THE STATUS OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH: For Women But Not For-Profits?

Year 2015, Volume: 4 Issue: 3, - , 02.11.2015

Gail D. Caruth

Abstract

College and university administrators have been under increased pressured to explain how campus operations support student enrollment and the cost of higher education. Administrators have consequently been moving toward a data-informed decision process and have begun working in partnership with institutional research for decision support. The purpose of this paper was to examine the literature to determine the status of IR in higher education. This examination is important to higher education for meeting the increased pressure and demands for accountability from those it serves. The escalating amount of data and the capability for comparing data is unparalleled. Consequently the role of institutional research has been evolving since its inception as a distinct function in higher education for over 50 years and varies from institution to institution globally. However, the fundamental role of gathering, examining, and distributing data for planning, policy formulation, and decision support has remained consistent. Research has revealed two district findings about the evolution of IR professionals in the United States. First, women professionals in IR have grown from 25% to 62% (a 148% growth) in 30 years and second, only two percent of the IR professionals are from for-profit institutions.

Keywords

Institutional research, characteristics of institutional research, history of institutional research, the role of institutional research

References

• The Association for Institutional Research: Data and Decisions for Higher Education (AIR). (n.d.). AIR Quick Facts. Retrieved from: http://www.airweb.org/AboutUs/Pages/default.aspx Brittingham, B., O'Brien, P. M., & Alig, J. L. (2008). Accreditation and institutional research: The traditional role and new dimensions. New Directions For Higher Education, (141), 69-76.
• Calderon, A., & Mathies, C. (2013). Institutional research in the future: Challenges within higher education and the need for excellence in professional practice. New Directions For
• Institutional Research, (157), 77-90. doi:10.1002/ir.20040
• Chirikov, I. (2013). Research universities as knowledge networks: The role of institutional research. Studies In Higher Education, 38(3), 456-469.
• Counelis, J. S. (1993). Toward Empirical Studies on University Ethics: A New Role for
• Institutional Research. The Journal of Higher Education, (1). 74. Delaney, A. M. (1996). The role of institutional research in higher education: Enabling researchers to meet new challenges. Paper presented at the 36th Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Albuquerque, NM.
• Hall, M., & Baldwin, B. (1998). The role of institutional research in student evaluations of teaching. Paper presented at the 38th Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional
• Research, Minneapolis, MN. Harrington, C., & Chen, H. (1995). The characteristics, roles and functions of institutional research professionals in the Southern Association for Institutional Research. Paper presented at the 35th Annual AIR Forum, Boston, MA.
• Knight, W. E., & Leimer, C. L. (2010). Will IR staff stick? An exploration of institutional researchers' intention to remain in or leave their jobs. Research in Higher Education, 2(51), 109–131. doi 10.1007/s11162-009-9152-9
• Lange, L., Saavedra, F. M., & Romano, J. (2013). Institutional research in emerging countries of Southern Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa: Global frameworks and local practices. New Directions For Institutional Research, (157), 23-38. doi:1002/ir.20037
• Lindquist, S. B. (1999). A profile of institutional researchers from AIR national membership Surveys. New Directions For Institutional Research, (104), 41-50.
• Mathies, C. & Välimaa, J. (2013) Is there a need for a European institutional research?,Tertiary Education and Management, 19(1),85-96, doi: 1080/13583883.2012.747558
• Matier, M. W., Sidle, C. C., & Hurst, P. J. (1994). How it ought to be: Institutional researchers' roles as we approach the 21st Century. AIR 1994 Annual Forum Paper.
• McLaughlin, G., McLaughlin, J., & Kennedy-Phillips, L. (2005). Developing institutional indicators: The role of institutional research. Online Submission,
• Middaugh, M. F., Kelly, H. A., & Walters, A. M. (2008). The role of institutional research in understanding and describing faculty work. New Directions For Higher Education, (141), 41
• Nichols, J. O. (1990). The role of institutional research in implementing institutional effectiveness or outcomes assessment. Association for Institutional Research(AIR)
• Professional File, (37). Sapp, M. M., & Temares, M. L. (1996). Reengineering a college of engineering: The role of an institutional research office. Paper presented at the 36th Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Albuquerque, NM.
• Trainer, J. F. (2008). The Role of Institutional Research in Conducting Comparative
• Analysis of Peers. New Directions For Higher Education, (141), 21-30. Voorhees, R. A. (2008). Institutional research's role in strategic planning. New Directions
• For Higher Education, (141), 77-85. doi: 10.1002/he.295
• Watt, C. E., Chrestman, R. E., & Johnston, B. A. (2001). The role of institutional research in space planning: Helping all the pieces fit together. Paper presented at the 41st Annual
• Meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, Long Beach, CA. Webber, K. L. (2012). The role of institutional research in a high profile study of undergraduate research. Research In Higher Education, 53(7), 695-716.