Radford University's E-Fact Book recognized as 'impressive display'

Did you know there are nine students enrolled at Radford University who share a Feb. 29 birthday? Or that the most common name among female students is Emily? There are 122 of them wandering around campus, along with 104 Michaels.

Such detailed and interesting information is presented in RU's 2014 Electronic Fact Book, which was recently recognized by The Southern Association for Institutional Research (SAIR).

RU's Institutional Research, Reporting and Assessment office was awarded first place by SAIR for "Best Electronic Fact Book." The award describes the winning book as "an easily navigated impressive display of institutional facts covering a wide variety of areas for the purpose of one-stop shopping for information about the institution." Judges rated entries in six categories: Functionality, Design, Content, Data Quality and Approach, Originality and Creativity and Overall Quality.  

"We're very excited about the award, and we're hoping to use this opportunity to help spread the word about the Electronic Fact Book and let everyone know all the information that is available to them," said Damien Allen of RU's Institutional Research.

RU's Electronic Fact Book, or E-Fact Book, was launched at the beginning of the year to make RU data available to the campus community and the public at large as soon as it is available.

"Our goal was to have each chart display its data in a clear and consistent format to make the information understandable to a wide range of audiences," Allen said.

Information is published for the entire range of the student lifecycle - from admissions, to enrollment, to retention to graduation. Some highlights include:

According to its website, SAIR "is dedicated to the advancement of research leading to improved understanding, planning and operation of institutions of post-secondary education." The association bestows fact book awards – for print and electronic versions – annually, as well as various other acknowledgements.

The mission of RU's Institutional Research "is to enhance institutional effectiveness by collecting, analyzing, maintaining, and providing data to support university decision making and planning processes along with ensuring compliance with state, federal, and other external reporting requirements."

Its staff includes Allen, data warehouse architect and reporting manager; William Dixon, associate director; and David Martin, senior research data analyst.

Oct 21, 2014