The modern incarnation of institutional research has at its disposal an array of statistical, psychological, sociological and general analytical tools. This volume presents a rich group of informative examples and perspectives to help administrators realize the fullest potential of institutional research and understand all the roles it can play.<p>Institutional research is a facet of administration too little known and too often underappreciated. It appears in many guises, from a small, unnamed group in a college development office to a collection of professional branches dispersed across a huge research university. As an in-house resource, it offers unparalleled opportunities for other administrative branches to probe and analyze nearly every aspect of an institution:<STYLE>OL {list-style:disc}P:{margin-left 60px}</STYLE><ol><li>student learning outcomes<li>faculty teaching and workload<li>broad measures of efficiency and performance.</ol>Institutional research can also play a pivotal role in accreditation's self-study process, lay the foundation for benchmarking against peer institutions, and inform both ends of a strategic plan by supplying the data that make a plan realistic and concrete and following up to measure progress. It is also the source for information demanded by institutions external to the university or college: public and private, nonprofit and for-profit.This is the 141st volume of the Jossey-Bass higher education report <i><b>New Directions for Higher Education</i></b>. Addressed to presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other higher education decision makers on all kinds of campuses, <b><i>New Directions for Higher Education</b></i> provides timely information and authoritative advice about major issues and administrative problems confronting every institution.