Charting ourFuture in Higher

Education

50th Annual Forum

May 29–June 2, 2010 • Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers

ASSOCIATION FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH

Enhance Your Knowledge at the 50th Annual AIR Forum

You are invited to the 2010 AIR Forum,Charting our Future in Higher Education,at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, the same city where the very first Forumwas held 50 years ago. The 2010 Forum isan ideal time to reflect with colleagues onthe history of institutional research and therole IR professionals play in improvinghigher education for the future.

We are especially excited about a series of White Paper Discussion Groups that willmeet on Sunday afternoon to discuss newdirections in institutional research and how AIR can promote the exchange of scholarshipand knowledge between institutionalresearchers from various sectors. See page 4for more information about the White PaperDiscussion Groups and how to nominate yourself or a colleague to participate.

We are also introducing a new sessionstructure that allows you to spend a fullafternoon focused on one of five specialtopics. Learn more about the TargetedAffinity Groups, or TAG, on page 4.

We are pleased to introduce the 2010Forum plenary speakers, William G. Bowenand Jamie Merisotis, and look forward totheir presentations. Dr. Bowen’s important new book, Crossing the Finish Line:

Completing College at America’s PublicUniversities, looks at college drop-out ratesand the linkage to race, gender, and socio-economic status. Mr. Merisotis, President andCEO of Lumina Foundation for Education, isa veteran policy and research organizationleader known for his innovative, out-of-the-box thinking.

Most of all, we are looking forwardto seeing you! The 2010 Forum is a time tocelebrate 50 years of coming together toshare ideas and practices, and to plan forthe next 50. Join us as we chart our future in higher education.

Julie Carpenter-Hubin Forum Chair Director of Institutional Research and PlanningThe Ohio State UniversityE-mail: carpenter-hubin.16@osu.eduPhone: 614-292-5915

Debbie DaileyAssociate Forum ChairAssistant Provost for Institutional EffectivenessWashington and Lee UniversityE-mail: ddailey@wlu.eduPhone: 540-458-8316

Visit www.forum.airweb.orgfor up-to-date informationabout the 2010 AIR Forum.

Charting ourFuture in Higher

Education

50th Annual Forum

Schedule-at-a-Glance

Saturday, May 298:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.Pre-Forum Workshops

5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.Early Arrivers Reception

Sunday, May 308:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.Pre-Forum Workshops

8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.AIR Governance Meetings

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.White Paper Discussion Groups

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.Poster Gallery

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.Plenary Address, William G. Bowen

7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.Opening Reception

Monday, May 317:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.Affiliate and Special InterestGroup Meetings

8:30 a.m. - 4:35 p.m.Concurrent Sessions

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.Poster Gallery

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.Affiliate and Special InterestGroup Meetings and SponsoredReceptions

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.AIR President's DuckwallScholarship Celebration*

9:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.50th Forum AnniversaryCelebration

Tuesday, June 18:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.Plenary Address, Jamie Merisotis

9:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.Concurrent Sessions

2:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.Targeted Affinity Groups (TAG)

5:45 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.Affiliate and Special InterestGroup Meetings

7:00 p.m.Group Excursions*

Wednesday, June 27:15 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.AIR Annual Business Meeting

8:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions

12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.Annual Luncheon

7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.Wind Up Party

*These special events are notincluded in the Forum registration fee, but may be purchased separately.

New for 2010!Sunday, May 301:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Charting Our Future: A Series of White Paper Discussion Groupsto Envision Institutional Research in the Decades AheadThe 50th Forum features a series of discussion groups that gatherinstitutional researchers from different sectors, with different levelsof experience. These groups will discuss the future of institutionalresearch and higher education, with a focus on how institutionalresearchers can support higher education in the coming decades.The IR field’s most prominent experts will lead discussions with participants on topics to develop papers for publication. Visit the AIR 2010 Forum Web site, www.forum.airweb.org, for a listing of thediscussion leaders.

Topics • Going Global: Institutional Research Studies Abroad• Optimizing the Organizational Structure for Institutional Research• Affordability, Efficiency, Sustainability• Tools and Techniques: What’s Next and How do Institutional

Researchers Keep Current?• Expanding Our Partnerships, Consortia, and Data Sharing• IR’s Role in New Models of Teaching and Learning• Responding to the Call: Institutional Research Support for

the President’s American Graduation Initiative• Our Changing Landscape: Non-Traditional Paths

in American Higher Education

Nominate Yourself or OthersAIR members may nominate themselves or other members to par-ticipate in the discussion groups. Nominations close on March 5,2010, and those selected for participation will be notified no laterthan March 15. More information about the nomination process andeach of the discussion groups is available on the AIR 2010 ForumWeb site, www.forum.airweb.org.

Tuesday, June 12:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Join us Tuesday afternoon for a round of TAG! Target AffinityGroups encourage focus on a specific topic among attendees withsimilar interests. Each TAG will begin with an invited plenary presen-tation, and includes two sets of concurrent sessions and opendiscussion. Each TAG, as well as the afternoon break, will be locatedin adjoining rooms to facilitate networking with other professionalswho share common interests.

TAG topics and featured presenters:AccountabilityChristine Keller, Director of Research and Policy Analysis, Associationof Public and Land-Grant Universities;Kimberly Pearce, Director of Assessment and Institutional Research,Capella University; Kent Phillippe, Associate Vice President, Research and StudentSuccess, American Association of Community Colleges;Wendy Weiler, Research and Policy Analyst, National Association ofIndependent Colleges and UniversitiesAccreditation/AssessmentGeorge Kuh, Chancellor’s Professor of Higher Education and Director,Center for Postsecondary Research Faculty, Indiana University—BloomingtonEnrollment ManagementDavid Kalsbeek, Senior Vice President for Enrollment Managementand Marketing, DePaul UniversityFaculty and Student Diversity Sylvia Hurtado, Professor and Director of the Higher EducationResearch Institute, University of California—Los AngelesManaging Information and Technology/Data WarehousingEmily Thomas, Director of Institutional Research, State University ofNew York at Stony Brook; Past President, Higher Education DataWarehousing Forum

Crossing the Finish LineWilliam BowenSunday, May 306:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Bowen will discuss the importance ofaddressing twin problems: (1) the need toincrease the overall level of educationalattainment in America; and (2) the need toreduce disparities in outcomes—especiallygraduation rates—that are related to socio-economic status, race, and ethnicity. He willpresent results drawn from his recent book,co-authored with Matthew Chingos andMichael McPherson, which document differ-ences in graduation rates and in time-to-degree, with special emphasis on outcomesat public universities.

About William BowenDr. William G. Bowen, President Emeritus of TheAndrew W. Mellon Foundation, served as President ofthat organization from 1988-2006. Dr. Bowen wasPresident of Princeton University from 1972-1988,where he also served as Professor of Economics andPublic Affairs. Dr. Bowen joined the Mellon Foundationin 1988 and his tenure there was marked by increasesin the scale of the Foundation's activities, with annualappropriations reaching $220 million in 2000. Dr.Bowen is the author or co-author of over 20 books,including most recently Crossing the Finish Line:Completing College at America’s Public Universities(Princeton University Press, 2009) with Matthew M.Chingos and Michael S. McPherson.

Lead, Follow, or Get Out ofthe Way: How Research Can Make a Dramatic Difference inAchieving the Big Goal ofIncreased College Attainment Jamie MerisotisTuesday, June 18:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Lumina Foundation for Education has providedkey national leadership during the last threeyears to increase the proportion of Americanswith high-quality college degrees and creden-tials to 60 percent by 2025. Efforts to increaseacademic, financial, and social preparation forcollege, the success of students in higher education, and the productivity of the highereducation system, all feature prominently inattaining the big goal. This presentation exam-ines the critical role of research as a catalystto increase college attainment at both theinstitutional and policy levels, and a tool toassess progress in getting there.

About Jamie MerisotisMr. Jamie P. Merisotis is President and Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Lumina Foundation for Education, one of thenation’s 45 largest private foundations. Under his lead-ership, Lumina Foundation employs a strategic,outcomes-based approach in pursuing its mission ofexpanding college access and success, particularlyamong low-income, minority and other historicallyunderrepresented populations. Before joining LuminaFoundation in January 2008, Mr. Merisotis founded andserved 15 years as president of the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Higher Education Policy, one of theworld’s premier education research and policy centers.

Plenary Speakers for the 2010 Forum

Program Track Information

AIR and the 2010 Forum Committee have selected over 330 concurrent sessions, plus 72 poster displays from IR and assessment profes-sionals that cover a broad range of topics and important issues. Sessions are organized by topic, or tracks, to help you design the bestschedule to maximize your Forum experience.

