Founder and Principal Consultant
Dynalytic Solutions
Hollywood, Florida, United States
Don Rudawsky, Ph.D. is a higher education leader with more than 20 years of experience advancing institutional effectiveness, student success, and data-informed decision making. He most recently served as Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness at Nova Southeastern University, a private R1 institution enrolling more than 20,000 students, where he led a team of researchers, managed a $1M operating budget, and served as a trusted advisor to the Provost, President, and Board of Trustees.
During his tenure at NSU, Dr. Rudawsky architected a cross-functional retention council that contributed to a 14-percentage-point increase in retention and a 28-percentage-point increase in graduation rates. He also contributed to NSU's Carnegie R1 reclassification through revised faculty research tracking methodology, supported a successful $150 million bond offering through institutional data work, and provided data and assessment support across 15+ specialized accreditation bodies.
A NWCCU/SACSCOC Data Equity Fellow, Dr. Rudawsky brings particular expertise in using disaggregated data to identify equity gaps and drive targeted interventions for underserved student populations. He has presented at AIR Forums and SACSCOC meetings for more than a decade and has a peer-reviewed article forthcoming in the AIR Professional File on ranking volatility in U.S. News & World Report's National Universities rankings.
Dr. Rudawsky holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Cincinnati. He writes the Substack newsletter Institutional Effectiveness Weekly, has two books in progress examining postsecondary value and college decision making, and is the founder and principal consultant of Dynalytic Solutions, a higher education consulting practice.
Understanding Ranking Volatility: How Methodology Inflates Apparent Change
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM East Coast USA Time