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
