Benchmarking, when done properly, offers a lot of promise for higher education units that want to improve how they do business. It is clear that much is known, but still more needs to be learned before it reaches its full potential as a useful tool. Readers of this issue of "New Directions for Institutional Research" have been treated to useful…

Surveys and benchmarks continue to grow in importance for community colleges in response to several factors. One is the press for accountability, that is, for colleges to report the outcomes of their programs and services to demonstrate their quality and prudent use of resources, primarily to external constituents and governing boards at the state…

It is a historically held principle of microeconomics that in the presence of better information, consumers make better decisions. This chapter focuses on information to guide consumers in making decisions about higher education. It examines the development and implementation of a one-stop career and college planning tool that leverages existing…

External and internal forces are driving institutions not only to create departments and positions that specialize in planning, quality improvement, and institutional research but also to link them within a systems context.

This chapter extends the discussion of the Baldrige framework in the preceding chapter by highlighting the eleven lessons learned from Baldrige best-practice organizations. (Contains 6 notes.)

Stung by a negative accreditation review, Los Angeles City College established an administrative position and a planning process that is successfully creating a culture of continuous improvement. At the core of this success is a "plan-act-check" reinforcing systems loop that links planning, budgeting, and institutional research. (Contains 2…

Accreditation bodies increasingly force institutions to merge their accountability reporting, institutional research, outcomes assessment, and decision-making activities, thus serving as catalysts for enhancing institutional effectiveness. (Contains 3 figures.)

The authors examine the promises and prospects of using student engagement data to promote success at minority-serving institutions.

A former chancellor outlines how he successfully transformed the culture of his campus to enhance retention and student success.

The authors outline how the University College (UC) model can serve as an effective vehicle for others.