Marisol Arredondo Samson is the Director of Institutional Research and Decision Support. In this role, she oversees the comprehensive institutional research services at Chapman University and provides campus-wide leadership and guidance in the use of data for informed decision-making. Marisol has specific training and over 20 years of experience in quantitative and qualitative research design, survey research, and data analysis on the effectiveness of educational interventions. Marisol is highly effective in interpreting and preparing concise data tables, graphs, data briefs, and research reports to promote college-wide accessibility to data. Her knowledge of the higher education and student development literature allows her to assist faculty and staff in identifying appropriate student groups and key measures for comparative analyses and the development of evaluation plans to track and measure student and intervention success.
At Chapman, she has served on various committees, task forces, and working groups related to data integrity, reporting, data analytics, accreditation, retention, diversity, campus climate, survey research, and effectiveness of student services and programs. Her research has focused on first-generation college students, and she has engaged in several activities at Chapman University to increase the retention of first-generation students and students of color. In addition to serving as a Promising Futures mentor, she served two years as president of Chapman University’s Latinx Staff and Faculty Forum which engages in and supports activities related to maintaining a safe space for Latinx students, staff, and faculty at Chapman University.
Marisol has worked as an institutional research professional for over 23 years in the public and private sectors. With a charge to build an office of institutional research, she came to Chapman from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where she served as a research associate in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning. Before arriving at CSU Pomona, she was at the nationally recognized Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA. She also served as an Achieving the Dream Data Coach for ten years helping community colleges develop, analyze, and use student data to inform their improvement efforts and create a culture of evidence and inquiry. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change, an M.A. in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in counseling, and a B.A. in Psychology--all from the University of California, Los Angeles.