Institutional Research associations across the world are re-imagining and redesigning their professional development and capacity building activities. This paper outlines the professional development activities of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) in the United States (est. 1966), the European Association for Institutional Research…

This AACRAO "60 Second Survey" asked respondents to identify the size, composition, name and level of decentralization for the Office of the Registrar. There were 1,389 unique institutional responses that represented 21 countries, commonwealths or territories, all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and 9 Canadian…

The U.S. federal government identifies many science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors as "areas of national need" that are "crucial to national innovation, competitiveness, and well-being and in which not enough students complete degrees." Underrepresentation of women in STEM in the United States has economic…

In the past 20 years, the number of international faculty members at American universities has continued to increase rapidly. This growth is evident in data showing that the proportional representation of foreign-born faculty easily surpasses that of domestic underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. The increasing presence of international faculty…

In this paper we review recent increases in tuition at public institutions and estimate impacts on enrollment. We use data on all U.S. public 4-year colleges and universities from 1991 to 2006 and illustrate that tuition increased dramatically beginning in the early part of this decade. We examine impacts of such increases on total enrollment and…

Rates of tuition increases in both private and public higher education that continually exceed inflation, coupled with the fact that the United States no longer leads the world in terms of the fraction of young adults who have college degrees, have focused attention on why costs keep increasing in higher education and what categories of higher…

While women have made progress in many areas of higher education, institutions still need to focus attention on the advancement and retention of women at the highest academic ranks. According to data from the U.S. Department of Education's 2005 Fall Staff Survey, women represent only 40.6 percent of full-time faculty and 25.1 percent of full…

In recent years, education systems around the world have shown a tendency for convergence on the American educational model. This, together with an increase in the use of English globally, places American educational institutions in a position of great importance as actors in international exchange. For potential partner institutions in other…

Institutional research as a tool for supporting management decision making has a relatively short history in the United States and is much less prevalent in the United Kingdom, especially in colleges. This paper outlines the principal roles and functions of an institutional research office, discusses staffing issues, and suggests practical roles…

The design and use of performance indicators for documenting quality of higher education in North America and Europe is discussed, and the indicators and assessment initiatives are compared in terms of nine dimensions. Implications of the results for institutional researchers and for the higher education community are examined. (MSE)

This chapter reviews the eclectic missions of religious institutions and sets forth an agenda for conducting research with this diverse segment of American higher education. (Contains 1 table.)

Accountability and reporting mechanisms go hand in hand with government programs that promote workforce development. This chapter describes current practice in the United States and suggests how institutional researchers can help improve the process of documenting outcomes. (Contains 1 table.)