by Rosie Sinapi
Editor in Chief
Susan DeRyke, director of Institutional Research, left her position as researcher Feb. 1.
DeRyke started the office in 1991 and maintained her position while also working part-time as a statistics professor, finally deciding to leave because she wanted to move on.
“I planned to leave and gave notice in October,” she said. “I really like to teach. Just because I’m not director of institutional research, it doesn’t mean I won’t teach.”
DeRyke continues teaching two classes until her new position at the Veteran’s Administration in Sepulveda is ready to be occupied.
The job will be similar to that at ULV. Despite her leaving the main campus, she continues teaching at La Verne’s satellite schools in the San Fernando Valley.
“I enjoyed my time here. One of the major things I like are that there are so many kind and helpful people here. That’s why I plan to continue teaching.”
Including her years as a CAPA instructor, DeRyke has been at the University for seven years.
According to President Stephen Morgan, her office is irreplaceable. Therefore it will be eased into with DeRyke providing help to Dr. Morgan and her assistant Michelle Casalegno.
“She told me in the fall that she’d really like to make a change,” said Dr. Morgan. “We’re trying to take inventory of the projects she was working on. Some of the projects can be completed by her assistant Michelle. She and I had an agreement that she’d finish some projects with us.”
Len Hightower, dean of students and assistant to the president, is currently in charge of Institutional Research during the interim period.
Along with Casalegno, they are working toward maintaining the position started three years ago due to a grant received by the state of California.
“She came on as a position created by the Title III Grant,” said Dr. Bill Cook, vice president of academic affairs.
The grant provides educational monies given on the assumption that the educational institution create an institutional research position.
The researcher is responsible for keeping track of various trends at the University and creates documents, such as the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) report.
Although ULV currently takes no monies from the Title III Grant to pay for the office, the University does plan on continuing the office.
According to Dr. Morgan, “It’s a high priority. Len and I are in the process of reviewing the position and we will probably begin a search sometime this spring.”