Enhancing the Student Experience – Track 1Discover emerging research on student development. Track 1 focuses on the student experience outside the classroom and in learning through communityengagement.

More than 65 presentations on topics including:

• First year students behaviors and attitudes• Retention• Student success

• Student support issues• Characteristics of transfer students• Student drinking behaviors

Assessing Student Learning and Program Outcomes – Track 2Learn new practices in assessing student learning. Track 2 sessions include best practices in measuring and evaluating student learning with quantitative andqualitative means. Institutional effectiveness topics are central to this track.

More than 65 presentations on topics including:

• Trends in majors• Performance gaps• Effective assessments

• Remedial education• At risk students

Developing Academic Programs, Curricula and Faculty Issues – Track 3Enhance your research on faculty and academic programs. Track 3 includes exploration of faculty roles, workloads, and research practices.

More than 20 presentations on topics including:

• Faculty perceptions• Productivity• Retirement

• Commitment • Salary equity• Gender equity

Informing Institutional Management and Planning – Track 4Develop a plan for success. Track 4 encompasses research and practice related to campus-level evaluation and management for decision-making support,strategic planning, and organizational change.

More than 95 presentations on topics including:

• Strategic planning philosophy• Student enrollment issues• Benchmarking peer selection

• Tuition issues• Swirling • Successful completion of degrees• Other campus issues

Building Higher Education Collaborations, Policy Issues and Accountability – Track 5Engage in dialogue about issues that reach beyond the campus. Track 5 focuses on state and system-level issues, evolving public policy, data exchanges andconsortia, and workforce and economic development initiatives integral to the higher education mission.

More than 50 presentations on topics including:

• Student aid• Fixed tuition

• Data into action

Practicing Institutional Research: Theory, Techniques, Technologies, Tools and Ethics – Track 6Explore solutions to meet the challenges you face every day. Track 6 focuses on topics related to the practice of institutional research, including organizational,ethical, methodological, and technological aspects of the profession.

More than 95 presentations on topics including:

• Running an IR office• Using IR data for decision making• IR tools

• National surveys to assist an IR office• Increasing IR knowledge

Pre-Forum Workshops

IR/ASSESSMENT SKILLS

A Basic Toolbox for Assessing InstitutionalEffectiveness

S.O.S.: Student Outcomes Solutions for ProgramAssessment

Let's Do It: Available Strategies and Instrumentsfor Assessing Student Learning in the Major

Program Assessment: Creating Effective Plans andManagement Processes

Planning and Implementing Program Evaluationsfor University Clients

Basic Program Evaluation

From Assessment Practice to AssessmentLeadership: Strategies for Influencing Institutionsto Adopt a Learning Model

Planning for Learning Toolbox: Integrating StudentLearning Outcomes in Program Planning

IPEDS

IPEDS Data as the Public Face of an Institution

IPEDS Data and Benchmarking: SupportingDecision Making and Institutional Effectiveness

Help! I'm a New IPEDS Keyholder. What Now?

IR TOOLS

Access, Analyze, and Summarize Institutional Datafrom Your Desktop Using SAS Enterprise Guide

Looking at the IR Function Through the Lens of Process Benchmarking

Effective Communication Through Visual Design:Presentations, Tables, and Charts

How to Conduct Cost Studies

An Intensive Introduction to Data Mining in Institutional Research

Key Responsibilities and Strategies for the Practice of Institutional Research: A Workshop for Newcomers

How to Write and Publish a Research Paper in a Scholarly Journal

Working with Disciplinary Taxonomies

Balanced Scorecards in Higher Education:Developing and Using Them in Strategy Execution

Creating a Campus-Wide Reporting Solution UsingData Warehousing Technology

STATISTICS

Data Mining: Learning Clustering Techniques and Predictive Modeling

Ignoring It Doesn't Make It Go Away: A Workshop for Addressing Missing Data in Institutional Research

Processing and Analyzing Qualitative Data in SPSS Text Analysis

Basic Statistics: What Every IR Professional Should Know

An Introduction to Hierarchical Linear Modeling

Introduction to Statistics for IR Using SPSS

TECHNOLOGY

Visual Basic Programming in Excel

Introduction to Dashboards in Excel 2007

SQL Processing in the SAS Coding Environment:The PROC SQL Procedure

Advanced Dashboard in Excel 2007

Excel Macros Boot Camp - Spreadsheet Automation

Increase your awareness about critical issues and challenges facing you and your organization. The Pre-Forum Workshops arehalf- or full-day intensive opportunities to learn skills and techniques that will improve the way you work. Seating for these Saturday andSunday workshops is limited and advance registration is required, so act now to reserve your spot. Workshop descriptions and presenterinformation are available at www.forum.airweb.org.

