This chapter describes a framework to guide collaboration between institutional research and other campus offices. Three examples are then provided to illustrate how the framework was applied successfully to actual projects.

This chapter describes the impact that participation in the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement had on the institutions of higher learning that applied for the classification. This is described in terms of changes in direct community engagement, monitoring and reporting on community engagement, and levels of student and professor…

This chapter is a case study of one institution's effort to institutionalize a process through which student development is promoted through active engagement with the community.

An open-systems framework is used to describe how institutional researchers analyze the inputs, processes, outputs, and environmental considerations of higher education; resources for collecting and analyzing data are specified. Additional resources for institutional research professionals are listed. (MSE)

A comprehensive information resource management system is the key to the future of quality data management. Instituting and developing the system requires a major commitment from institutional leadership. The institutional researcher can take steps to solve some of the initial problems and increase institutional awareness for the systems'…

Although each higher education institutional research office has a unique style and mission, their commonalities suggest guidelines for establishing effective units, including placement high in the organizational structure, consistent attention given to first-order data responsibilities (collection, reporting), attention to institutional needs, a…

Straightforward application of simple economic concepts can explain relationships between expenditures and gift revenues, including those related to predisposition and capacity, and has practical applications in interpreting costs. (Author/MSE)

Developmental professions outline the steps and key concepts in the planning and evaluation of fund-raising goals and of the potential to obtain gift support for them. (Author)

Without feasible integration strategies, the institutional researcher and decision maker remain isolated from each other, to the ultimate disadvantage of the higher education institution. Practical and achievable strategies for the researcher include knowledge of the institutional climate and norms, developing communication skills, and practicing…

A taxonomy of developmental planning considerations and corresponding areas in which institutional researchers and developmental professionals can collaborate to assess and improve fund-raising activities is presented. (MSE)

The location of the institutional research unit within the organizational structure influences the role it plays in supporting effective decision making. A theoretical framework of organizational structure based on division of labor can be applied to higher education institutions, with implications for staffing and expectations for performance.…

Reporting occupies a central place in institutional research but is ongoing and never completed. With automation and data management, the proportion of time spent on either routine or ad hoc reporting should decline. This function need not draw unnecessarily from resources for more interesting work. (MSE)

While the electronic fact book will not replace the paper variety used by colleges and universities to disseminate institutional information, there are a number of uses for the electronic format, which accommodates both quantity and currency of information. Considerations in producing an electronic fact book are discussed, and a seven-day process…

A regional survey of 141 higher education institutional research offices investigated the following aspects of program administration: research and analysis staff size; educational preparation and experience; location in the organizational hierarchy; functions and tasks; and role in assessment. Four different types of offices are described.…

Selecting computer tools requires analyzing information requirements and audiences, assessing existing institutional research and computing capacities, creating or improving a planning database, using computer experts, determining software needs, obtaining sufficient resources for independent operations, acquiring quality, and insisting on…