A survey of institutional researchers at 243 New England colleges and universities examined respondents' (N=127) views on the current and projected roles of institutional research. Results document limited resources particularly in small institutions. Also, a majority of institutional researchers reported that they were engaged extensively in…

The University of Miami (UM) in Florida established and continues to use a monthly Key Success Index (KSI) report for ongoing self-evaluation. At UM the KSI is a five-page document focusing on the current year-to-date amount for each key success indicator and how it differs from the previous year's amount. It includes monthly data for the current…

Historically, statistics have been important in intercollegiate sports. At first, the data were kept as game statistics, but more recently they have been used for institutional research, accountability, compliance with regulations, and public relations. (MSE)

An attorney who has served both plaintiffs and defendants in court cases involving higher education institutions suggests several basic principles for institutional researchers in coping with a complex litigious environment: stay informed about major legal developments; consult your institution's attorney, and be proactive in the consultation; do…

The major tables of this annual report on student characteristics array four major characteristics: age group; sex; level (undergraduate/graduate); and load (full-time/part-time). The main body of the report is divided into five sections: Part I contains data for the entire system as well as each institution and institutional type; Part II…

The paper considers the management process within central research offices of universities, or the research divisions of universities, to determine how funded research is encouraged at research institutions. It also looks at the characteristics of those research institutions which had strong growth in the last 10 years. A telephone survey of 37…

The monograph presents, in tabular form, data from a biannual survey on the non-credit instructional activities of the State University of New York (SUNY). The steadily increasing number of non-credit instructional activities offered, especially at the community college level, possibly due to the availability of state funds to help community…

There is no right way to forecast college enrollments; in many instances, it will be prudent to use both qualitative and quantitative methods. Methods chosen must be relevant to questions addressed, policies and decisions at stake, and time and talent required. While it is tempting to start quickly, enrollment forecasting is an area in which…

Revenue forecasting is the critical first step in most college and university budget-planning processes. While it seems a straightforward exercise, effective forecasting requires consideration of a number of interacting internal and external variables, including demographic trends, economic conditions, and broad social priorities. The challenge…

The development of institutional performance indicators in higher education is viewed as part of a broader approach to management information and decision making. The experience of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems in developing useful information from raw data, selecting appropriate performance indicators, and applying…

A discussion of public pressures to measure and describe college faculty work looks at public concerns about higher education, causes of decline in public support, the public's solution, faculty reactions, the nature of resulting research on faculty workload, and how these issues are likely to evolve. (MSE)

Research conducted at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) provided comparisons for 1990, 1993, and 1996 of undergraduate students' satisfaction and participation at college. The survey instrument used was the College Student Experiences Questionnaire, which included measures of the amount of progress perceived by students in 23 different…

Future college administrators will be responsible for three things: adaptive change, financial controls and strength, and quality of service. Each involves management of change. Increasingly, leaders will be drawn from industry, the professions, government, editing and publishing, and nonacademic areas of higher education. Superior academic…

Without an institutional research office to look at recruitment and retention programs, DePauw University (Indiana) relies heavily on institutional trend data and comparative information to assess the effectiveness of three initiatives: recruitment of large numbers of minority students, strategic use of financial aid, and use of market…

This handbook for institutional researchers focuses on describing methods and techniques for conducting and merging external and internal analyses in order to produce an expanded vision of alternative future environments. Such vision is needed for the formulation of strategic long-range plans. Section 1 begins with a discussion of how an internal…