David Buchdahl, Ph.D.

Director of Institutional Research and Planning, Community College of Vermont 

As a Data Coach, David Buchdahl consults with two colleges in the northeast region - Prince George’s Community College and Eastern Maine Community College.

Dr. Buchdahl has worked at the Community College of Vermont (CCV) since 1983. As a result of his work, CCV was invited to join Achieving the Dream in 2009. He conducts all data development for CCV’s participation in Achieving the Dream and designs evaluation plans for CCV’s intervention strategies. He has held a variety of positions at CCV, including Dean of Academic Affairs from 1996 to 2007. During that time, Dr. Buchdahl was responsible for launching CCV’s initiative to develop a culture of evidence. In 2007, he was named CCV’s Chief Planning and Assessment Officer, the college’s first position fully dedicated to institutional research, charged with developing data to track student success.

Before moving to Vermont with his family in 1980, Dr. Buchdahl taught anthropology and American studies at Brown University. His research interests were in the areas of religion, the United States in the 60's, and cultural change. In Vermont, he conducted research on small‐scale organic farming and also wrote the tribal recognition petition for the Abenaki of Vermont.

Educational Background: Dr. Buchdahl earned a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Chicago; a MA from the University of Chicago; and a B.A. in Philosophy from The Johns Hopkins University.