Texas Tech University

Mission and Strategic Plan

Mission Statement

The mission of the office of Institutional Research is to facilitate institutional planning and decision making by providing university administration, staff, and faculty with strategic data.

The Office accomplishes this by:

  • Providing descriptive and predictive statistical information to the university, governmental authorities, accrediting bodies, and other key Texas Tech stakeholders.
  • Modeling, compiling, analyzing, and interpreting various data that inform institutional strategic initiatives, promote accountability, and foster a data-driven culture.
  • Designing, disseminating, and analyzing numerous institutional surveys.
  • Providing relevant and accurate data to the University community.

Vision Statement

  • Be recognized for its excellent customer services.
  • Provide reporting for informed decision making that is unbiased and of the highest quality.
  • Provide timely information in ways that are both accessible and useful while using state of the art technology.

Departmental Values:

GOALS, CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS, AND OBJECTIVES
(including Strategies and Assessments)

Goal 1: Gather, analyze, and distribute management information necessary for administration to make data driven decisions.

Critical Success Factors (measures the degree of success over the next 5 years):

  • Define, implement, and disseminate performance measures reporting for all TTU units.
  • Provide decision support information to the university community and administrators via the data warehouse.

Objective 1.1: Develop a decision support system that all managers can use for planning and performance measurement purposes.

Strategies:

  • Develop reports and databases that will facilitate better planning and use of resources.
  • Develop an online database / reporting tool that will allow managers to monitor space utilization.
  • Combine information from various application systems such as student records systems, and facilities inventory to give useful and effective decision making tools that are not currently available.

Assessments:

  • Decision support system in place and fully operational.
  • Faculty workload planning tool in place.

Objective 1.2: Support TTU community by providing information and expertise in the areas of: assessment, strategic planning, and public accountability.

Strategies:

  • Develop a plan for tracking and reporting required data in the University Strategic Plan.
  • Continue to develop databases and reports that provide performance related information to managers in the shortest time possible.
  • Monitor and report the opinions of students and alumni related to current and relevant issues.

Assessments:

  • Number of departments turning in assessment reports.
  • Tracking systems in place for strategic plan.

Objective 1.3: Develop existing and create new relationships with peer institutions and professional groups for the exchange of information.

Strategies:

  • Respond to peer group surveys and data requests.
  • Participate in state and national conferences and meetings.

Assessments:

  • Number of data requests completed for peer institutions.
  • Number of peer relationships in place for the exchange of performance related information.

Goal 2: Deliver data services, research and management information in a manner that supports the goals of academic, financial, and general administrative operations.

Critical Success Factors (measures the degree of success over the next 5 years):

  • Make statistical information available via the Internet in a timely manner.
  • Complete ad hoc project requests in the most timely and accurate manner possible.
  • Maintain information databases using technologies consistent with university IT standards.
  • Update information databases in the most timely and efficient manner possible.
  • Deliver surveys via the web or e-mail.

Objectives:

Objective 2.1: Provide support to administration as needed to explore, develop, analyze, and distribute data required for current projects.

Strategies:

  • Work through committees to provide information, data and support as needed
  • Maintain well trained workforce that is able to respond quickly to new projects as requested.
  • Continue develop of new decision models such at the Enrollment Management Projection Model.

Assessments:

  • Customer satisfaction with support provided
  • Timeliness of projects completed

Objective 2.2: Provide statistical information and regularly published studies via the data warehouse and departmental web site in formats that allow for the use of current technology.

Strategies:

  • Educate users on the use of the data warehouse.
  • Publish retention studies, trend books, and survey analysis on the web.
  • Provide expanded reporting of course / instructor evaluations via the data warehouse.
  • Develop a TTU Fact Sheet that is available in multiple formats.

Assessments:

  • Level of usage of data warehouse.
  • Number of requests received for data already in the warehouse.

Objective 2.3: Provide accurate and timely information required by government agencies, publishing companies, and others.

Strategies:

  • Submit all governmental reports on or before deadlines.
  • Insure governmental reports are 100% accurate and on time.
  • Track deadlines and dates submitted for all regular reports and surveys.
  • Develop tracking system for ad hoc reporting.

Assessments:

  • Number of reports and surveys submitted on time.
  • Results of new IR customer survey.
  • Cost savings realized by moving from paper to internet reporting.

Objective 2.4: Work with Information Services to give all students, both current and prospective, access to their degree plan and degree audit via the Internet.

Strategies:

  • Develop graduate degree plans in degree audit.
  • Define the needs for the use of degree audits for prospective students.
  • Support the implementation of On Course for all students.

Assessments:

  • Degree audit in use by graduate and perspective students.

Goal 3: Work force and work environment of the highest possible quality

Critical Success Factors (measures the degree of success over the next 5 years):

  • Provide training to all staff, with emphasis on technical needs.
  • Provide all employees opportunities to become involved in a wide variety of projects and activities.
  • Recognize exceptional employee performance.

Objective 3.1: Provide all employees with ample training opportunities that allow them to use and understand state of the art technologies.

Strategies:

  • Send 50% of staff to technology and industry specific related training each year. Encourage employees to take classes at TTU and pursue a degree if they choose.
  • Ensure that graduate students have opportunities to develop valuable job skills.

Assessments:

  • Number of employees who attended training.

Objective 3.2: Recognize outstanding employees in a way that is visible to the whole department.

Strategies:

  • Use all university-approved methods of employee rewards.
  • Explore possibilities of additional reward programs within IT and the department.

Assessments:

  • Number of employees recognized for outstanding performance.

Objective 3.3: Encourage employees to participate in campus organizations and committees whenever possible.

Strategies:

  • Encourage involvement in staff senate.
  • Encourage participation in university committees.
  • Encourage involvement in management initiatives that ask for volunteers.

Assessments:

  • Number of staff participating in campus organizations and initiatives.

Institutional Research

  • Address

    Texas Tech Plaza, Suite 401 | 1901 University Ave. | MS2017 Lubbock, TX. 79410
  • Phone

    806.742.2166
  • Email

    irim@ttu.edu