Robert Brennan
Professor, Educational Measurement and Statistics
Founding Director, Center for Advanced Studies in Measurement and Assessment (CASMA)
Robert Brennan has made a lasting mark on the field of education over his almost 50 years of service. He came to the college in 1994 after working with American College Testing for 18 years in various capacities, including Assistant Vice President for Measurement Research and Distinguished Research Scientist.
During his time at the college, Brennan served as the E. F. Lindquist Chair of Measurement and Testing, the director of the Iowa Testing Programs, and founding director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Measurement and Assessment (CASMA).
Brennan served as President of three organizations: the Mid-Western Educational Research Association, the Iowa Academy of Education, and the National Council on Measurement in Education. In addition, he was a Fellow of Division 5 of the American Psychological Association and Vice-President of Division D of the American Educational Research Association.
Michael J. Kolen
Professor, Educational Measurement and Statistics
Michael J. Kolen has served the field of education in many roles—researcher, writer, speaker, teacher, mentor, and leader. The contributions Kolen made throughout his 38-year career rank among those of the most distinguished members of the educational measurement community.
Kolen served as President of the Nation-al Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), editor of the Journal of Educational Measurement, and is a founding editor of the NCME Applications of Educational Measurement and Assessment Book Series. He is a Fellow of Division 5 of the American Psychological Association and a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association.
Over the span of his career, Kolen has received numerous awards, including the 1997 NCME Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution to the Field of Educational Measurement, the 2008 NCME Award for Career Contributions of Educational Measurement, and the Collegiate Teaching Award in 2011.
Michael Paulsen
Professor, Higher Education and Student Affairs
Michael Paulsen’s educational career spans 41 years. Prior to joining the faculty at Iowa, he served on the faculties in the higher education programs at the University of Alabama, the University of Illinois, and the University of New Orleans.
In addition to conducting research, teaching, and supervising his students’ dissertation research in the higher education program, Paulsen also worked with the Office of the Provost as a consultant, served for over 20 years on the editorial board of Research in Higher Education, and served on the editorial board of College Teaching for over ten years.
After retirement he plans to continue to serve as the Series Editor of the annual volumes of the scholarly book series, Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research.
Paulsen says he will miss interacting with the great colleagues and students he has been blessed to work with over the years.
Tom Rocklin
Vice President, Division for Student Life
Tom Rocklin’s 30-year educational career has encompassed a wide variety of roles. He first came to the college in 1986 in the Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations. Later, in 2012, he became a professor in Higher Education and Student Affairs.
He also served as the founding director of the Center for Teaching, and later joined the Office of the Provost where he served as the associate provost for undergraduate education, senior associate provost, and vice provost.
During his time in the provost’s office, Rocklin began the Student Success Team (SST), aimed at improving undergraduate student success. The SST now has over 500 members and is responsible for many significant initiatives including On Iowa!, early intervention programs for at-risk students, and The IOWA Challenge.
Rocklin was also an early champion of UI REACH, a two-year transition, certificate program for students with multiple intellectual, cognitive, and learning disabilities, one of the first of its kind in the nation when it was created in 2008.
“We were so grateful to know that we could turn to Dr. Rocklin at any point,” says UI REACH Director Emerita Jo Hendrickson. “When he spoke to in-coming students and parents at summer orientations, they felt truly welcomed to, and a part of, the university.”