This chapter reviews methodological issues surrounding the measurement of glass ceiling effects and summarizes findings from one cross-sectional analysis study.

This chapter is a case study of one institution's effort to institutionalize a process through which student development is promoted through active engagement with the community.

The influence of emotions in the workplace rarely has been examined within the context of higher education (Neumann, 2006; Smith and Witt, 1993). Through a qualitative approach, the purpose of this chapter is to offer a perspective of faculty work that examines the role that emotions play in the academic life of 15 underrepresented faculty members…

This chapter introduces the concept of benchmarking and how higher education institutions began to use benchmarking for a variety of purposes. Here, benchmarking is defined as a strategic and structured approach whereby an organization compares aspects of its processes and/or outcomes to those of another organization or set of organizations to…

Benchmarking, when done properly, offers a lot of promise for higher education units that want to improve how they do business. It is clear that much is known, but still more needs to be learned before it reaches its full potential as a useful tool. Readers of this issue of "New Directions for Institutional Research" have been treated to useful…

The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the extent to which students' retrospective self-reported gains from high school are associated with college self-reported gains. As such, the chapter offers an empirical test of how accounting for one's predisposition to report educational impact changes estimates of the effects of college experiences…

Assessing student attainment in the major field of study is increasingly important to employers and accrediting bodies alike. Construction and manufacturing firms do not like engineers who design faulty bridges and airplanes. Marketing firms want to hire students who understand the difference between a niche market and a global market. School…

There is almost nothing more frustrating to an institutional researcher than seeing university leaders ignore data. The case study in this article examines how an institutional research office was able to put data to work in enrollment services and produce record-setting numbers of applications, admissions, and confirmations within a nine-month…

In late 2002 the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) at Purdue University began to seriously consider building a Web-based reporting system. Purdue had launched its first strategic plan the previous year and was under the leadership of a very data-driven president; unit-level (colleges, schools, administrative areas, departments, majors) data…

Cross-sectional frameworks, or between-group approaches, in quantitative research in higher education have limitations that hinder what we know about the intersection of race and educational opportunities and outcomes. (Contains 5 figures.)

Employing a critical-empirical approach to the study of college access, the author explores the role of policy researchers in seeking educational equity. (Contains 2 tables.)

Researchers have called attention to the racism and stereotypes experienced by black undergraduates on predominantly white campuses; provided evidence of how race-specific organizations and programs help neutralize the oppressive ethos of these institutions; and proven empirically that historically black colleges and universities foster more…

The path from environmental regulation to sustainable institutions has not been a smooth one. By the 1960s, it was clear that the environment was in trouble, with severe air and water pollution, the casual disposal of toxic waste, mountains of garbage, and the loss of many species of plants and animals. The response was a series of restrictive…

Evaluation can provide the assessment information for considering program change as well as be integral to the program design and pilot test of any new institutional intervention. (Contains 4 tables.)

Data-mining technology's predictive modeling was applied to enhance the prediction of enrollment behaviors of admitted applicants at a large state university. (Contains 4 tables and 6 figures.)