UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Lori Hancock, an experienced institutional research professional and information technologist, will become the University’s associate vice provost for institutional research within the Office of Planning and Assessment. Hancock, who has served as the interim associate vice provost for institutional research since June 2018, will begin her permanent role on Oct. 8.
Hancock, who previously served as associate director for planning and institutional research and senior research associate at the University, has nearly 30 years of experience in institutional research and effectiveness, statistical and predictive analysis, data management and visualization, and institutional assessment and compliance.
In her new role, Hancock will report to Lance Kennedy-Phillips, vice provost for planning and assessment, and be responsible for leading the institutional research functions for the University by integrating institutional, operational and analytical data to support decision-making, strategic planning and policy development at all levels of the institution.
“Lori brings a great deal of knowledge and experience to this role, which will be pivotal in helping the University use data to drive planning and decision-making,” Kennedy-Phillips said. “Lori has a demonstrated ability to think strategically, analyze new opportunities and collaborate with partners, and I am confident in her ability to lead the University’s institutional research functions to support continued growth.”
Hancock will help to streamline institutional reporting and institutional research to better leverage official data and provide support to University leadership through data collection, analytical activities and research projects. She will oversee efforts to collaborate and share best practices with departments throughout the University to support efforts related to students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Since June 2017, Hancock has led the Penn State Institutional Research Interest Group, a community of practice of more than 30 institutional researchers, information technologists and supporters of institutional research across the University, and in June 2018 became co-chair of the University’s Data Governance Working Group.
“This is an exciting opportunity to continue my work in institutional research at Penn State. We have assembled a strong team from diverse professional backgrounds within the Office of Planning and Assessment, and I believe we are poised to grow in our capacity to support University decision-makers,” Hancock said.
In 2017, Hancock joined Penn State as associate director for planning and institutional research and senior research associate. In this position, she sourced internal and external data for various projects, including the development of institutional dashboards using dynamic visualizations related to finance, business and student progress. In June 2018, she assumed leadership of the transition effort to incorporate official student and HR reporting functions into the Office of Planning and Assessment.
Before joining Penn State, Hancock was director of institutional research at Mott Community College, where she led large-scale applied research studies and performed business analyses to improve student outcomes, enrollments and institutional budgeting. She also was the associate director of admissions for research and analysis at the University of Michigan and an adjunct professor at Saginaw Valley State University.
Before her career in higher education, Hancock held positions at General Motors and Delphi Automotive, with a primary focus on strategic business planning, business analysis and process engineering.
Hancock earned a master’s degree in information technology and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, both from Kettering University.