AAIR
  • Join
  • Jobs Board
MENU
  • Join
  • Jobs Board
  • About
    • Rules
    • Mission, Vision, Values and Strategy
    • Objectives
    • Code of Ethics
    • Organisational Structure
    • Executive Committee
      • Position Descriptions
      • Meeting Schedule
    • Annual Statements
    • Timeline
  • Membership
    • Join
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Membership Categories
    • Members
    • Life Members
    • Honorary Members
    • Fellowships
  • Events
    • Past AAIR Events
    • Awards
  • SIGs
    • Academic Research Institutional Analytics
    • Business Intelligence & Analytics
    • Government Reporting
    • Load Management & Planning
    • Surveys & Evaluation
  • Experts
    • Experts Search
  • Resources
    • What is Institutional Research?
      • IR Job Roles
    • Newsletter
      • Newsletter Signup
    • JIR
    • Other Journals
    • Useful Links
  • Blog
    • From the President
    • Newsletter Editorials
    • Institutional Researcher’s Corner
    • Events
    • Publications
    • From the experts
    • Soapbox
  • Contact

From the President

What is institutional research?

Almost every one of us working in the institutional research profession can recall a story of being in a social setting and being asked, ‘So, what do you do?’

We might give stammering, perhaps even humorous responses to that question.  We often talk about data, numbers, and supporting the institution with planning and decision making, which is often met with a neutral response and the conversation moves on. Sometimes I avoid referring to my actual role when talking outside of our environment, and instead occasionally just say, ‘I work at Otago Polytechnic’. This generally elicits a response of, ‘oh nice, what do you teach’, at which point I go back to square one and talk about data and numbers, because people tend to look blankly at me when I talk about institutional data. It is at about this stage that the face of the enquirer becomes lifeless, and I realise they are not passionate about data like I am.

While IR is now more than 40 years old, I like Cameron Fincher’s 1978 definition of IR as ‘organisational intelligence’. As institutional research (IR) professionals, we have a proud and strong tradition that we all have a responsibility to own.

We all have different foci for the work we do—institutional research, analysis, information, reporting, evaluation, effectiveness and performance. We are also placed in many different parts of an institution—strategic planning, enrolment management, information technology, finance, human resources.

Creating our professional identity is a diverse and complex process. Across the Australasian tertiary and higher education landscape, you will see that at most institutions there are strong connections, if not formal organisational arrangements, that unite the people in the three analytical functions of:

  1. institutional reporting, strategic planning
  2. enrolment and financial management, outcomes assessment
  3. programme review, accountability, accreditation, and institutional effectiveness.

These constitute the golden triangle of institutional research that dominates most of the practice of IR not only throughout Australia and New Zealand, but worldwide.

We support our own professional identity in many ways, including:

  • having a clear understanding of the processes of our own institution – from application to graduation
  • getting to know and love our IT team
  • learning the positives and negatives of our institution’s data systems
  • demonstrating and using our statistical and research expertise
  • knowing how IT and IR interact
  • knowing who our data creators and data keepers are
  • being excited about institutional data

Above all:

  • be patient
  • be encouraging
  • be confident
  • be creative

And most importantly, make use of the networks and opportunities that AAIR creates for all of us to be strong, confident professionals who create the institutional intelligence. Being a member of AAIR provides a breadth of opportunities, so please keep an eye out for our continuing series of short AAIR e-Vents and our longer ConvAAIRsations that will be taking place shortly.

Mā te wā (See you later)

Stuart Terry

President, AAIR

Photo of social gathering by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Photo of developers by Tim van der Kuip on Unsplash

Newsletter

Read the March/April 2021 AAIR newsletter Right Here, Right Now!

March/April 2021 Newsletter

Subscribe to our Newsletter

About

  • Rules
  • Mission
  • Objectives
  • Code of ethics
  • Org structure
  • Committee
  • Meeting schedule
  • Annual statements
  • Timeline

Membership

  • Join
  • Benefits
  • Categories
  • Members
  • Life members
  • Honorary members
  • Fellowships

SIGs

  • Academic research institutional analytics
  • BI & analytics
  • Government reporting
  • Load management & planning
  • Surveys & evaluation

Resources

  • Jobs board
  • What is IR?
  • IR job roles
  • Newsletter
  • Subscribe
  • JIR
  • Other journals
  • Useful links

Blog

  • President's desk
  • Editorials
  • IR corner
  • Events
  • Publications
  • From the experts
  • Soapbox

Australasian Association for Institutional Research Inc.
Suite 204, 585 Little Collins Street
Melbourne Vic 3000
info@aair.org.au

twitter facebook linkedin twitter
  • © Australasian Association for Institutional Research 2025
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Disclaimer

Read next article ...

Photo of multiple rows of country flags up on flag poles in front of a building. The state of the world: Impact Rankings
  • About
    • Rules
    • Mission, Vision, Values and Strategy
    • Objectives
    • Code of Ethics
    • Organisational Structure
    • Executive Committee
      • Position Descriptions
      • Meeting Schedule
    • Annual Statements
    • Timeline
  • Membership
    • Join
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Membership Categories
    • Members
    • Life Members
    • Honorary Members
    • Fellowships
  • Events
    • Past AAIR Events
    • Awards
  • SIGs
    • Academic Research Institutional Analytics
    • Business Intelligence & Analytics
    • Government Reporting
    • Load Management & Planning
    • Surveys & Evaluation
  • Experts
    • Experts Search
  • Resources
    • What is Institutional Research?
      • IR Job Roles
    • Newsletter
      • Newsletter Signup
    • JIR
    • Other Journals
    • Useful Links
  • Blog
    • From the President
    • Newsletter Editorials
    • Institutional Researcher’s Corner
    • Events
    • Publications
    • From the experts
    • Soapbox
  • Contact