Services / Research and data
Institutional research and data analysis for higher education
Rigorous analysis that answers a decision, not another dashboard nobody opens.
What the work is
Institutions are not short on data. They are short on answers. The enrollment report exists, the dashboard exists, the survey ran last spring, and the cabinet still cannot say whether to invest in a program or sunset it.
We work backward from the decision. What question are you actually trying to settle, what evidence would change your mind, and what is the smallest defensible study that produces it? Sometimes that is a full enrollment and market analysis. Sometimes it is four weeks of interviews that reveal the quantitative question was the wrong one.
Our research consultants have run institutional research offices, built statewide survey instruments, and served as system-level data consultants. They are comfortable presenting findings to a board that will not like them.
- Enrollment and market analyses
- Program viability and sunset studies
- Equity and student outcomes audits
- Climate and engagement surveys
- Peer benchmarking studies
- Financial modeling and scenario analysis
- Grant evaluation and reporting
- IR office capacity building
How a research engagement runs
The question gets settled first. Everything else is method.
Question
A scoping session with the decision-makers to define what the study must answer and what would count as an answer.
Gather
Internal system data, IPEDS and National Student Clearinghouse comparisons, labor market data, surveys, and interviews as the question requires.
Analyze
Quantitative analysis paired with qualitative context, with limitations and confidence stated plainly rather than buried.
Translate
A findings presentation built for the audience that has to act, plus the documentation your IR office needs to repeat the analysis next year.
Who leads this work
Former institutional research directors and system-level data consultants.
What if we do not have an institutional research office?
That is common at smaller institutions, and it is a normal starting point. We can run the analysis outright, and we can also build the internal capacity, including instrument design, documentation, and training, so the work is repeatable without us.
What data do you work with?
Internal student information system data, IPEDS, National Student Clearinghouse, state system data, regional labor market data, and primary survey and interview data we collect. We handle FERPA-governed data under a data use agreement.
Can you do a program viability study?
Yes, and it is one of our most requested studies: enrollment trends, completion, cost per FTE, labor market demand, and peer comparison, ending in a clear recommendation to invest, restructure, or sunset.
Will you present findings to our board?
Yes. Board and cabinet presentation is normally included in scope. Our consultants have presented unwelcome findings to elected boards before and will not soften the analysis to make the room comfortable.
Tell us what you’re facing.
Most engagements start with a thirty-minute call and no deck.
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