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Institutional Research Survey
WASC PR Group One: Data
June 29, 2005

 

The WASC Preparatory Review Group One (Group One) was given the charge of evaluating the Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) Data Portfolio and identifying important institutional issues that arise from the analysis of this data.   One finding of the team is that the current institutional research function of PLNU is not adequately resourced.   Because of an increased emphasis on data by various agencies and accrediting bodies and the greater use of data in institutional planning at all levels, the demand for the work of the Office of Institutional Research at PLNU will continue to outstrip its current capacity.

In order to make specific recommendations, Group One surveyed a collection of institutions of quality similar to PLNU. The schools are:
Azusa Pacific University
Biola University
Calvin College
Gordon College
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Occidental College
Seattle Pacific University
Taylor University
University of San Diego
Westmont College
Wheaton College
Not all institutions were willing to assist us in this research.  However members of Group One had extensive conversations with the Office of Institutional Research at Biola, Calvin, Mount Vernon, Seattle Pacific, Taylor, University of San Diego and Wheaton.  Calvin, Seattle Pacific, Taylor and University of San Diego are known for their excellence in institutional research.  What follows is a summary of the findings along with some recommendations in each area.  The Appendix includes the questionnaire and relevant job descriptions gathered from some of the institutions.

Location of the Office of Institutional Research in the University’s Organizational Structure:
There does not appear to be a single uniform location for the Office of Institutional Research in university structures.   However, it appears that the Office of Institutional Research is typically accountable to one of the following people:
The President
The Provost (directly or via an administrator working for the Provost)
The Chief Financial Officer (via Information Technology or Financial Aid)

Recommendation for PLNU:
PLNU currently has the Office of Institutional Research under the Provost and receives significant support from Human Resources and Information Technology as well as various academic units (Records, Vice Provosts, Deans and Chairs).  We recommend that the Office of Institutional Research remain under the Provost at PLNU and the Office of Institutional Research be restored to being a separate unit from the Records Office.

Key Functions Performed by the Office of Institutional Research:
All offices of institutional research perform various report generating functions.  These include:

  • Data gathering for IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and other statistical surveys (e.g. US News and World Report)  
  • Data gathered for institutional enrollment management
  • Data gathered for intuitional financial planning

Beyond these three functions the work of the office varies widely and seems heavily dependent on to whom the office is accountable (President, Provost or CFO).  For example, some offices also house the academic assessment function of the university and others are combined with Information Technology.  Many schools that we spoke to discussed modifying or expanding the function of their office to meet the new emphasis of the accrediting bodies on data.  These functions include:

  • Conducting both home grown surveys (Freshmen, Seniors, Faculty, Alumni, etc) and standardized surveys (National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), etc).
  • Maintaining a public data display (via the web)
  • Maintaining a centralized database for Institutional Research data (done in partnership with the Information Technology department).  Many of the schools discussed the problems that they have experienced from the data not being centralized and those with decentralized data stated that they were in the process of creating a central data base.
  • Gathering data for strategic planning and department specific planning.

Recommendation for PLNU:
We recommend that the PLNU Office of Institutional Research should perform the following key functions for the university:

  • Gathering and maintaining a core collection of data necessary for the various annual reports (IPEDS, US News, etc) and that is required by our accrediting body (Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)) which is stored in a central data base (done in partnership with Information Technology Services (ITS)). 
  • Preparing the reports as needed.
  • Expanding this data base with carefully selected data gathered to assist the university in planning including a core of data linked to our values and goals (this list would be provided by the Strategic Planning Committee). 
  • Conducting needed surveys and reporting that data.  This includes standardized surveys in which we participate (NSSE, CIRP, etc) and a regular cycle of surveys of our constituencies (students, faculty, staff and alumni). We have used CIRP and NSSE as well as a faculty survey that is part of a project at UCLA. 
  • Providing analysis of the data gathered with the support of a team of faculty experts.
  • Ensuring that all of this data is up on our website in a user-friendly format in a timely way.
  • Working on special projects for individual departments as time allows.  This will require the ability to write queries and hence requires the support of ITS.

Staffing
The staffing of the Office of Institutional Research varied widely among the institutions that we contacted.  This is chiefly due to the fact that many of the offices had non-Institutional Research functions as well as research functions (e.g. were part of the IT department, were part of the Office of Strategic Planning).  It appears that the number of man hours devoted to IR is roughly equivalent to between one-and-a-half and two full time people. 

In institutions where the Office of Institutional Research was analyzing data rather than just recording and reporting it, the trend is for the senior analyst in the office to have either a master’s degree or a doctorate in a field that involved data analysis (mathematics, social sciences, etc.) and some background in research.  In some cases, analysis work of the office is strengthened by the support of faculty experts.

Recommendation for PLNU:
That PLNU seek to staff a distinct Office of Institutional Research with a minimum of one full time analyst and one half-time research assistant (though it is preferable that the research assistant be full-time).  Ideally the analyst should have at least a master’s degree in a data based field (mathematics or a social science) and research experience that includes a familiarity with data bases and computer based data analysis.  The research assistant should have a bachelor’s degree and computer experience.

This office should be supplemented and supported by a two to four person team of faculty members who are selected by the Provost to assist with special projects and give expert advice when needed.  This has been the practice at PLNU, but it should be formalized.

The salary expense for this level of staffing is expected to range between $65,000 - $105,000 (see details in the appendix) plus the cost of the release time for faculty assistance.

Funding:
All but one school surveyed had a difficult time quantifying their non-wage Institutional Research budget. This is because the money often came from different sources depending on the task.  Funds for surveys might come from the Provost, travel from a budget in the Records Office and funds for software from somewhere in the IT budget.  When asked to indicate their non-wage budget, the offices we surveyed stated numbers ranging between $3,000 and $104,000.

Recommendation for PLNU:
A careful budget needs to be established for an expanded PLNU Office of Institutional Research.  We recommend that all IR costs come out of a central budget rather than being pieced together from a variety of sources.  Significant conversation about the specific functions of the office, needed travel and training and the use of faculty consultants will need to be held before a clear budget can be established.  

The expense for running this office (independent of staff wages) is approximately $24,500 per year (see details in the appendix).

Supporting Documents:
Research Information
Interview Script
Tabulation of Interview Data
Appendix of Job Descriptions
Appendix of Salary Information
Appendix with Office Cost Estimate