TERMS THAT SHOULD MEAN MORE TO ADMISSIONS OFFICERS

Chris J. FoleyDirector

Office of Undergraduate Admissions

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Todd SchmitzExecutive Director

University Institutional Research and Reporting

Indiana University

IPEDS, Clearinghouse, Common Data Set, etc.

The Indiana University Context• IU system offices/roles vs. campus

– 7 Campuses• Operational control• Enrollment management• Differing business practices (But Strive to Stay in Sync)• IUPUI is second largest campus (30,000 students) & the urban

research campus

– University-Level Administration• University Institutional Research & Reporting has official reporting

responsibility for all campuses• President has personal access to UIRR

• Central information system– Single instance of PeopleSoft across all campuses

The Institutional Research -Functional Office Relationship or

“The He Said, She Said” Complex• IR is the ultimate downstream consumer of data

– Identifies “holes” and inconsistent business processes– Audits shore up data and maintain compliance

• Functional office becomes the interpreter of IR’s “truth”

– Explains the difference between truth and reality– Resolves conflicts between campus-level definitions and university-level

definitions– Reacts to public reactions to official numbers and what is done with them

(e.g., USN&WR, College Navigator, etc.)

Establish a Universal Source of Truth

– Reconcile competing definitions through institutional prerogative

• Meta data and footnotes; source documentation• Clear definitions and explicit delineations

– Definitions may vary across offices» IPEDS vs. office measures of beginner/transfer

– Collaborate and establish methods to keep lines of communication open

• Councils, groups, forums

NATIONAL DATA VIEWS

IPEDS

– Institutional characteristics– Fall enrollments– Degree completions– Graduation Rates– Student Financial Aid

IPEDS• Increasing “triangulation” among extant

data sources.– HEOA, HLC, PPAs

• Ever expanding and changing reporting landscape.– New data fields; changing definitions

• Re-purposing of IPEDS data for public consumption.– College Navigator & Scorecard

Common Data Set (CDS)

• Publishers and IR folks came together to “end the madness!”

• Arguably, the most referenced data source on higher education for public consumption – chances are you may not know all your consumers!

Ten reporting areas to address 80-90% of surveys

– General Information (make sure phones, email addresses, URLs are accurate!)

– Enrollment & Persistence– First-Time, (Freshman) Admission– Transfer Admission– Academic Offerings & Policies– Student Life– Annual Expenses– Financial Aid– Instructional Faculty and Class Size– Degrees Conferred

National Student Clearinghouse• Enrollment and degree data

– Data snapshot dates should align with other institutional calendars/milestones

• Student Tracker used to provide various institutional measures– Competitors, further education, gross retention,

expanded graduation/success rates

• NSC increasing its own research capacity

Collaboration is key

• CDS is “data heavy” but still requires collaboration with admissions

• Myriad other surveys require more collective attention– Whether IR or admissions receive and

submit surveys, you need each other to insure accurate and consistent messaging about your institution.

“When explicit rankings are published in U.S. News, a

one-rank improvement leads to a 1-percentage-point

increase in the number of applications to that college.”

--Luca & Smith (Sept. 2011)

The Inaccurate Truth– Recent cases of falsification

• Emory University

• Claremont McKenna College

• George Washington University

• Tulane University (School of Business)

• University of Illinois (School of Law)

• Villanova University (School of Law)

– Consequences• Admissions staff fired

• Fines

• Loss of ranking

Questions?

Chris J. Foley

cfoley@iupui.edu

Todd Schmitz

schmitz@indiana.edu