Rocky Mountain Hires New Vice President to Advance University-Wide Assessment and Effectiveness
As an institution dedicated to being evidence-based, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMU) is pleased to announce that Serge Herzog, PhD, MEd, MA, has joined the administration as the Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness effective December 1, 2022.
A champion of advanced analytics, Dr. Herzog will further “imbue decision-making at RMU with a level of data analysis that optimizes resource allocation and maximizes success of students both at RMU and post-graduation.”
Dr. Herzog earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science and a master’s degree in education administration from Eastern New Mexico University, a master’s degree in government studies from Georgetown University, and a doctorate in international technology analysis and management from the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.
Prior to joining RMU, Dr. Herzog was the Director of Institutional Analysis at the University of Nevada, Reno since 2001. He was a research fellow for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College & University Commission, focusing on new metrics for student success to support the accreditation process of institutions in the WASC region. His previous work experience also includes serving as a research associate with the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies & Research. A native of Switzerland, Dr. Herzog started his career working in the consumer credit department for Credit Suisse in Zurich.
His previous roles have prepared him for RMU’s growth and need for continued analysis to ensure evidence-based decisions are made on a university-wide level. “Continued expansion at RMU, both programmatic and student enrollment, creates a greater need for managing and reporting growing mountains of data along ‘best practices’ in order to successfully support management and institutional stakeholders,” Dr. Herzog explains. “This includes institution-wide data integration and reporting, steeped in industry practices and protocols that I have been closely involved in and responsible for during the past two decades.”
“We are thrilled Dr. Herzog is joining Rocky Mountain University,” said Richard P. Nielsen, RMU founding President and CEO. “His experience with institutional assessment will ensure the university’s success through evidence-based and data-driven decisions to improve not only academic and administrative functions but also improving the student experience.”
Dr. Herzog looks forward to the impact he will make at a university that trains and prepares healthcare providers to help society. “Joining RMU offers an opportunity to help move the needle for the institution in an area of mounting importance given the enormous impact of ‘Big Data’ on business operations and decisions.”
He explains how data and analytics are valuable on a university-wide level in two ways: “First, it helps inform the decision-making process on the basis of transparent and often empirical data that measure actions and outcomes from a single validated source, thus mitigating the chance of disparate information bedeviling different stakeholders across campus. Two, data analyzed from different angles using ‘best practice’ methodological approaches may yield significant insights that remain obscured in a culture limited to anecdotes, supposition, or unobserved personal experience.”
He also notes that “one must acknowledge limitations of quantitative analysis and ensure a judicious approach that is inclusive of all information that can be brought to bear in our quest to improve the student experience and institutional performance.”
A seasoned expert in data analysis, Dr. Herzog will be an ambassador for RMU to promote data-informed operations across all domains of the institution.
