Blog

Today, over 100 MSCHE attendees came to the Frostburg State University (FSU) presentation on using a data platform to inform institutional assessment. FSU partners with HelioCampus to provide the data infrastructure and data science services to ensure that decision making and resource allocation are well informed by data. Sara-Beth Bittinger, Ed. D., Director of Assessment and Institutional Research and Denise Murphy, Assistant Vice President for Finance and Budget, from FSU walked the audience through how data is transformed in the data warehouse and translated into visualizations to inform decision making. Specific examples include analysis and visualization of the elements of the admissions funnel to inform recruitment strategies, efforts to better understand past institutional aid packaging practices to inform current financial aid strategies, and the development of a robust toolkit designed for academic department chairs to help them effectively manage their departments.

Institutions of higher learning continue to move rapidly toward data-informed decision making, and this movement was strongly reflected at the 45th annual North East Association for Institutional Research conference. The City of Bridges played host to almost 400 representatives from over 200 institutions and associations to better understand methods and best practices for Creating the Bridge to Data-Informed Decision Making.

Another great EDUCAUSE conference is in the books! Last week, our team had the opportunity to attend this important conference to connect with clients & friends, and moderate a panel of education leaders.

I recently had the pleasure of attending the EACUBO Annual Meeting in Buffalo, New York.  The conference brought together College and University business officers from throughout the Northeast with the goal of sharing new ideas regarding how institutions can meet the financial challenges of a quickly changing higher education landscape. Among the topics included were succession planning, sustainability, and risk mitigation.  A common underlying theme was how to use metrics and data analytics to support institutional efforts to make better decisions.  

The mission of the North Carolina Community College System is to open the door to high-quality, accessible educational opportunities that minimize barriers to post-secondary education, maximize student success, develop a globally and multi-culturally competent workforce, and improve the lives and well-being of individuals. The 2018 NCCC Summit was a wonderful opportunity for educators and administrators across the state to come together and share knowledge and best practices for improving educational outcomes.
The keynote speaker challenged the audience with the following thoughts:

Last week I had the privilege of attending the 2018 UNC Cause annual conference, which was held in Greenville, NC on October 1-3. UNC CAUSE was formed in 1970 by the computing centers of all 16 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Its purpose? To promote cooperation and information exchange between the campuses of the UNC System in all areas related to information technology. 

Last week, we had the opportunity to attend the 74^th annual NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) 2018 Conference in beautiful Salt Lake City, UT. The focus of the conference was connecting professionals who are tasked with creating the appropriate bridge for students to enroll in the right academic program for them, whether that is coming from high school, an adult who is embarking on their first time in college, or a returning adult. A lot of the talk around the conference floor was around how colleges can attract and retain the right students for them, the changing student demographic, and associated expectations of today’s students (and their parents.) The growing importance of the role of transfer students and the value of a college degree were also top of mind for most institutions.

Last week, I had the privilege of attending Achieving the Dream’s (ATD) Data & Analytics Summit which focused on the data needs of community colleges today, and what to expect going forward. During the conference, I represented HelioCampus, as a corporate sponsor, and in support of one of our first community colleges partners, Harford Community College. With limited expectations before the Summit, this opportunity really changed my perspective and opened my mind to the world of community colleges and the communities they serve.

Colleges and universities are under considerable pressure, both from within, as they work to fulfill their educational mission, and externally, as they attempt to understand and curtail drops in enrollment and retention. The latter is particularly troubling, as more than half of public colleges and two-thirds of private institutions failed to meet their enrollment goals in 2016.1 Many higher education institutions are embracing analytic solutions to help them unravel enrollment, persistence, and retention challenges. By analyzing academic history, student behavior, co-curricular involvement, and other pertinent data, colleges and universities can recruit, attract, and enroll students who have a higher likelihood of academic success. This allows them to focus on efforts to identify students that need extra support who are already enrolled, and make interventions, increasing students’ likelihood to persist. Institutional data is only useful if it is leveraged properly. The following are five best practices for enrollment management practitioners to consider when deploying an analytics strategy.

I recently attended (and gave a keynote address at) the APRA PD Data Analytics Symposium (APRA DAS), an analytics conference co-located with the larger APRA Prospect Development conference. It was held at the expansive David L. Lawrence Convention Center, which overlooks the Allegheny River in downtown Pittsburgh.