PhD, 2011 Yang Yang is from Republic of China. She earned her B.A. in English from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China and her M.Ed. in TESOL from Boston University. She was an English instructor at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law before she came to U.S.. Dr. Yang Yang is an institutional Research Analyst (IR) working in the Office of Institutional Research at the President’s Office of the University of California, Yang spends her days maintaining and updating the database, analyzing survey data, responding to data requests and assisting with survey administration. “My biggest challenge is to have a better understanding of the UC system and get familiar with its policies,” explains Yang. “Especially policies related to admissions and enrollment, because they are the main areas of my job.” Yang didn’t initially plan on working in institutional research but after her studies at IHE, she felt well prepared for this position. “IR requires statistical skills and I feel confident in my math abilities,” shares Yang. “Also, IR covers various policy areas such as admissions, enrollment, tuition, graduation, financial aid, faculty salary, accountability, and budgeting, so most of what I learned about higher education can be applied directly to an IR job.” Yang adds, “For an international student like me, it is good to start a career in institutional research to get more practical experience to better understand higher education in the U.S.” Dr. Yang shared that the Institute’s ranking was the first thing that caught her attention when she was looking for a doctoral program. “I looked at both university ranking and the program ranking. IHE was ranked 7th nationwide in higher education at that time, and it is a unique inter-disciplinary program that provides various academic and professional opportunities for students to grow in whatever career path they want to pursue.” Yang added, “Another reason was it is a small stand-alone program that provided me with a collegial, English-speaking environment. It also has collaborations and exchanges with Chinese universities.”
