Do you see yourself as a data person? Do you think only the Student Life Studies staff and a few others are the data people in the Division of Student Affairs? Are you not quite sure of your data identity? If you checked the weather before getting dressed and going outside today, you are a data person (you know we can have four seasons in one day here!). If you step back and think about it, you consume pieces of data and information all day long, you probably have questions about students and your programs, and you think about what your program could look like in the future given your current environment.
Amelia Parnell, Vice President for Research and Policy at NASPA, published You are a Data Person: Strategies for Using Analytics on Campus in 2021. She proposes, and I agree, that we all have a data identity. Some of us just have a stronger identity than others when it comes to student affairs assessment. She created a data-identity framework (and rubrics!) with six components.
• Curiosity and inquiry (ability to formulate and ask clear questions)
• Research and analysis (ability to select and use appropriate methodologies)
• Communication and consultation (ability to clearly discuss findings with multiple audiences)
• Campus context (knowledge of current issues and trends within the institution)
• Industry context (knowledge of current issues and trends in higher education)
• Strategy and planning (ability to select and execute a course of action)
Her framework doesn’t demand that your function at the highest level in all of those areas. Rather, it acknowledges that you have some ability in each area, and your demonstration in each area will differ in frequency and context. In addition, you may combine identities into a persona. For example, someone skilled in Curiosity and Inquiry with a strong Campus Context could be considered a Connector. This person might be particularly adept at bringing people together around a particular issue they all care about.
Regardless of your functional area or position in the hierarchy, you have some skill in being a data person. I encourage you to explore and enhance these areas. If you want to chat about being a data person, I’d love to connect.