Institutional Data

Iowa State University generates considerable data and information to support ongoing evaluation and assessment processes. An Office of Institutional Research (IR), which has been in place since 1979, has primary responsibility for gathering and interpreting data and information. The primary purpose of formal, regular institutional data and information gathering is to provide reliable evidence of institutional effectiveness and to inform sound planning and decision-making. Additional purposes are to meet state and federal reporting mandates and the accountability obligations of the University’s governing body, the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

Thus, the Office of Institutional Research is responsible for collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating accurate and timely information on all aspects of the University’s activities in support of institutional planning, decision-making, and reporting. The Office carries out its responsibilities through the following three interrelated major functions:

1. Develop and maintain or have access to a base of information on students, courses, finances, human resources, and facilities for Iowa State University, peer institutions, and national constituencies.

2. Provide timely and accurate information for planning, internal decision−making, and external accountability.

3. Support the development, analysis, and evaluation of policies and plans for Iowa State through service to the President, Provost, other senior university administrators, and faculty governance and planning committees.

IR maintains an Institutional Research Information System (IRIS) that currently integrates data from four application areas: faculty and staff, students, faculty activity surveys, and departmental organizations. The data, extracted at various points in time, are accessible through production runs programmed by Administrative Technology Services (ATS) analysts, and are available for consistent historical information in support of planning, program review, and decision-making.

In addition to internal data sources, the IR staff can access external sources such as the federal government’s Integrated Post-secondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the American Association of Universities Data Exchange (AAUDE) of which Iowa State is a founding member, and other peer data exchanges. Peer comparative data are regularly compiled and analyzed, and they provide a useful context for examining internal institutional data.

The strategic planning documents of both the University and the Board of Regents have built-in performance indicators for measuring progress towards declared goals. Data and information on performance indicators are annually compiled and analyzed.

The Office of Institutional Research annually prepares and distributes a university Fact Book, the staple source of data for the University community. The Fact Book is also available electronically to the entire community. Other major universities, such as University of Wisconsin-Madison and Purdue University, have emulated the content and format of the ISU Fact Book.

The Fact Book contains general information relating to institutional history, mission and role, strategic plan goals, accreditation, governance, and calendar. It contains detailed data on students, faculty and staff, courses, curriculum, finances, and facilities.

Other publications regularly prepared and published by the office of IR include:

(1) The Student Profile,

(2) Occasional research briefs on selected topics of timely policy interest,

(3) Peer comparison on faculty salaries by department, college and university-wide,

(4) Peer comparisons on administrators’ and staff salaries, and

(5) Faculty and staff counts and salaries by gender, and race/ethnicity at the department levels. These publications help the President, Provost, deans, and other University administrative officers in their planning and decision−making.

The Office of Institutional Research also aids faculty and department chairs in the evaluation of academic programs for internal assessment or accreditation purposes, by providing internal program-level data and relevant national comparative information.