Nancy Showers

Director of Institutional Research at Oakland Community College 

Nancy Showers is the Director of Institutional Research (IR) at Oakland Community College (OCC), in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and has served in the institutional research capacity for 10 years. As an Achieving the Dream Data Coach, Ms. Showers will be working with Century College in Minnesota and Amarillo College in Texas.  In her work with these new Achieving the Dream colleges, she hopes to help them identify opportunities to learn from students about their perceptions of barriers to success.

As IR Director, Ms. Showers leads a staff of 11 research professionals and a Data Collection Center in providing research and data to the college community, with a focus on coordination and consistency of studies and data usage among the college’s five campuses.  In addition, Ms. Showers is the facilitator of the College Planning Council, advancing the strategic planning efforts and processes for OCC. 

Ms. Showers is actively involved as a volunteer for the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP), serving as an examiner since 2007.  In 2010, Ms. Showers became a Senior Examiner, leading teams through application review and consensus. She has also participated in site visits for potential Baldrige award recipients.  In addition, she is engaged in the Michigan Quality Council, where she develops materials and delivers training for examiners at the state level. 

Ms. Showers serves on state-wide community college committees, including the Michigan Community College Collaborative for Accountability, Research and Effectiveness (MCCARE) and the Michigan Community College Data and Evaluation Committee (MCCDEC).  She is an active member of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) and the related Michigan association (MIAIR). 

Educational background: Ms. Showers holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree and a Master of Science in Administration degree, both from Central Michigan University.  Advancing her training, she has received instruction at the Summer Institute for Survey Research at the University of Michigan, studying Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Research Design and Question Testing Methods