Don't miss out on joining nearly 1,500 of your colleagues and peers at higher education's premier planning event of 2010, SCUP–45. The Society for College and University Planning's 45th annual, international conference and idea marketplace is July 10–14 in Minneapolis!

Here's your SCUP Link to "A Review of System-Wide Reporting at the University of Hawai'i" (PDF)

Hans Peter L'Orange, who is presenting on State Level Data to Inform Decision Makers at SCUP-45, is SHEEO Vice President for Research and Information Resources. This report is his analysis and suggestions, from earlier this year, for how the University of Hawai'i can "to re‐think the operation...and plan for an integrated data system‐‐that is, integrating fiscal, human resource, and student data": Essentially, how it can restructure institutional research, system-wide.

The current situation finds the University at a decision point: will the System‐wide reporting function become increasingly distributed and fragmented or will a formal, centralized strategy be developed? Indications from UH executives imply a shared interest in a stronger, centralized reporting culture. If so, a collective and collaborative process is necessary to develop basic reporting principles where everyone knows who does what, how it is done, and when it is required. This is a leadership decision rather than a technical choice. It’s an opportunity to develop a comprehensive strategy for the future and move from a “data dump” (i.e. MAPS) culture into a decision‐culture based on analysis. It is a process of moving from data management to knowledge management. This not to imply that data management is no longer important; if anything, it becomes even more critical as data resources are used to develop information and ultimately knowledge. Without structured processes for managing data, high quality, decision‐support information cannot be provided to decision‐makers.