News and Announcements
Jennifer J. Fox joins Institutional Research as Lead Statistician.
November 11, 2022

The Office for Institutional Research would like to welcome Jennifer J. Fox to the position of Lead Statistician. Jennifer is joining us from Shasta College in Redding, CA. She has been in the field of Institutional Research for 18 years. She has a MS degree in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, UT and a BA in Mathematics from Simpson College in Redding, CA. In her new role at Clemson, Jennifer will be focusing on conducting research and analysis on student success and engagement.
The Office for Institutional Research created new Tableau reports to monitor and benchmark student and course registrations, student registration and graduation status.
June 22, 2020
New online self-service tools have been developed by the Office for Institutional Research (OIR) and Clemson Computing and Information Technology (CCIT) to help campus administrators monitor/benchmark student/course registrations and student registration and graduation status. At a time of crisis caused by COVID-19, it has become even more important for enrollment, financial planning and management to monitor these circumstances. Additional tools have also been developed to provide information about students who have not registered for fall 2020. These functions will help facilitate student service personnel with their outreach effort to improve student retention and success.
The reports are available to senior administrators, enrollment management teams, deans/associate deans and department chairs. Other faculty or staff members at Clemson University can also have access. Please go to this link for instructions: https://www.clemson.edu/institutional-effectiveness/oir/data-reports/
Juan Xu and Joe McLaughlin presented the new reports at the “Analytics Day” virtual conference on June 11, 2020. The conference was organized by Appalachian State University and attended by over 500 Institutional Research, Institutional Effectiveness and Analytics professionals across the United States.
Congratulations to Melissa Welborn for receiving the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost Outstanding Staff Employee Award!
December 3, 2019
Melissa Welborn of the Office for Institutional Research was nominated and selected to receive the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost Outstanding Staff Employee Award for 2019. The Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Outstanding Employee Award is to recognize and reward staff employees for overall outstanding job performance, exceptional knowledge in the field and superb collaboration with colleagues and supervisors.
Melissa’s dedication, hard work in the implementation of the new Faculty Activity System, her help and support to the office for Institutional Research, faculty members and administrators at Clemson and her extraordinary knowledge and her service in professional organizations have made her a well-deserved award recipient.
In the past 9 years, 6 employees in the Office for Institutional Research have won the awards given by the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost. Besides Melissa, other winners have included Jessica Pierce, Dr. Wickes Westcott, Nancy James, Ronnie Chrestman and Teresa Henry.
The Office for Institutional Research collaborated with CCIT to create the Student Enrollment Reports, which help monitor student enrollment on a daily basis.
May 15, 2019
Internal Daily Student Enrollment Reports are an online self-service tool developed by the Office for Institutional Research (OIR) and Clemson Computing and Information Technology (CCIT) to help campus administrators monitor student enrollment for present and future terms.

Data are refreshed on a daily basis and are subject to change. The reports are intended for internal planning and informational purposes only and are not to be used for any external or official reporting. The reports are available to senior administrators, enrollment management teams, deans/associate deans and department chairs. A Clemson login is required. If you are a faculty or staff member at Clemson University, and you need access to these reports, please submit a request.
The Office for Institutional Research welcomes a new colleague, Holly Feil
Feb 1, 2019
The Office for Institutional Research welcomes a new colleague Holly Feil. Holly is from Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with a specialization in Actuarial Sciences from Slippery Rock University. Holly has been admitted to the Master’s program at Clemson in Economics and Statistics. She is currently working on the Faculty Credentialing Project. Holly says “I’m still on a steep learning curve, but I’m excited for the opportunities this presents to me!” Welcome, Holly!
Clemson IR contributes to SCAIR 2019
Jan 28, 2019
The Clemson IR team made great contributions at the South Carolina Association for Institutional Research conference in Greenville, SC, January 28th-29th, 2019. Three presentations were made at the conference: Ronnie and Nancy hosted the Newcomer’s orientation session and presented “Survival Skills for Institutional Research”. Melissa Welborn made a presentation on “Instructional Faculty: IPEDS and Beyond”. Juan, Joe, Melissa and Ronnie shared with colleagues about their experiences with “Clemson’s Interactive Fact Book”. All presentations were well received among colleagues working at South Carolina colleges and universities.
Melissa Welborn elected Treasurer of the South Carolina Association for Institutional Research (SCAIR)
May 24, 2018
Melissa Welborn has been elected Treasurer of the South Carolina Association for Institutional Research (SCAIR) for a three year term. She has been a member of the organization since joining the Clemson Office for Institutional Research in 2007.
For the past 2 years, she has served as an at-large member of the SCAIR Board.
Congratulations to Dr. Ronald “Ronnie” E. Chrestman for receiving the Thomas Green Clemson Award for Excellence!
May 23, 2018
Dr. Ronald Chrestman of the Office for Institutional Research was nominated and selected to receive the Thomas Green Clemson Award for Excellence for 2018. The award was established in 1999 to recognize Clemson University faculty and staff whose teaching, research and/or service have been exemplary. The award is given to individuals who have made sustained and significant contributions to the academic life at Clemson University. The award comes with a monetary award which is divided between the recipient and the University Library to purchase materials for its collection. Dr. Chrestman’s name will be added to the perpetual Thomas Green Clemson Award for Excellence plaque which is on permanent display in the lobby of the R. M. Cooper Library.
New Interactive Factbook has a wealth of data!
March 1, 2018

The Office of Institutional Research would like to introduce our new Interactive Factbook which provides improved data visualization.
New features include Graduation and Retention data, more historical trend information, as well as filters which allow viewers to customize views.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Please email any comments to jxu2@clemson.edu.
Dr. Ronald (Ronnie) Chrestman receives Provost's award for Excellence
December 15, 2017
Congratulations to Dr. Ronald “Ronnie” E. Chrestman for receiving the Provost’s Award for Excellence.
This award was established in December 2011 to recognize and reward outstanding staff employees who have made significant contributions to the division of Academic Affairs and student and faculty academic success at Clemson University. The Provost selects the award recipient based on information submitted to him by the nominator. Ronnie’s dedication, kindness and support to staff, faculty, departments, colleges and Athletics, as well as his exemplary work and knowledge base contributed to him earning this distinguished award.
In the 7 years that the award has been given, an employee in the Office of Institutional Research has won 4 times! Besides Ronnie, other winners have included Jessica Pierce, Dr. Wickes Westcott, and Nancy James.
Dr. Juan XU named Director of Institutional Research
Oct 31, 2017
An accomplished leader with 25 years of experience in higher education research and analytics, statistical data analysis and key performance metrics has joined Clemson as the university’s director of Institutional Research (IR).
Juan Xu, Ph.D. will manage the workflow of critical reporting, compliance and accreditation projects, and lead the IR staff to enhance processes, tools and insights to support the university’s mission and ClemsonForward. Read more in Inside Clemson.