Meet Alex Kluber. Alex has been with IRDS and Ball State for a little over three years and now has the role of Director of Institutional Research.

Background

He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, studying Physics for his bachelor’s degree at UC Davis, then Chemistry for his master’s degree at Rice University. He came to Muncie in mid-2019, following his partner, Dr. Ellen Whitehead, who started a faculty position in Ball State’s Department of Sociology. After one semester as an adjunct at Ivy Tech, Alex was excited to start as a Senior Data and Decision Analyst with IRDS in January 2020.

Role at IRDS

Over his time with IRDS, he was fortunate to gain experience with many of the office’s key projects and responsibilities, even serving as Interim Associate Vice President of IRDS during a period of leadership transition. As such, IRDS’s new AVP moved him up to the role of Director of Institutional Research, where he is responsible for getting the data & technical knowledge organized to support the office’s projects, such as the completion of state & federal reporting requirements and the expansion of our data warehouse environment.

Hobbies and Interest

“In my free time, I enjoy reading (especially science fiction & history), swimming, and cycling,” said Alex. “Ellen and I have also started going to the women’s basketball games on a more regular basis (go Cardinals!).”

Fun Fact

In 2021, he participated in a mass bike ride across Iowa called RAGBRAI with some friends, which was the first multi-day cycling trip he had taken. “It was a thrilling (and exhausting) experience,” Alex exclaimed.

 

Meet Cole Heady. He is the Director of Decision Support. He works in the Office of Institutional Research and Decision support under the Chief Strategy Office.

Background

Cole is an Indiana local and a proud Ball State Alumni. He graduated with a BS in Sociology from Ball State in 2014 and an MA in Sociology with a Certificate in Institutional Research from Ball State in 2016. He joined the office in 2017 as an Institutional Effectiveness Analyst, and has been in various roles within the office for the past 6 years.

Role at the Company

He has worn many hats in his time in the IRDS office and find himself to be a bit of a generalist when it comes to his responsibilities. In his current role as the Director of Decision Support, he sees his key responsibility as empowering the university with data literacy and pushing forward efforts to better serve our institution’s growing data needs.

Hobbies and Interests

Cole loves board games, and he is an avid tabletop role-playing game player and game master. In his spare time, he paints miniatures for the various games that he enjoys. He also enjoys cooking and fishing.

Fun Fact

“My middle name, Elric, was inspired by the main character of a book series my father was reading at the time,” says Cole.

Favorite Quote

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien

 

You can contact them through IRDS website