Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness was established to lead university efforts to improve student learning and educational program outcomes and work with departments, faculty, schools and divisions to develop and implement assessment strategies that lead to course, curricular and program improvement. The office is responsible for leading and shaping assessment processes and assisting with regional accreditation activities, keeping abreast of assessment best practices and helping to foster a collaborative culture emphasizing continuous improvement of the quality of education at Rice.

John Cornwell became Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness on March 1, 2007. He reports jointly to the Provost and the Vice President for Finance and holds an appointment as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology.

Cornwell received the Ph.D. degree in industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology from the University of Tennessee –Knoxville. He has held faculty positions at the University of Georgia in Athens and Tulane University in New Orleans. Before coming to Rice, Cornwell was assistant provost for institutional effectiveness and assessment at Loyola University in New Orleans, where he was also a professor in the Department of Psychology. He taught courses on tests and measurements, statistics, I/O psychology and human-resource development.

In addition to developing web-based information about institutional effectiveness, Cornwell is overseeing the management of data and compilation of reports required for Rice’s ongoing accreditation by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS). Cornwell will also focus on Rice’s Vision for the Second Century and working with faculty, students, staff and others to develop tools to assess how successful Rice will be at attaining the goals outlined in the vision.

Contact Information

John Cornwell
Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness
315 Lovett Hall
713.348.3227
cornwell@rice.edu