Dr. Mirra Anson was appointed assistant vice president for student success in July 2025. 

In this role, Dr. Anson provides leadership for the coordination and alignment of campuswide student success efforts to advance the university’s strategic priorities. She also focuses on strengthening cross-campus partnerships to sustain and enhance progress in student retention and graduation outcomes. 

Dr. Anson has over 25 years of experience in higher education with a focus on enhancing student academic outcomes and driving systemic change at the institutional level. For more than a decade at the University of Iowa, she has led transformative initiatives including directing the Upward Bound program, expanding Academic Support and Retention into a recognized leader in the field, and contributing to the development and implementation of the university’s 2022–2027 Strategic Plan, including efforts to advance the Excellence in Teaching and Learning goal and overall student success priorities. Her work focuses on enhancing student learning and progress to degree, supporting first-generation college students, and aligning institutional strategies with student-centered outcomes. 

Dr. Anson also teaches in the Higher Education and Student Affairs graduate program, working to link student success research to practice.