Press Release

National Student Clearinghouse® Appoints Dr. Douglas Shapiro as Senior Research Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center™

Herndon, VA, July 13, 2010 - The National Student Clearinghouse has appointed Dr. Douglas Shapiro as the senior research director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. Dr. Shapiro will be responsible for leading major research studies produced by the center, such as national enrollment trends in areas such as postsecondary attendance, as well as managing the center's research resources. His appointment began June 28, 2010.

"The addition of Douglas Shapiro to our research team brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Clearinghouse as well as the researchers who rely on our data," said Dr. Don Hossler, the executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. "I believe his guidance will prove particularly valuable to researchers interested in using Clearinghouse data to create longitudinal studies that reveal important enrollment patterns and trends."

The National Student Clearinghouse is the nation's trusted source for degree and enrollment information and provides reporting, verification and research services for more than 3,300 colleges and universities representing over 92% of the nation's postsecondary enrolled students. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, individual high schools, educational organizations and the U.S. Department of Education as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes.

Dr. Shapiro is an expert in the uses of postsecondary student data for academic and policy research, program evaluation, institutional effectiveness, and strategic planning. Prior to joining the Clearinghouse, he was the director of Institutional Research at The New School in New York City. Previous to that he served as the vice president for Research and Policy Development at the Minnesota Private College Council. Dr. Shapiro has directed research in areas such as: student retention, college costs, student access and financial aid, impact of recessions on enrollment, academic performance of student athletes, and markets for highly-educated labor. He holds a Ph.D. from the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan, from which he also has an M.A. in Mathematics. In addition, Dr. Shapiro has a B.A. in History from the University of Chicago.

About The National Student Clearinghouse®

The National Student Clearinghouse (a non-profit formed in 1993) is the unique and trusted source for higher education enrollment and degree verifications. The Clearinghouse serves as a single point of contact for the collection and timely exchange of accurate and comprehensive enrollment, degree and certificate records on behalf of its more than 3,300 participating higher education institutions, which represent over 92% of the national enrollment.

Through its verification and reporting services, the Clearinghouse saves higher education institutions cumulatively more than a hundred million dollars annually. Most Clearinghouse services are provided to colleges and universities at little or no charge, including enhanced transcript and research services, enabling institutions to redistribute limited staff and budget resources to more important student service efforts. All Clearinghouse services are operated in full compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

In addition, the Clearinghouse provides accurate FERPA compliant verifications to student loan providers, employers, student credit issuers, student health insurance providers, the U.S. Department of Education, and others who access its registry more than 100 million times annually.

For more information, visit www.studentclearinghouse.org.

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