Institutions face both challenges and opportunities in communicating with external constituent groups, from marketing new programs to attracting visitors and soliciting alumni. A college or university's tight-knit community of students, alums, and friends adds a special dimension to the higher education experience; bonds formed in college often…

Data visualization is a key component to business and data analytics, allowing analysts in businesses to create tools such as dashboards for business executives. Various software packages allow businesses to create these tools in order to manipulate data for making informed business decisions. The focus is to examine what skills employers are…

"Human capital"--the value of a worker to his enterprise--has been around as a concept at least since the Industrial Revolution. The term "human capital management" (HCM) started to gain currency in the 1950s, but as a business phenomenon, HCM did not really take off until the 1990s. These days, HCM is on the human resources agenda of thousands of…

MIS curricula research almost always focuses on either curriculum issues or the critical skills required of new MIS graduates, rarely both. This study examines both by determining the critical skills required of new graduates, from the perspective of IT professionals in the field, then uniquely mapping those skills into a comprehensive yet…

Describes creation of a relational database at the University of Washington supporting ongoing academic planning at several levels and affecting the culture of decision making. Addresses getting started; sharing the database; questions, worries, and issues; improving access to high-demand courses; the advising function; management of instructional…

This paper describes an approach to information processing developed by Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan) prior to a School of Education accreditation review by the National Association for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Information was needed to provide persuasive evidence in response to each NCATE criterion. The…

This document summarizes the results of two surveys about the current administrative uses of computers in higher education. Included in the document is: (1) a brief history of the development of computer operational and management information systems in higher education; (2) information on how computers are currently being used to support…

This monograph, based on a conceptual model called an information support circle, describes a structured management process that can be used by higher education institutions to add value to institutional data and information. The model offers a sequence of (1) thinking about the management and use of data, (2) considering problems in providing…

The ability of operating departments of an institution to mechanically gather, summarize, and report "local" data is discussed. Problems are outlined that arise when departments have the ability to produce data and do so with rigorous quality control by the institution's central information management organization. (MLW)

A centralized relational database is used to manage information on advanced practice nursing students and their preceptors at Johns Hopkins University. The system relieves faculty of time-consuming tasks and enables rapid report generation, consistent tracking, and timely communications. (SK)

Discusses how data systems can be designed to serve not only operations but also higher-level management and planning with observations about information as a political as well as an administrative tool. (Editor/PG)

Carnegie Mellon University has leveraged its technological expertise with database management systems (DBMS) into joint technological and developmental partnerships with DBMS and application software vendors. Carnegie's relational database strategy, the strategy of partnerships and how they were formed, and how the partnerships are doing are…

Issues in determining how to develop a data communications system at colleges and universities are discussed including; technical requirements; cost; implications for coordination and (de)centralization of hardware/software; deciding when to create a data network; data security, information integrity, and organizational development. (Author/MLW)

The University of Georgia's course offerings system, an online registration system, is described. All section data are entered and maintained online; every element is immediately validated against the course, faculty, and facilities databases or tables. The data is the source for student schedule reporting, space utilization, and budget reporting.…

The distribution of databases physically separates users from those who administer the database and the administrators who perform database administration. By drawing on the work of social scientists in reliability and validity, a set of concepts and a list of questions to ensure data quality were developed. (Author/MLW)