BUCKLEY TO RETIRE

Cantrell named as Replacement

Buckley got into institutional research for educational institutions in 1969, after completing his doctorate at the University of North Texas. He worked at West Texas A&M from 1969 to 1974, gaining tenure as a faculty member and opening the university's Office of Institutional Research in 1971.

Buckley led West Texas State's participation in a pilot program that was one of the first national data exchange/analyses efforts-the Resource Requirements Prediction Model-conducted by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.

He worked as a data coordinator/analyst for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board from 1974-76, during the implementation of the initial electronic data gathering from state institutions of higher education, which is known as the Uniform Reporting System.

Buckley was director of Institutional Research for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, from 1976-95. where he directed development of a "data warehousing" system that was used for state, federal and ad hoc reporting and accountability.

That system led the state department of higher education to acknowledge the University of Arkansas as "always setting a high accountability benchmark in reporting." He also served as the first president of the state's institutional research organization.

Since coming to Sam Houston State in 1995, Buckley has worked toward bringing the university's institutional effectiveness effort in line with Southern Association of Colleges and Schools standards. He also introduced the concept of establishing a "snapshot" data set on students for each reporting period, which permits more consistent statistics than previously obtained.

Cantrell has worked as a public school teacher in the Buffalo, Waco, and Groesbeck school districts and taught at Texas A&M while pursuing her doctorate, specializing in research, measurement, and statistics.

She also has an associate of arts degree in teacher education from Weatherford College, a bachelor of science in academic studies with mathematics specialization from Sam Houston State, and master of science in educational administration from Texas A&M.

Her research experience includes research assistant positions at A&M in 1996-97 and 1998, and at Hardin-Simmons University in 1997-98.

She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Association of Developmental Educators, and Southwest Educational Research Association.

Cantrell's employment is effective Aug. 16, and is subject to approval of The Texas State University System Board of Regents.

Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
August 11, 1998
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