Early this year, the College of Undergraduate Studies (CUGS) and the Division of Student Learning and Academic Success (SLAS) conducted a nationwide search for the new Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success Research and Strategic Initiatives (SSR) and Assistant Dean for Research (ADR) position. Ryan Goodwin, Ph.D., was selected.
As SSR, Dr. Goodwin will lead CUGS and SLAS projects and initiatives that promote student academic success and support UCF’s strategic plan. He will have oversight of the Office of Data and Strategic Projects and the Center for Higher Education Innovation. He will also lead research activities, initiatives, and programs in his ADR role and support faculty research and professional development in CUGS.
Dr. Goodwin has been at UCF for seven years and is the Founding Director of the Center for Higher Education Innovation. Previously, he was a University Innovation Alliance fellow. He earned a dual Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education at Michigan State University.
Dr. Ryan Goodwin is the Founding Director of the Center for Higher Education Innovation at the University of Central Florida. Ryan’s research and practice focuses on higher education innovations that improve access, success, and completion for all. He is particularly interested in the educational systems and organizational structures that influence student movement to and through post-secondary education.A native Hoosier, Ryan earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Indiana University Bloomington and began his career in elementary school classrooms. Ryan continued his education at the University of South Carolina, where he earned a Master’s in Higher Education and Student Affairs with a concentration in Higher Education Administration. Later, Ryan was awarded the Erickson Research Fellowship to attend Michigan State University, where he completed a dual Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education. While at MSU, Ryan led the College Ambition Program, a multi-site research study that provided support and resources to promote a college-going culture in Michigan high schools. After leaving MSU, Ryan served as UCF’s inaugural University Innovation Alliance Fellow. Ryan has found home in Orlando and at UCF and is inspired by his colleagues’ commitment to student success.