Kurt Ewen

2020-21 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow
Kurt Edward Ewen was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. He earned an associate of arts degree from Valencia Community College in Orlando and a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from St. Meinrad College in St. Meinrad, Indiana. Graduate and postgraduate studies took him to the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, in Leuven, Belgium, where he completed a master’s degree in religious studies and a licentiate in sacred theology in philosophical theology. Kurt completed doctoral studies in educational leadership at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. His dissertation research focused on collective sense-making and the role that data can play in creating the potential for collaborative decision-making and innovative practice in higher education.

Kurt is currently the vice chancellor of strategy, planning, and institutional effectiveness at Houston Community College in Texas, where he coordinates planning and strategy development that promotes innovation and enhances student success. Kurt’s areas of focus at HCC include strategic and operational planning; regional accreditation; educational policy; data and analytics; innovation and collaborative problem-solving; project and change management; systemic student success strategies; entrepreneurial initiatives; and grants.

Prior to his move to Houston, Kurt worked at Valencia College. In 15-plus years at Valencia, Kurt served as a professor of philosophy and humanities, director of institutional assessment, AVP for institutional effectiveness and planning, and presidential fellow. These roles included system-wide responsibilities for learning outcomes assessment, institutional effectiveness, strategic and operational planning, institutional research, faculty development, and regional accreditation.

Kurt lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife, Jackie, and their three dogs.