Stephen Vassallo
The Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience has announced the appointment of Stephen Vassallo ’05 as assistant vice president for institutional research, effective March 4.
Calling him an innovative leader and passionate alum, Senior Vice President for Enrollment and the Student Experience Dolan Evanovich stresses Vassallo’s unique combination of experience and collaborative approach as key to the University’s data collection and reporting activities moving forward.
“Throughout Steve’s career, he has worked with partners across an organization to collect and use data to make informed, strategic decisions that further the organization’s vision and goals,” says Evanovich. “On top of his innovative track record in data collection and analytics, Steve was an active student leader here at Syracuse and fully understands the student experience. We are pleased to welcome him back to Syracuse to lead the Office of Institutional Research.”
Vassallo is currently the assistant vice chancellor for integrated planning and decision support at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder). For the last three years, he has led the Office of Data Analytics, overseeing the Departments of Institutional Research and Reporting and Analytics. Among his accomplishments in that role, Vassallo led the team that built a new data infrastructure, including a cloud-based data lake, to support new data science capabilities and implemented a new strategic vision for CU Boulder’s data collection, storage, governance and deployment processes.
Prior to joining CU Boulder, Vassallo served as the founding director of the Decision Support Group at New York University. His career in higher education has spanned roles and responsibilities leading statistical forecasting and predictive modeling, strategic planning, budget management and analytical support. Before transitioning to higher education, Vassallo spent time in the financial services industry.
“My years at Syracuse shaped who I am today and fostered my passion for higher education and its ability to transform individuals and communities. As the University advances the academic and student experience, I am especially honored to lead the institutional research team and work with partners across campus to support our efforts in executing the University’s ambitious initiatives through innovative, real-time data and insight,” says Vassallo.
Vassallo earned a B.S. in finance and accounting at the Whitman School and an M.P.A. at New York University. He has completed doctoral work in higher education at New York University, with a research focus on digital learning environments and epistemic cognition in college students.
