Our Mission
The mission of the Office of Institutional Research is to collect, analyze, contextualize, report, and disseminate institutional data in support of the University’s strategic priorities and mission.
Our Vision
We aspire to create and cultivate a data-informed decision-making culture where stakeholders and entities connect and engage with data and information to catalyze positive change for students, both on the Lawrence campus and throughout higher education.
Our Principles and Values
We strive to fulfill our mission and vision through the following five guiding principles:
- Understanding data
- Sharing data
- Valuing data
- Trusting data
- Applying data
We achieve our mission, vision, and principles by abiding by the AIR Statement of Ethical Principles and our four core values:
- Transparency - We believe in sharing data findings, both strengths and opportunities for growth, and engaging in conversations with others about actionable change that can be garnered from the data.
- Integrity - We are committed to data quality (meaning accuracy, completeness, consistency, uniqueness, and validity) to foster trust and use of data in decision-making, planning, and policy formation.
- Collaboration - We value collaborative relationships. We aim to understand others’ work, our role in it, and how we can collaborate for the benefit of students, both on and off campus.
- Collegiality - We strive to be a resource for internal and external colleagues. We represent Lawrence and share how data are being used to enact change on our campus with other colleagues in higher education.
Our principles and values serve as our foundation. However, we know being adaptable is critical to progress. Our website is constantly evolving to meet the needs of multiple stakeholders.
Our Structure
The story (website). The framework and content of our webpages are strategic and intentional. The five data principles – understanding, sharing, valuing, trusting, and applying – collectively tell a unifying story across the website, weaving together our purpose, mission, vision, and values. The initial paragraph at the beginning of these five sections expound on the practical application of the corresponding principles. The key words at the beginning of these initial paragraphs – data literacy, data sets, data uses, data integrity, and data-informed decisions – briefly summarize the focus of the section and help guide viewers to the most relevant content for their current needs.
We use this website as the main mechanism to disseminate commonly requested data and information useful in planning, policy formulation, and decision making. We invite website feedback. Please direct suggestions to Kristin McKinley.
The storytellers (staff). The Office of Institutional Research is currently undergoing a transitional period. While we previously operated as a 3.0 FTE team, we are now a dedicated 1.0 FTE staff with the capacity to grow to 2.0 FTE. This shift reflects recent organizational changes, including the elimination and resignation of positions. Despite these changes, our commitment to delivering thoughtful, data-informed insights to support institutional decision-making remains steadfast. Kristin McKinley reports directly to Christyn Abaray, a member of the President's Cabinet. View our Meet the Team page to learn more and connect with us.
Our Partners
Our core values of collaboration, collegiality, and transparency are evident in our partnerships. We partner with nearly every office and stakeholders (administration, faculty, staff, trustees, students, and alumni) on campus as we perform our work. We have cultivated an extensive network of colleagues within our field and higher education with whom we regularly consult and engage. We pay it forward through presentations and publications intended to advance the student experience not only at Lawrence but throughout higher education.