ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses ways to leverage information held throughout a college or university. It explains information in department plans, the term “department plans” will be used expansively to include strategic plans, program reviews and assessments, accreditation documents, and reports developed within institutional silos. The chapter presents a knowledge creation model adapted for a higher education setting and suggests places to find existing information. It also discusses the application of traditional research methodology to the process of leveraging existing data and what to look for in existing information, the types of data used as well as the types that cannot be used, and how to enhance existing data. The chapter addresses how to bring all the data together in a cohesive whole. Colleges and departments create strategic plans to guide their work and the futures of their programs. Accreditation documents an outline of an institution’s past and a plan for its future.
