Marian Matheson, director of institutional research and planning at Amherst College in Massachusetts, died earlier this month at her home in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She had suffered from cancer. Matheson was 55 years old.
A native of Flushing, New York, Matheson was a graduate of Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. She earned a master’s degree in applied clinical psychology from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and had completed doctorate coursework in higher education curriculum, instruction, and administration at Boston College.
Before joining the staff at Amherst College in 2004, Matheson was associate provost for planning and institutional research at Columbia University in New York City. Earlier in her career, she was a research analyst at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.
In a statement, Amherst College President Biddy Martin said, “Marian was beloved across the campus for her warmth, wit, and generosity, for her remarkable achievements, and for her commitment to the College. Her leadership of institutional research and her role on the senior team ensured that our decisions would be made on the basis of data and careful analysis. Her influence has changed the College for the better forever. She was a wonderful friend and a dear colleague.”