KANSAS CITY, KAN. --- Kansas City Kansas Community College is the first recipient of the Kansas Board of Regents Data Quality award for community colleges.
A new award to recognize institutions for excellence in the quality of data submitted and the timeliness of the submission, Pittsburg State University received the award for four-year institutions.
“This is a huge honor for KCKCC and we are very proud of our Center for Research and Community Development (CRCD),” said Dr. Tamara Agha-Jaffar, Vice-President of Academic Affairs.
“The equivalent of winning the state championship,” said Kaaren Fife, KCKCC Director for Institutional Research, who headed the CRCD team that included Dr. Mary Grunke, Chris Day, Mary Lawless and Shazia Siddiqua. “They all have a passion for data and are strongly committed to the accuracy of KCKCC’s data.”
Fife said that throughout the year, the CRCD submits nine data collections to the Kansas Board of Regents.
“One of these submissions is the Kansas Postsecondary Database (KSPSD) which has 12 separate file uploads,” said Fife. “Another big data collection is the IPEDS, which is federally mandated but the Kansas Board of Regents is the Kansas coordinator for IPEDS so they monitor that submission as well. Within the IPEDS, there are nine separate reports so even though there are only nine data collections, we actually submit 26 data files to the state each year.”
The data KCKCC submits each year is used to assist the State Legislature to form higher educational policy; assist with the P20 Database and other grant initiatives such as Foresight 2020, Perkins Funding and Outcome Metrics; and document reports to the Board of Regents for data-driven decision-making and KCKCC’s Performance Report.
Last but certainly not the least, KCKCC’s funding is based on the data submitted to KBOR.
“Several years ago, the CRCD launched KCKCC’s data integrity initiative,” said Fife. “The goal of this initiative was to ensure the quality and accuracy of the data entered into and stored in Ellucian.
A part of this initiative was to collaborate with other departments on campus through a systematic approach to check the accuracy of the data. These edit checks are sent out monthly to data stewards in various departments where they review and make the necessary changes to the data in Ellucian.
“When we first started this approach to data integrity, there were a few folks who thought we were flat out crazy and probably would let out a sigh whenever our name appeared in their inbox or as an incoming phone all. But through dedication, persistence, and lots of chocolate we got the job done and will continue our efforts to insure the quality and accuracy of KCKCC’s data.”
Fife said the award not only recognizes the CRCD’s efforts in data quality but also the collaborative input from Information Technology, Enrollment Management, Financial Aid. Business Office and the administrative assistants to the academic deans who build all the course sections in Ellucian.
“Having won this award this year, we are not eligible next year but we do have bragging rights for the next 360 days – not that we are counting,” Fife told the members of the KCKCC Board of Trustees.
PHOTO: Members of the KCKCC Center for Research and Community Development team which earned the first Data Quality Award given community colleges by the Kansas Board of Regents are (from left --- