OEA Staff
Dr. Vanessa Jensen, Ed.D., BCBA-D
Co-Director, Office of Educational Assessment
Dr. Jensen is an associate professor in the Counseling and Human Services Department at the 探花系列. She teaches courses in Applied Behavior Analysis and also works as a consultant with adults with autism. She has been a faculty member since 2004 and a consultant since 1996.
She received her bachelor’s degree from the 探花系列 in 1996 in psychology, philosophy, theology, and religious studies. In 1998, she earned her master’s degree in elementary school counseling, also from the 探花系列. She obtained her Ed.D. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Curriculum and Instruction (PK–12) in 2004. She completed her studies in Applied Behavior Analysis through Penn State University and obtained her Behavior Analyst Certification Board® certification in 2004.
Dr. Jensen currently holds certifications in Elementary School Counseling (Grades K–6), Special Education (Grades N–12), English (Grades 7–12 and 4–8), and Mathematics (Grades 4–8). She has served as chair of the Middle States Periodic Review Report Subcommittee on Institutional Assessment and Planning (Standard 7: Institutional Assessment), and chaired the Assessment Committee in the Education Department from 2012 to 2017.
She has also served on the Special Education PK–8 and 7–12 Program Development for PDE, the TEAC Inquiry Brief Proposal Committee, and the CAEP EPP Annual Report Committee. She chaired the TEAC Internal Audit Committee in 2012 and 2013 and was a member of the Curriculum Committee for PDE Program Revisions in 2008 and 2009.
Dr. Jensen currently serves as the Director of the Graduate Programs in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and developed the ABA Program Learning Outcomes and Assessment Plan. She has served as an Assessment Fellow in the Office of Educational Assessment since 2014.
Email: vanessa.jensen@scranton.edu
Dr. Satyajit Ghosh, Ph.D.
Co-Director, Office of Educational Assessment
During his long teaching career, Dr. Ghosh has always been interested in assessment. He served on various assessment committees: Subcommittee on Assessment, Middle States Accreditation Committee (1997); Committee on Program Evaluation (1994–1996); and the GE Subcommittee of Middle States Accreditation Committee (2006).
But it was in 2007–2008 that he became directly involved with educational assessment, working closely with KSOM Assistant Dean Paul Perhach, the main architect of the Kania School’s assessment program. Dr. Ghosh served as a faculty assessor on every KSOM assessment day held between 2008 and 2012. During this time, with help from departmental colleagues, Dr. Ghosh developed the student learning goals for Economics and Finance majors.
He continued his assessment-related activities through two recent committee appointments. In 2013, he served on the Institutional Learning Outcomes Working Group and helped draft the institutional learning outcomes—an integral part of the University’s assessment plan. He also served on the Middle States Monitoring Report Coordinating Committee in 2014.
Over the past few years, Dr. Ghosh has developed various interactive teaching tools based on active learning models to “close the loop” in individual course assessment plans and help students attain their learning goals. He has presented research papers on these alternative pedagogical tools and their assessment at several national and international conferences.
Dr. Ghosh has served as a Faculty Assessment Fellow, Director of General Education Assessment, and as a member of the 2022 Faculty Senate General Education Review Committee.
Email: satyajit.ghosh@scranton.edu
Richard Walsh
Assistant Provost for Operations and Data Analytics Officer
Serving as an assessment analyst for the Office of Educational Assessment (OEA), Richard Walsh began his career at the University in 1998. Throughout his twenty-year employment, Richard has worked in numerous capacities, starting as a Software/Database Development and Computer Programming instructor at the Center for Professional Training and Development. His expertise and leadership were considered an integral asset for the University to implement computer training for employees.
Ten years ago, Richard transitioned to the Office of the Registrar. His many projects included converting and updating the student reporting system, Argos, and initiating the digitalization of student records. More recently, Richard has focused his efforts in the areas of technology, budget, curriculum, and assessment within the Office of the Provost.
Email: richard.walsh@scranton.edu
Past Directors and Staff
Dr. Mary Jane DiMattio, Ph.D.
Dr. Mary Jane DiMattio, Professor of Nursing, served as the inaugural Director of the Office of Educational Assessment (OEA) from its creation in Spring 2014 through Summer 2022. An alumna of The 探花系列, Dr. DiMattio holds a master’s degree in Nursing Education from Villanova University and a research-focused doctorate in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania.
She has served in a variety of roles within and outside the University related to research, assessment, and continuous quality improvement. Most notably, she chaired the Nursing Department’s Evaluation Committee, which was responsible for collecting, monitoring, and reporting outcome data for programmatic improvement and for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education accreditation.
In addition, she chaired the Quality Committee of the Board at Mercy Hospital and currently chairs the Board of Trustees at Regional Hospital of Scranton. She also participated on the University committee that developed the initial draft of the Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) in 2013.
As a member of the Monitoring Report Coordinating Committee in Spring 2014, Dr. DiMattio helped maintain important continuity and institutional knowledge in the development of the University's assessment processes. She currently serves as Interim Associate Dean in the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Dr. Cyrus Olsen, Ph.D.
Dr. Olsen was appointed the University's first Director of Assessment for the General Education Program in September 2015 and completed his term in the summer of 2018. He earned his bachelor's degree in the Comparative History of Ideas at the University of Washington and his graduate degrees in Theology from Oxford University.
Dr. Olsen is tenured in the Department of Theology/Religious Studies at the 探花系列, where he has served since 2006. His primary areas of academic research focus on modern intellectual history, with an emphasis on the relationship between Christianity and culture.
He is also a Faculty Advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences, an active member of IACUC, and a participant in First Year Seminar for ADP students. Dr. Olsen brings to this role experience on the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee, an interim directorship of the MA in Theology/Religious Studies, and service on Middle States committees specifically related to General Education.
Prof. Nicholas P. Truncale, M.S.
Prior to joining The 探花系列 faculty, Prof. Truncale was a systems engineer for Lockheed Martin, working on the analytics of a complex technical system to improve system performance. Within the Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering, he has reorganized and revitalized the physics lab and continually assesses the lab’s effectiveness through an assessment plan followed by all teaching assistants and adjunct faculty.
Prof. Truncale participated in the pilot Intersession Assessment Group in 2014, assessing a GE Natural Science course, It’s Only Rocket Science, which he developed. He co-authored a physics program review, participated in a departmental student retention study, and “closed the loop” by helping enact changes based on the results of that study.
In addition to directing general education assessment, Prof. Truncale has served as a Faculty Assessment Fellow since 2014 and directed the student Provost Assessment Scholars Program. He currently serves as Director of Student Retention and Completion.