Lourdes College is a small, private, coeducational commuter college located in northwest Ohio. In early 2009, the Lourdes College Board of Trustees ratified a new strategic plan promoting institutional strength and sustainability over the next six years. The desired outcome was to make Lourdes College a stronger, more vibrant, even more socially…

Describes a project of the Coalition for Networked Information, founded in 1990 to advance scholarship interest in the networked-computer environment. The project coordinated work of seven higher education institutions in conducting assessments of their campus networks. Topics discussed include the networking climate on campuses, why assessment is…

Many colleges and universities will soon adopt distributed systems for executive information and decision support. Distribution of shared information through computer networks will improve decision-making processes dramatically on campuses. Critical success factors include administrative support, favorable organizational climate, ease of use,…

Describes the model used to assess the cost and quality of student computing at Indiana University, Bloomington, and its application in a recent assessment. Three families of measures (quality, cost, value) are used to assess the performance of the campus system. (MSE)

Seattle University recently decided to replace three separate, computerized student-information systems with a single, integrated system. The complexity of this decision was managed with a multicriteria method that was used to evaluate alternative systems. The method took into account the many and sometimes conflicting concerns of the people who…

These proceedings report on a seminar held to determine the needs and wants served by the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) in regard to products and services provided by AIR to institutions and individuals. A vulnerability/opportunity audit was conducted to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. Participants listed…

The report outlines how the University of Alaska (Fairbanks) could move toward institutionalizing a chief information officer and merge campus academic and administrative information systems. The chief information officer would have such responsibilities as strategic planning participation, information systems planning, development of…

The argument is made that without proper staffing and support (a condition that occurs as financial pressures on higher education institutions increase) institutional research will not be able to prepare analyses of enough depth and sophistication to constitute a meaningful contribution to policy-making. An outline is provided as to how to…

Software programs and Internet and World Wide Web addresses that are available to facilitate data sharing by colleges and universities are listed. Included are government sites, institutional research offices and services, and information on emerging technologies that offer promise in this area. (Author/MSE)

Advances in computing hardware and software, voice and electronic communications, electronic mail, and the information highway will affect the work environment for institutional researchers. In addition, as teaching, learning, and administrative processes are reengineered, the traditional analytical skills of these professionals will be useful in…

This volume offers nine papers on higher education research in Maryland all of which were presented at annual meetings from 1990 through 1993. The following papers are included: (1) "The Geo-Demographic Approach to Student Recruitment: The PG-TRAK90" Lifestyle Cluster System" (Karl Boughan); (2) "Evaluating College Services: A…

An annotated list cites reports, books, and other resources for institutional research into campus diversity. It includes studies undertaken by individual institutions, often including assessment instruments, organizational resources, books and articles, and electronic mail lists. (MSE)

The growth in computing power available to institutional researchers today is more than matched by the increase in the demand for information. A significant part of this demand involves minor variations of a few routine questions. Nearly all administrators from the vice president to the department chairman want information about "their"…

This report is intended to serve as a focus for developing a commitment for continuing investment in computer support for education, research, and administration at the University of Saskatchewan. Based on the assumption that effective utilization of computers, computer networks, and other telecommunications technology is essential to the…