Vice chancellors of public universities in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region face a myriad of challenges that require research- and data-driven decision-making. This paper presents a decision-making model for college and university leadership - The Two-Way Practitioner-Researcher Loop. This scholarship of practice has the…

This study sought to understand and improve effectiveness in institutional research (IR) by interviewing, observing, and analyzing resumes of IR practitioners who have been identified by their colleagues as particularly effective in having an impact on decision-making, planning, and policy formation. Ten themes for effectiveness in IR were…

What is institutional research (IR)? One of the most widely definition of the institutional research is by Joe Saupe, who emphasized institutional research as a set of activities that support institutional planning, policy formation, and decision making. Institutional researchers and IR functions are embedded in the offices of strategic planning,…

The traditional "test and measurement" approach to educational evaluation is contrasted with the "use of information for decision-making" developed in the industrial sector. Evaluation strategy should be determined by an analysis of the problem and the decisions to be made. (Author/LBH)

Tips for college policy analysts include these: acknowledge personal biases; be flexible and inclusive; be realistic but creative in framing recommendations; build an outspoken advisory team; anticipate repetition; see the broad picture and detail; understand that implementation is the key to good policy; and do not surprise the president. (MSE)

Examined is the utility of evaluation research as a framework for converting raw data into a form that is useful to the decisionmaker. The origins and purposes of evaluation research and the relationship between the evaluator and decisionmaker are examined, and some of the major issues in evaluation research methodology are reviewed. The role of…

The idea that knowledge is a major determinant of policy in industry and government is discussed with reference to Harold Wilensky's book, "Organizational Intelligence: Knowledge and Policy in Government and Industry." Implications for academe's institutional research activities are considered. (LBH)

Proposes the establishment of a Deaprtment of the University with a mandate to seek and disseminate knowledge and insights concerning all aspects of the University so that the operation and activities of the University may be progressively and continuously improved on the basis of appropriate scholarly understanding and debate. (JT)

The numerous issues and problems facing college and university decisionmakers and the ever increasing information needs of external agency representatives place conflicting pressures on institutional research personnel, forcing them to make difficult decisions regarding the allocation of their resources. Outlined are several such pressures. It is…

Broad understanding of an institution is fundamental to strategic planning, and information and communication are integral parts of this understanding. An institutional fact book used at Georgia State University is discussed both as a basic information system and as a practical communication vehicle. (MLW)

Policy analysis provides the framework for enrollment planning in the Arizona university system. The new planning model consists of a statement of principles, a five-year strategic plan, an enrollment demand model, determination of institutional capacities, development of strategies to meet demand, and analysis of policy choices and consequences.…

Institutional researchers must be in the institutional planning process in the coming years if institutional research is to remain a viable administrative specialty. Politics is viewed in its purest sense as the influence individuals, organizations, or other entities have upon policy-setting and decision-making. (Author/MLW)

One promising avenue for increasing the utilization of institutional research data is the informal action research model. While formal action research stresses the involvement of researchers throughout the decision-making process, the informal model stresses participation in the later stages of decision making. Informal action research requires…