Membership and Forum Registration

AIR Membership The Forum is open to everyone with a 2010-2011 AIR membership.

It’s easy to join when you register for the Forum.

Benefits for 2010-2011 include:

• One free AIR book of your choice (new members also receive The Primer for Institutional Research as a welcome gift)

• Exclusive discounts on IR and higher education publications • Subscriptions to Electronic AIR (e-AIR), Professional File, and

IR Applications • Access to the Forum, AIR's annual conference • Advance notification, discounts, and preferred registration

for webinars, workshops, and institutes • Access to IR job opportunity resources

Take this opportunity to join AIR! Visit www.airweb.org/orders today.

Register by April 15 and take advantage of the Advance RegistrationDiscount. Save $30 off the regular registration.

Session Facilitators and Forum Volunteers WantedAIR needs Session Facilitators to assist with concurrent sessions by

monitoring time, handling evaluations, and assisting presenters withhandouts and arrangements. Serving in this vital role is a great wayto meet colleagues and learn more about IR.

We also need volunteers to assist with registration, work in the AIRStore, and more. Visit www.forum.airweb.org to sign up.

Volunteer Opportunities for Graduate StudentsRegister as a graduate student volunteer and receive a 50%

discount off your Forum registration. You will spend two hours as a Forum volunteer and three hours as a Session Facilitator. Takeadvantage of this unique opportunity to actively participate, learn,and meet peers.

Forum Registration Advance Regularby 4/15/10 by 6/2/10

Individual or $310 $340Organizational Member

Graduate Student $50 $50Standard

Graduate Student $25 $25Volunteer

Emeritus Waived Waived

Your Stay in Chicago

Accommodations

The luxurious Sheraton Chicago Hotel &Towers, overlooking the Chicago River, putsyou within walking distance of Navy Pier,Magnificent Mile, the Art Institute, the LoopBusiness District, and many shopping, diningand entertainment options. Each of thebeautifully appointed guest rooms and 40suites features a view of the Chicago River,Lake Michigan, or the city skyline. Join usat the 50th Forum and experience allthat Chicago has to offer.

Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers301 East North Water Street Chicago, IL 60611312-464-1000www.sheratonchicago.com

Group Rate: single/double: $149 per nightplus tax.

Phone Reservations: Call 1-800-325-3535and reference the AIR 2010 Forum or usegroup code AAE26.

Online Reservations:Please visit our personalized SheratonChicago Hotel & Towers Web page athttp://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/AIR50th.

If you plan to spend a few extra days in Chicago,

please note that the group rate is valid 5/23/10 –

6/6/10.

Getting to Chicago

AirportsChicago O’Hare International Airport islocated 17 miles northwest of downtownChicago. O’Hare is accessible via local masstransit lines, regional trains and buses,downtown and suburban shuttles, and interstate highways.

Midway International Airport is located 10miles from downtown Chicago. There are a variety of ground transportation optionsto/from the airport including bus, taxi, and limousine.

American Airlines and Delta/NorthwestAirlines offer attendees a 5%-12% discount off roundtrip fares. To learnmore about this and other ways to savemoney on your trip to the Forum, visitwww.forum.airweb.org, select theChicago tab and choose Chicago Budget Travel.

Explore Chicago

Your 2010 AIR Annual Forum experiencewouldn’t be complete without a little fun—and there is plenty to do in Chicago.

Chicago’s great magic lies in its mix: sophisticated, yet friendly, bustling citystreets adjacent to long stretches of greenparks and sparkling Lake Michigan. Chicagooffers a stunning array of unique things tosee and do.

Chicago is more walkable than most globalcities, and visitors of all ages enjoy theproximity of such attractions as Navy Pier,Millennium Park, Art Institute of Chicago,and other treasures.

The city’s explosive performance art scenedelivers audience-thrilling theatre, music,and dance in historic venues. And, ofcourse, an endless assortment of restaurants,shopping, and nightlife are all at your fingertips, ready to match every taste,budget, and mood.

1435 E. Piedmont DriveSuite 211

Tallahassee, FL 32308Phone: 850-385-4155Fax: 850-385-5180

www.airweb.org