1. TERMS THAT SHOULD MEAN MORE TO ADMISSIONS OFFICERS Chris J. Foley Director Office of Undergraduate Admissions Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Todd Schmitz Executive Director University Institutional Research and Reporting Indiana University IPEDS, Clearinghouse, Common Data Set, etc.

2. The Indiana University Context IU system offices/roles vs. campus –7 Campuses Operational control Enrollment management Differing business practices (But Strive to Stay in Sync) IUPUI is second largest campus (30,000 students) & the urban research campus –University-Level Administration University Institutional Research & Reporting has official reporting responsibility for all campuses President has personal access to UIRR Central information system –Single instance of PeopleSoft across all campuses

3. The Institutional Research - Functional Office Relationship or “The He Said, She Said” Complex IR is the ultimate downstream consumer of data –Identifies “holes” and inconsistent business processes –Audits shore up data and maintain compliance Functional office becomes the interpreter of IR’s “truth” –Explains the difference between truth and reality –Resolves conflicts between campus-level definitions and university-level definitions –Reacts to public reactions to official numbers and what is done with them (e.g., USN&WR, College Navigator, etc.)

4. Establish a Universal Source of Truth –Reconcile competing definitions through institutional prerogative Meta data and footnotes; source documentation Clear definitions and explicit delineations –Definitions may vary across offices »IPEDS vs. office measures of beginner/transfer –Collaborate and establish methods to keep lines of communication open Councils, groups, forums

5. NATIONAL DATA VIEWS

6. IPEDS –Institutional characteristics –Fall enrollments –Degree completions –Graduation Rates –Student Financial Aid

7. IPEDS Increasing “triangulation” among extant data sources. –HEOA, HLC, PPAs Ever expanding and changing reporting landscape. –New data fields; changing definitions Re-purposing of IPEDS data for public consumption. –College Navigator & Scorecard

8. Common Data Set (CDS) Publishers and IR folks came together to “end the madness!” Arguably, the most referenced data source on higher education for public consumption – chances are you may not know all your consumers!

9. Ten reporting areas to address 80-90% of surveys –General Information (make sure phones, email addresses, URLs are accurate!) –Enrollment & Persistence –First-Time, (Freshman) Admission –Transfer Admission –Academic Offerings & Policies –Student Life –Annual Expenses –Financial Aid –Instructional Faculty and Class Size –Degrees Conferred

10. National Student Clearinghouse Enrollment and degree data –Data snapshot dates should align with other institutional calendars/milestones Student Tracker used to provide various institutional measures –Competitors, further education, gross retention, expanded graduation/success rates NSC increasing its own research capacity

11. Collaboration is key CDS is “data heavy” but still requires collaboration with admissions Myriad other surveys require more collective attention –Whether IR or admissions receive and submit surveys, you need each other to insure accurate and consistent messaging about your institution.

12. “When explicit rankings are published in U.S. News, a one-rank improvement leads to a 1-percentage-point increase in the number of applications to that college.” --Luca & Smith (Sept. 2011)

13. The Inaccurate Truth –Recent cases of falsification Emory University Claremont McKenna College George Washington University Tulane University (School of Business) University of Illinois (School of Law) Villanova University (School of Law) –Consequences Admissions staff fired Fines Loss of ranking

14. Questions? Chris J. Foley cfoley@iupui.edu Todd Schmitz schmitz@indiana.edu