Institutional Research and Decision Support in Higher Education: Considerations for Today and for Tomorrow

Although it may not be called institutional research (IR) in some settings, there are many tasks completed across institutions around the world that fall under the general umbrella of IR. This chapter introduces the concepts and definitions of institutional research (IR) and decision support, and stresses the importance of and need for this administrative function in all higher education institutions today. In addition, this chapter introduces the goals for this book and offers a brief introduction to each chapter. Having knowledgeable and skilled IR leaders will elevate the perceived value of this decision support unit and that, in turn, will facilitate building IR’s capacity in higher education today.