Vince Tinto is a Distinguished University Professor at Syracuse University and the former Chair of the Higher Education Program. He teaches courses on Understanding Educational Research and Research on the College Student. He has carried out renowned research and has written extensively on higher education, particularly on student success and the impact of learning communities on student growth and attainment. His book, Leaving College, published by the University of Chicago Press, lays out a theory and policy perspective on student success that is considered the benchmark by which work on these issues are judged. His most recent book, Completing College, also published by The University of Chicago Press, lays out a framework for institutional action for student success, describes the range of programs that have been effective in enhancing student success, and the types of policies institutions should follow to successfully implement programs in ways that endure and scale-up over time.

He has consulted widely with Federal and State agencies, with independent research firms, foundations, and with two and four-year institutions of higher education on a broad range of higher educational issues, not the least of which concern the success students in higher education in particular those of low-income and underserved backgrounds. He serves on the editorial boards of several journals and with various organizations and professional associations concerned with higher education. He also chaired the national panel responsible for awarding $5 million to establish the first national center for research on teaching and learning in higher education and served as Associate Director of the $6 million National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment funded by the U.S. Office of Education.

He has received numerous recognitions and awards. He was awarded the Council of Independent Colleges 2008 Academic Leadership Award, the National Institute for Staff Development International 2008 Leadership Award and was named Distinguished Fellow in the Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations. He has some 50 notable publications, including books, research reports, and journal articles, to his credit and has lectured across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia. From 1990 to 1996 he was associate director of the National Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.

(Source: http://soe.syr.edu/about/member.aspx?fac=64)