Watson Scott Swail, President, Educational Policy Institute
Dr. Swail serves as president of the Educational Policy Institute, an international organization dedicated to the study of educational opportunity. Dr. Swail is known for his work and development of a research-based framework for student retention, which will be presented at this conference. Dr. Swail’s work has been published in a number of publications and books, including Change magazine, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Phi Delta Kappan. His book, Retaining Minority Students in Higher Education, was published by Jossey-Bass in 2003. Dr. Swail was the founding director of the Pell Institute and also served as a senior researcher with SRI International and as associate director of policy analysis for the College Board. He earned a doctorate in educational policy from The George Washington University, a master’s in science (technology) from Old Dominion University, and a bachelor’s in education (mathematics, technology) from the University of Manitoba.

Peter Dietsche, Senior Scholar, Educational Policy Institute
Dr. Dietsche is a Senior Scholar with the Educational Policy Institute, providing expertise in community college research and in student retention in postsecondary education. Dr. Dietsche has committed much of his career towards the development of a student retention program, including student and faculty surveys, student monitoring systems, and institutional change models. Dr. Dietsche currently serves as Vice President, Research and Institutional Quality at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario. In addition to his research, he teaches at the University of Toronto, Department of Theory and Policy Studies, and the Community College Leadership Program at Central Michigan University. Dr. Dietsche earned his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, a Masters of Arts from the University of Western Ontario, and a Bachelor’s in Science (Psychology) from McGill University.