Institutional Research at (and for) Academic Health Centers: Who's Doing What? AIR 1992 Annual Forum Paper.

A study was done of the characteristics of institutional research in 51 academic health centers. Overall, slightly less than half of the centers had an identifiable institutional research unit. In general, the more autonomous the center from its parent campus, the more likely it was that it would have a separate institutional research unit. The organizational location and the background of the staff of academic health center institutional research units were found to be comparable to those of other institutions. Academic health center institutional researchers were involved in a wide variety of tasks. They were less frequently involved in enrollment-related studies and student characteristic studies than are their counterparts in other institutions. Among academic health centers, the tasks commonly associated with institutional research differed based on the location of the office (main campus or health center) and the type of office. Offices on the main campus are more often involved in enrollment analyses and in salary studies. Included are 4 tables and 11 references. (Author/JB)