Two named Strategic Data Project Minority Serving Institution fellows by Harvard University

Charla Orozco, director of The University of New Mexico's Office of Institutional Analytics, and Alejandra Villalobos Melendez, who leads institutional research at UNM-Taos, have been selected as Strategic Data Project fellows, an initiative of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University.

The mission of the Strategic Data Project is to transform the use of data in education to improve student achievement. The project seeks to facilitate better access to appropriately analyzed data, which allows academic leaders to better diagnose issues, develop solutions, and monitor the results of implementing these solutions, emphasizing data governance and accessibility.

The 18-month fellowship kicks off at the end of July, when Orozco and Villalobos Melendez will travel to Cambridge, Mass., for the Strategic Data Project Minority Serving Institution Orientation. There, they will have the chance to interact with the representatives from the other institutions in the program.

"This should align well with the work we are already aiming to do at UNM to improve our data governance and data accessibility framework," Orozco said.

The orientation and subsequent gatherings and activities are funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Orozco became OIA director in January. OIA, based in the Office of Academic Affairs, is the official source for reported metrics and aggregated data at UNM. OIA generates reports and datasets for a variety of uses, including federal compliance reporting, state reporting, and internal recordkeeping and analytics. It also generates and maintains the Official Student Enrollment Reports, as well as aggregated Factbook information on faculty, staff and UNM's four branch campuses.

With the SDP MSI fellowship, Orozco is looking forward to learning from peer institutions to improve data access transparency at UNM. She is also eager to connect with other campuses on data literacy programming, and developing data communities at institutions of higher education.

"This fellowship will provide us with a multi-institutional framework where we can learn best practices from other universities - both what has worked for them and what hasn't," she said.

Orozco said that she will take insights she gains from the fellowship and use that knowledge to improve UNM's data presentation and access, which is part of an ongoing effort that includes revamping some of the dashboards and implementing increased education and awareness on how the campus community can better locate and utilize the data the University collects.

Villalobos Melendez will represent UNM-Taos.

"I am honored and very excited to have been selected as a Strategic Data Project (SDP) Fellow at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University," said Villalobos Melendez. "This fellowship connects me to a dynamic network of data professionals dedicated to enhancing the effective use of data in higher education."

She looks forward to deepening her analytical skills and adopting innovative data strategies that enhance student success and support the institutional goals at UNM-Taos, particularly as they apply to the Native population in northern New Mexico.

"My fellowship project will focus specifically on a comprehensive analysis of our institutional data related to Indigenous students," she explained. "By examining critical factors such as enrollment patterns, program success rates, and retention, this work aims to guide meaningful actions and strengthen our student support systems."

Ultimately, Villalobos Melendez believes the insights and tools she gains through this experience will enhance the data-informed culture on campus. But, most importantly, she is "eager to bring back fresh, impactful strategies and approaches that directly benefit our students and community."

In addition to UNM Albuquerque and UNM Taos, the other institutions that are part of the Strategic Data Project's Minority Serving Institution Data Community of Practice and Fellowship are:

• California State, San Bernardino
• Claflin University
• Florida Memorial University
• Johnson C. Smith University
• Kentucky State University
• Lane College
• Morehouse College
• Mississippi Valley State University
• Northampton Community College
• San Bernardino Community College District
• Southern University and A&M College
• Texas Southern University
• University of California Riverside
• University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez
• Virginia State University
• Walla Walla Community College

For more information, visit the Center for Education Policy Research.