Trudy Bers, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Research, Curriculum and Planning at Oakton Community College
As an Achieving the Dream Data Coach, Trudy Bers consults with three community colleges on improving their student retention and graduation rates, particularly for low-income students and students of color. She is particularly interested in how colleges present their data to prompt discussion and greater understanding of student progress (or lack thereof).
Dr. Bers’ research interests include the community college, the assessment of student learning outcomes, and college choice for community college students and their parents. She has been president of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR), the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, the National Community College Council for Research and Planning, and the Illinois Association for Institutional Research, and is former chair of the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative Executive Committee. Dr. Bers has been or is on the editorial boards of Research in Higher Education, the Enrollment Management Journal, and the Community College Review. She has published more than more than 45 articles in professional journals, edited or co-edited four issues of New Directions for Community Colleges, co-authored two AIR online professional development courses, and made more than 50 presentations at professional conferences. She is and has been a member of a number of national advisory committees, including the Kansas Study faculty productivity project, University of Massachusetts Student Success Project, Improving Practitioner Knowledge to Improve Transfer project at the University of Missouri, and the Joint Commission on Accountability Research (JCAR).
Educational Background: Dr. Bers earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Illinois-Urbana; an M.B.A. for the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University; an M.A. in Public Law and Government from Columbia University; and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois-Urbana.
