Global Issues in Institutional Research New Directions for Institutional Research, Number 157

All around the world, postsecondary institutions are facing competitive environments, declining resources, and changing societal needs. Institutions are affected by globalization, state and local government needs, economic restructuring, information technology, and student and staff mobility. Institutional researchers have a critical role to play in addressing these issues.

In this volume, we have embedded the practice of IR as experienced globally. We brought together a discussion that is delivered from multiple perspectives, but fundamentally one that draws from the collaborative efforts of practitioners across borders. By embedding notions of globalization that affect IR, we can engage readers in broad discussions on where we are coming from and where we are heading.

This is the 157^th volume of this Jossey-Bass quarterly report series. Always timely and comprehensive, New Directions for Institutional Research provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.

EDITORS’ NOTES 1
Angel Calderon, Karen L. Webber

1. Institutional Research in Light of Internationalization, Growth, and Competition 5
Barrett J. Taylor, Karen L. Webber, Gerrie J. Jacobs

Globalization, growth, and competition are challenges faced by many postsecondary institutions across the world. Institutional researchers have a prominent role to play in examining the issues related to these challenges and alerting campus leaders to the impact they may have on the institution and higher education in general.

2. Institutional Research in Emerging Countries of Southern Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa: Global Frameworks and Local Practices 23
Lis Lange, F. Mauricio Saavedra, Jeanine Romano

Focusing on the practice of institutional research in emerging countries across southern Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions, this chapter contextualizes the growing need for IR in these regions, identifi es problems and challenges related to the implementation of IR at system and institutional levels, and offers some refl ections about the future of IR in these regions.

3. Challenges in Developing Data Collection Systems in a Rapidly Evolving Higher Education Environment 39
Victor M. H. Borden, Angel Calderon, Neels Fourie, Benedetto Lepori, Andrea Bonaccorsi

Efforts to develop common higher education data standards are expanding both within and across countries. The institutional research community plays a critical role in assuring that these efforts capture the diverse manifestations of the postsecondary and tertiary education systems and promote responsible comparisons.

4. The Evolution and Practice of Institutional Research 59
John Taylor, Martin Hanlon, Mantz Yorke

Although institutional research has been a signifi cant feature of U.S. higher education for more than 50 years, it is not so well developed in other parts of the world. As higher education around the world faces increasingly challenging times, IR will inevitably evolve to become a stronger force. The authors discuss available models that describe organizational maturity and propose a comprehensive maturity model for IR.

5. Institutional Research in the Future: Challenges Within Higher Education and the Need for Excellence in Professional Practice 77
Angel Calderon, Charles Mathies

The upcoming challenge for higher education institutions (HEIs) is how to respond to an increasing variety of societal needs but with less public resources and increased accountability demands. This chapter draws attention to the central role IR professionals play in advancing HEIs, and the need for them to have a well-developed set of skills to support decision-making processes. The chapter concludes by posing questions for the practice of IR into the future.

Index 91

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