Andrea Dowhower became the Director of Student Affairs Research and Assessment in January 2004 having held a similar role at The Ohio State University prior to her appointment at Penn State.

Prior to coming to Penn State, Andrea conducted surveys on topics such as student spending habits and credit card debt, the campus climate for diversity, the quality of intramural and recreational sports, Late Night programming, off-campus disturbances, and others. She has also been involved in an intensive focus group research project on the experiences of African American men on a predominantly white campus and has provided leadership for continuous improvement efforts and strategic planning. Prior to working in assessment, Andrea worked in various other areas in student life including campus activities, Greek life, leadership development, union management, academic advising, athletics, and student health.

Since at Penn State, Andrea has conducted 24 Pulse Surveys, a national pilot on newspaper readership, and the Student Satisfaction Survey. In addition, she coordinated the Student Services Inventory and Needs Assessment project and co-chaired the Student Affairs Strategic Plan drafting committee. Andrea is also an affiliate assistant faculty member in the College Student Affairs Program.

Andrea has a B.A. in Social Work from Muhlenberg College, a M.Ed. in Counselor Education from Penn State, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University.