LITTLE ROCK – The Southern Association for Institutional Research (SAIR) recently honored Dr. Eric Atchison, vice president for institutional research for the Arkansas State University System, with the Distinguished Member Award during its annual awards ceremony.
The honor is awarded to members or former members who have made distinguished contributions to institutional research. The award recognizes significant lifetime effort in the field of institutional research.
Atchison has been a member of SAIR since 2009 soon after beginning his career in higher education.
“I’m forever grateful to be part of this community that has shaped my professional journey across two states with opportunities to connect, learn, share ideas and work alongside people who are passionate about strengthening higher education,” Atchison said.
Atchison joined the ASU System in July 2019 following his tenure as director of system analysis, research, and enrollment management at the Board of Trustees of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. He leads systemwide strategic research and advances the effective use of information resources across the ASU System, including data collection, analytics, and performance metrics. He works closely with academic leaders on program development and collaborates with administrative teams at each institution to strengthen operations, manage special projects, and direct grant-funded initiatives.
Earlier this year, he was selected by the U.S. Department of Education to serve as a primary negotiator on the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-Driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Committee. The committee advised the department on several key areas created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21) related to financial aid and specifically the new Workforce Pell Grant program.