This article describes a project undertaken as part of a cross-campus strategic planning effort. The project documented current campus practices and systems in use for collecting, analyzing and reporting key research metrics. The project identified organizational issues around siloed data collection and lack of clarity on data stewards, data…

This article accepts a definition of reconciliation that includes a need for fundamental change in society. The article argues that "knowledge" is critical to the business of the academic enterprise and that the relationship the academy has with knowledge is fundamental; for the academy to truly reconcile, then, changing that…

Higher education is ripe for innovation. While emerging technological developments such as digital courseware and mobiles apps have made it easier than ever for people to engage with learning resources, significant issues of access and equity persist among students from low-income, minority, single-parent families, and other disadvantaged groups.…

Most universities use Information Systems (IS) to perform their daily administrative activities (student enrollment, data files, accountancy, etc.), and an integrated Learning Management System (LMS) to support teaching and learning. However, although a lot of effort has been put into deploying these computerized systems, the data that they…

As the author's contribution to a series marking the Golden Jubilee of the Association of University Administrators, he reflects on changes in quality assurance over the past twenty years and speculates on what the future may hold for quality as the association moves into a new and very different competitive regime. He begins by discussing the…

A few years ago, in "Student Success in College (SSiC)," the authors profiled twenty colleges and universities that were unusually effective in fostering student engagement and success, defined as better-than-predicted scores on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and better-than-predicted graduation rates. These schools are…

While some may view college drinking as a "rite of passage" for students, the consequences of underage and high-risk drinking leave no room for doubt--excessive alcohol use is harmful, affecting both students and the institution as a whole. Not only do heavy drinkers negatively affect their own health and academic potential but also the physical,…

Before communicating any information, institutional researchers should answer four diagnostic questions: Who's asking? What for? What's the proper medium? What happens next? (MSE)

A discussion of the use of advisory committees in college and university administration outlines their many potential roles at both program and institutional levels, identifying reasons they are established and often underused. Issues of advisory committee effectiveness are then explored by examining several types of underinvolved and overinvolved…

The conceptual implications of various alternatives to the classic model of rational decisionmaking are explored, in order to note the radically different roles that information plays in different kinds of organizational settings. Examples are drawn from cases illustrating the different uses of information, showing some of the important costs and…

Recommends that educational administrators involve faculty and staff in decision making. Cites approaches used at Greenfield Community College to develop, implement, and evaluate future institutional goals and objectives. Includes utilization of data sources such as Community College Goal Inventory, Student Development Data, community needs…

Most decisions are made not by individuals but by groups. Knowing how the group process works and how information enters it can improve the quality of decisions, and can enhance the institutional researcher's role as data supplier and lead methodologist. (Author/MSE)

In college and university fundraising, mergers and initial public offerings can create donor-deadlines windows of opportunity during which prospective donors can make tax-favored major gifts. Development officers need to monitor their prospects' holdings for these deadlines. Categories of donor prospects to consider and indicators to watch are…

When a rational decision process is desired, information specialists can contribute information and also contribute to the process in which that information is used, thereby promoting rational decision-making. The contribution of Stanford's information specialists to rational decision-making is described. (MLW)

One of the continuing concerns of those involved in institutional planning is that results somehow be linked to decision making processes. An important way to link these activities is through the timely provision of relevant information. The purpose of this paper is to identify several types of information that have been generated as part of…