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Planning, Analytics & Decision-Support

The Office of Planning, Analytics and Decision-Support provides support to the university through the collection, storage, analysis, and presentation of decision-support data to the Office of the President and institutional data for local, state, regional, and federal report requirements.

 

Interactive Dashboards & Reports

Power BI is a data and analytics reporting tool by Microsoft that Lander uses to provide data to stakeholders. Power BI reports can be accessed through a web-browser, on the mobile app, or through the downloadable desktop application. All Lander faculty and staff have access to Power BI, but access to reports is given based on the data being provided.

To access Power BI through your browser, navigate to Powerbi.com and sign in using your Lander credentials. Once signed in, click on “Apps” in the left menu panel to view Apps you have been granted access to.

If you do not currently have access to an app or report and would like to request it, please complete the Institutional Data & Access Request form

External Resources

  • The IPEDS Data Center allows users to retrieve federal IPEDS data on topics such as enrollment, retention, financial aid, staffing, and much more.
  • The IPEDS Trend Generator is a quick and easy way to see IPEDS data over time. 
  • The primary purpose of the Fast Facts website is to provide users with concise information on a range of educational issues, from early childhood to adult learning. 
  • College Navigator allows users to view IPEDS data for specific institutions or by institutions meeting specific criteria. 
  • Quick Stats gives you quick and easy access to selected statistics collected by the U.S. Census Bureau through the American Community Survey. 
  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. 
  • Data.gov provides data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations, and more.
  • SREB's Data Center provides a wealth of state-by-state information about state demographics, governments, elementary and secondary education, colleges and universities, and significant trends affecting them. 
  • South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) provides data related to higher education institutions in our state.

Data & Access Requests

Data and Access Requests are made online using the Institutional Data & Access Request form.

 The turnaround time for data requests depends on the complexity of the request and availability of our staff. Please give us as much advance notice as possible if you are working with a deadline. This form is only to be used by employees of the university for institutional data requests.

Someone will contact you within 24 hours of your submission (excluding weekends) to collect more details on the data request and to confirm a timeline for completion.

All data provided will adhere to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and each requester must agree to the Statement of Confidentiality below.

 

 

Statement of Confidentiality

I understand that any and all information that I receive from the Office of Planning, Analytics and Decision Support is considered confidential. I recognize that I, at any time and inadvertently, may be made aware of private information pertaining to a student.

 As a recipient of this data and employee of Lander University, I acknowledge that I must comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99). FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

 I understand that I have the responsibility and duty to protect the privacy of current and former students. I understand that the data I obtain is for institutional use only and that I will not copy or disseminate this information to any other person or entity without prior authorization.

I further understand that the unauthorized release of such information, whether to parties internal or external to Lander University, is strictly prohibited. If I am in doubt about a request for information, I understand that it is my responsibility to discuss the request with the Assistant Vice President for Planning, Analytics and Decision-support prior to a decision to the release of any information.

My agreement denotes that I have read and understand this Statement of Confidentiality and that I agree to consider all information pertaining to this competition that I become aware of as strictly confidential.

 

Policies

The Lander Population Survey Distribution policy includes guidance on survey planning, survey approval, and distribution of surveys through university channels. To obtain approval for survey distribution, please complete the Lander Population Survey Distribution Approval Form.

The Release of Student Information to Third Parties policy includes guidance for Lander employees when student information has been requested by a third party. 

Team Members

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Matt Braaten
Assistant Vice President for Planning, Analytics & Decision-Support
(864) 388-8827 | mbraaten@lander.edu

The Assistant Vice President for Planning, Analytics & Decision-support (AVP) provides high-level, analytically-based decision support for the Office of the President and leads the Planning, Analytics and Decision-support team to build and expand the information architecture necessary to track executive-level goals to the mission and vision of the university.  Working closely with the President’s Cabinet and Board of Trustees, the AVP also serves as the university’s Policy Coordinator, overseeing all aspects of university policy review and approval.

 

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Mac Kirkpatrick 
Director of Institutional Research
(864) 388-8090 | mkirkpatrick@lander.edu

The Director of Institutional Research directs the activities of institutional data reporting and statistical analysis needed to meet the agency's internal and external reporting needs.  In this role, Mac serves as the university's Institutional Keyholder for the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS survey system, the principal contact for reporting to the National Student Clearinghouse, and the primary contact for the Commission on Higher Education Management Information System (CHEMIS).

 

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Taylor Johnston 
Decision Support Systems Manager
(864) 388-8914 | tjohnston@lander.edu

The Decision Support Manager builds and maintains the information architecture necessary to support the increased demand for decision-support, business intelligence, and institutional research reporting for the Office of the President.  In this role, Taylor develops and maintains a growing set of the university’s decision-support dashboards, reports, and data libraries and is the primary contact for internal and external data requests.