A new vision for institutional research is urgently needed if colleges and universities are to achieve their institutional missions, goals, and purposes. The authors advocate for a move away from the traditional service model of institutional research to an institutional research function via a federated network model or matrix network model. When…

College and university information is poorly developed for the purpose of making strategic choices and management guidance. A strategic triangle, with critical success factors at each vertex, can help model appropriate information. (Author/MLW)

A description of how the decision support systems at Pepperdine University are helping its office of institutional research and planning provide the support necessary to keep the university's administration well-informed in their decision-making role is presented. (MLW)

In the context of decision support systems (DSS) use, four perspectives on evaluating decisions (consensual, political, empirical, and rational) and four models of organizational effectiveness (human relations, open system, internal process, and rational goal) are examined for their implications for DSS implementation and evaluation. (MSE)

Advanced communication and computing technologies create new resources and new opportunities in expanded role relationships for institutional research. Approaches to impact analysis and the rates of future change are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Computer-based information systems have evolved from emphasizing data processing to providing full and flexible support for management. They have moved from providing mere data to providing a medium for representing knowledge wherein managers can analyze data, formulate ideas, structure arguments, and building models. (Author/MLW)

Social Judgment Analysis, a formal decision model, is used to develop a decision support system that provides documentation on faculty accomplishments to assist faculties in making personnel decisions that are systematic, explicit, consistent, and retraceable. (Author/MSE)

A decision support application based on the Markov analytic model is described, and its use in the formation of policy concerning reduction in force and work force distribution is illustrated through the comparative modeling of two personnel management policies. (MSE)