Gina Wyant named inaugural director of university assessment

LAWRENCE – Gina Wyant has spent more than a decade in higher education navigating leadership roles, guiding strategic initiatives and assessing academic quality and instructional effectiveness. Now she brings that wealth of knowledge and experience to the University of Kansas, where she steps into the role of director of university assessment.

Wyant began her role Jan. 24 and reports to Jennifer Roberts, vice provost for academic affairs and graduate studies. 

“I’m pleased to welcome Gina as KU’s inaugural director of university assessment,” Roberts said. “Her leadership experience in assessment, program review and strategic planning will ensure our assessment and program review process aligns with Jayhawks Rising and meets expectations and requirements of both the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and the Association of American Universities.”

Wyant provides management and leadership for curricular outcomes assessment and program review to support the university’s mission, strategic initiatives and resource planning. Wyant also works collaboratively with faculty, staff and administrators to ensure the assessment of student learning outcomes for academic programs, including the KU Core and KU’s general education program. This includes the documentation and tracking of clearly articulated learning outcomes for all courses and programs.

“I am excited to join the KU community,” Wyant said. “I look forward to working collaboratively across the institution to support the university’s mission and strategic initiatives.”  

Wyant collaborates with staff in the Center for Teaching Excellence, departmental chairs, faculty, academic administrators, Analytics, Research and Institutional Effectiveness and the University Core Curriculum Committee to build and implement assessment policies, practices, systems and link assessment activities with strategic planning. She also works with staff in Student Affairs and Academic Success to support the assessment of co-curricular activities to ensure assessments meet accreditor standards.

KU’s next reaffirmation for accreditation comes in the 2024-2025 academic year. The outgrowth of Wyant’s work with academic and co-curricular units will demonstrate that KU meets HLC expectations for the university’s 2025 accreditation visit. The HLC’s expectations are participation in assessment, the robust use of assessment results to inform and guide ongoing improvements, and that results are linked to strategic planning.  

Before coming to KU, Wyant spent two years as a financial adviser at Edward Jones in Lansing and the previous 11 years in higher education, where she’s worked closely with individuals at all levels from faculty and staff to executive leadership and board members.

Her most recent stop in higher education came at MacMurray College, where Wyant worked from 2017 to 2020, serving as an interim director of online education, associate provost for Academic Affairs & Compliance, and interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and Student Life. She supervised direct reports concerning service-related outcomes, budgets, management and personnel issues and served as a writer and final editor of the college’s assurance argument to the HLC. She also led faculty through moving all in-person courses to complete the academic year remotely during spring break 2020 in the beginning stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wyant worked at Ottawa University in a variety of roles from 2009-2017 and served as the director of adjunct & curriculum administration for most of her tenure. Her final role before departing the university was as assistant dean for academic administration. She has attended HLC workshops on assessing general education and integrating teaching, learning and assessment.

Wyant earned her bachelor’s degree from Hannibal-LaGrange College, an MBA from William Woods University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Baker University.