OWU’s Data Guru
The compilation, analysis, and presentation of data about Ohio Wesleyan University are important tools used for strategic planning by many people inside and outside of the campus community.
“It’s surprising how much need there is for institutional data,” Dale Swartzentruber says. “In addition to compiling data reports for people within OWU, I also provide consistent data to external audiences.”
After spending three years splitting his time between teaching in the Psychology Department and conducting OWU’s institutional research, Swartzentruber now can be found in an office in University Hall working as Ohio Wesleyan’s first full-time Associate Dean for Institutional Research.
While he enjoyed teaching and working with students, Swartzentruber says, “one of the nicest aspects is that I get to interact now with many more people campus-wide.”
A native of Worthington, Ohio, Swartzentruber attended the Worthington Alternative School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from The Ohio State University and master’s and doctorate degrees in animal learning theory from the University of Vermont. He came to OWU 19 years ago, after completing two years of post-doctoral work in the University of Pennsylvania’s Psychology Department.
“Some people think that work related to data compilation and analysis might be boring,” he says. “But it’s a needed role. Someone’s got to do it, and I do enjoy it.”
Outside of work, he enjoys bicycling, woodworking, and playing banjo and dobro (similar to a slide guitar and used in bluegrass music). He and his wife, Jan, also are busy planning and overseeing the construction of their future home on the Scioto River.