The Office of Institutional Research and Analysis has several values that guide how we do our work.  In addition to the Association for Institutional Research’s Statement of Ethical Principles, we are committed to:

Accessibility

We ensure our work is accessible to stakeholders who need to make decisions. 

- We ensure stakeholders have equal access to data
- We do not favor a particular office/person
- Our reports are compliant
- We actively work to break down silos

Agility

We approach information needs with agility and recognize the need to provide answers quickly.

- We do not sacrifice the good for the perfect
- We fail fast and are willing to start over to get it right

Engagement/Collaboration

We are fully engaged and informed both on and off campus.

- We collaborate with stakeholders to get different perspectives and understandings
- We understand current campus issues and issues facing higher education
- We are involved with groups both on and off campus
- Students understand the role of the office and data we have

Innovation

We are eager to face new challenges, and we embrace change.

- We encourage and implement new ideas and methods
- We follow other innovative institutions
- We adopt best practices
- We evaluate the purpose of each project and don't do something simply because it's always been done

Curiosity/Thoughtfulness

We approach our work with curiosity and thoughtfulness. 

- We go beyond the stakeholder's point of view to see the bigger picture
- We investigate the why and the how not just the what
- We fully understand the purpose and goals of a project and can articulate how the information will be used
- We make connections between projects and are proactive about future uses of information

Communication

We clearly communicate to ensure our work is used accurately and responsibly.

- We carefully contextualize our results to prevent misunderstanding
- We use language stakeholders understand
- We describe the limitations of our methodology
- We fully document reports and data definitions
- We promote information access and data literacy
- We ensure our information is accurately represented outside of our office
- We are honest about deadlines/ability to complete projects

Data Represent People

We recognize that data represent people, and our work has real consequences.

- We gather data fairly and accurately
- We provide accurate and repeatable results
- We maintain confidentiality
- We follow data security best practices

Bias

We recognize the bias we inherently bring to our work and proactively consider its effect on our results.

- We acknowledge the lens we bring to our work
- We consider small subpopulations and ensure they are represented in our results