The University of Pittsburgh announced on Apr. 14 the appointment of Leo Schumann as its first director of action research, aiming to bridge the gap between institutional knowledge and practical application for student success.
The initiative is designed to ensure that insights from research are actively used to support students, particularly those facing challenges in their first semester. The Office of the Provost is leading efforts to create infrastructure that connects what Pitt learns with what it does for its students.
Schumann, a social psychologist with more than ten years’ experience studying student persistence and belonging, said his role focuses on implementing an ongoing cycle known as action research. “There’s so much great work happening here that the only thing that’s missing is bringing in that ongoing cycle of learning, which is what the action research model is,” Schumann said. “You plan, you act, you observe and you reflect, and then you repeat.”
April Belback, associate vice provost for student success and advising, described Schumann’s position as a bridge between researchers and practitioners at Pitt. “It’s very unique to have somebody be on both sides,” Belback said. “And so being the translator, seeing him work and be that translator, is just magical.”
A central part of this effort is the Student Success Action Research Collaborative (SSARC), a partnership between the Office of the Provost and Pitt’s Learning Research and Development Center. SSARC brings together researchers and practitioners regularly to design strategies addressing institutional challenges related to student outcomes.
Amanda Brodish, assistant provost for institutional research and analytics, leads parallel efforts optimizing surveys sent to students so results reach those who can act on them. This collaboration extends into areas like general education redesign led by Belkys Torres; she sees action research as essential for assessing whether curricular changes are effective: “I think action research is what’s going to allow us to create the assessment plan for the general education program and for student learning,” Torres said.
Pitt’s Student Success Team continues shifting toward a shared advising model across schools while refining tools such as the First-Year Intake Survey completed during orientation. “We’re tweaking that survey just a little bit this year,” Belback said. Results are expected this fall.
Schumann cited existing cohort scholars programs—such as Provost Academy or Kessler Scholars—as examples where coordinated support has led to higher retention rates: “These programs essentially give us a hint of what that sort of holistic student support might look like, so that we can then take that to scale,” he said.
To encourage further innovation in connecting practice with evidence-based interventions, Pitt will launch seed grants funding up to three projects annually starting this fall. Each project may receive up to $12,000 if it demonstrates clear links between research findings and practical implementation aimed at improving student outcomes.
“The seed grants are an invitation,” Schumann said. “We want faculty and staff across Pitt who are wrestling with student success questions to know there’s infrastructure to support that work, and a community to learn alongside.” He added: “We make sure that we become a university that doesn’t just teach about learning but we practice learning as well.”
