Mission Statement/Operating Principles and Values
Institutional Research & Planning Mission Statement
The mission of Rhode Island College’s Office of Institutional Research & Planning is to ensure that both the presentation of the college to internal and external stakeholders and decision-making at all levels of the institution are based on accurate, timely, appropriate, and usable information and analysis. To achieve this mission, the office:
- Takes a leadership role in ensuring the integrity of the college’s data.
- Serves as the official source of statistical and other factual information about Rhode Island College for internal and external parties.
- Assumes responsibility for ensuring that the college’s external reporting obligations (Federal, State, Accreditation, college guides, etc.) and interests are effectively fulfilled.
- Ensures effective use of surveys and other data collection tools.
- Increases data literacy and promotes effective data use by all members of the campus community.
- Keeps college informed of external trends that affect higher education at a local, regional, national, and global level.
- Supports assessment.
- Supports regional/specialized accreditation and program review.
- Supports strategic and tactical planning.
- Supports policy development.
- Conducts research on issues of particular importance to the college (admissions; enrollment; diversity, equity, and inclusion; retention and graduation; faculty workload; etc.).
Operating Principles/Values
The office’s work is guided by the following operating principles and values:
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Quality: The office ensures that its work is of the highest quality possible. All data generated by the office must be accurate, clearly defined, and consistent. The office strives to produce reports, presentations, and other deliverables that are error-free, meticulous, and timely.
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Strong ethical stance: The office adheres to the AIR (Association for Institutional Research) Statement of Ethical Principles: https://www.airweb.org/ir-data-professional-overview/statement-of-ethical-principles/principles. The office will never knowingly misreport or misrepresent the information with which it works for any reason. In addition, the privacy and confidentiality of all information will be protected.
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Analytical approach: The office will ensure that the data presented to stakeholders is accompanied by a clear and concise analysis that highlights important trends, relationships, and implications and explains how the data can and cannot be used.
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Client support: The office will strive to understand the needs of its stakeholders and meet those needs as successfully as possible. Doing so often means helping to frame questions more effectively and being realistic about a timeline for delivery, while making every effort to meet deadlines.
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Strategic focus: The office uses its resources efficiently to focus on projects that are most closely aligned with the college’s priorities. The office is proactive in identifying ways it can support and advance the college’s strategic initiatives, while understanding and communicating any limitations of the data and analysis it generates.
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Action orientation: Although not all analyses will lead to direct action, the office strives to help its clients understand, when appropriate, how they can act upon the research that Institutional Research & Planning generates.
