Institutional research presents WSU by the numbers

Not business as usual
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Institutional Research team: (top row l-r) Filaret Ilas, Coleen McCracken, James Downes; (bottom row l-r) Fran Hermanson, Corinna Lo, Lap-Pun Lam. (Photo by Shelly Hanks, WSU Photo Services) |
So what is it that IR does?
Misunderstood as bean counters
Lam’s work history
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What’s the question?
Juggling: Accreditation, rankings, budgets
IR also works with offices universitywide to provide data to:
- federal and state agencies, like the Washington State Office of Financial Management, regarding budgets, expenditures, retention, graduation rates, etc.
- selected publications and agencies for academic rankings, like U.S. News & World Report, Princeton Review, etc.
- the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, for its annual report on enrollments, program completions, graduation rates, faculty and staff, finances, institutional characteristics (pricing, admissions, entering freshman profile, student services, etc.), and student financial aid. The data, provided by all institutions participating in federal student financial aid programs, is available to students and parents.
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a wide variety of surveys — like the National Science Foundation and Princeton Review — regarding research capacity, graduate program capacity, etc.
Why Tempe to Pullman?
Education
The door’s open
“Our doors are always open and we’re always happy to help anyone,” he said.