dr. Volkwein's scholarly work is related, directly or indirectly, to the topic of organizational effectiveness. He has produced more than 100 research reports, conference papers, journal articles, and book reviews. His research includes studies of:
  • Assessing Student Outcomes, performance and growth (1986 - 2006)
  • State regulation and its impact on universities (1980 - 2003)
  • Administrative job satisfaction (1998 - 2003)
  • Student loan default (1995 - 1998)
  • Campus crime (1995)
  • Institutional research (1989 - 1999)

Publications (Full CV available here)

Professional Experience & Activities

• President, Northeast Association for Institutional Research 1999-2000, Member since 1984.
• President, SUNY Association of Institutional Research and Planning Officers, 1993-1995.
• Member, SUNY Advisory Committee on Assessment and performance funding since 1988.
• Chair, Assessment Advisory Committee, Middle States Association 1994-96.
• Served as a consulting editor for several higher education journal.
• Chaired the Middle States committee that produced the 1995 monograph "Framework for Outcomes Assessment."
  • Editor-in-Chief, New Directions for Institutional Research, 1994-2005.
  • Consulting Editor, Research in Higher Education, since 1992.
  • Consulting Editor, The CASE International Journal of Educational Advancement, since 2000.
  • Consulting Editor, Review of Higher Education, 1992-95.

Honors & Awards

• President of NEAIR 2000.
• AIR Suslow Award for Distinguished Scholarship, 2001.
• Four best paper awards granted by the Association for Institutional Research, by the Southern Association for Institutional Research, and by the North East Association of Institutional Research.
• AIR Outstanding Service Award, 2006.
• NEAIR Distinguished Service Award, 1998.

Education

• Ph.D. from Cornell University
• Bachelor's degree from Pomona College