Announcing Inaugural Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Planning

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon Faculty and Staff:

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Henry Zheng, an expert in data analytics and predictive modeling with experience leading higher education administration research, planning and analysis, has been selected as CMU’s inaugural Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (IEP). Dr. Zheng will assume his new role on June 15.

Dr. Zheng currently serves as an Associate Vice President for Strategic Analytics at The Ohio State University, where he leads institutional research and planning, competitive intelligence and strategic analytics. He supports the university’s academic and research enterprise through data research and advanced analytics, including as a senior staff advisor to The Ohio State University’s Post-Pandemics Response Task Force. As co-editor of "Big Data on Campus: Data Analytics and Decision Making in Higher Education," Dr. Zheng stresses the importance of using data analytics to support strategic and operational decision-making in higher education.

Dr. Zheng has held a number of leadership roles overseeing strategic planning and data analytics throughout The Ohio State University and its medical center, and previously worked as Vice Provost for Institutional Research and Strategic Analytics at Lehigh University. Dr. Zheng received his Ph.D. and MBA from The Ohio State University.

As CMU’s Vice Provost for IEP, Dr. Zheng will oversee the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis and provide oversight for internal and external reporting of the university’s assessment plan. He will play a critical role in leading and facilitating data-driven decision-making at CMU, including data governance and integrity. Dr. Zheng will provide strategic guidance for planning, evaluation, data analysis and research methodologies that support key initiatives and stakeholders across the university.

Rather than a direct replacement of the Vice Provost for Resource Planning position, this new position will elevate the university’s institutional research and planning efforts through utilization of our institutional information assets to improve our educational and research missions.

I am thankful to the search advisory committee for their efforts, and am especially grateful to Dr. Keith Webster, Dean of University Libraries, and Dr. Becky Culyba, Associate Provost, who co-chaired the search advisory committee.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Henry Zheng and welcoming him to the Carnegie Mellon University community!

Sincerely,

Jim Garrett
Provost and Chief Academic Officer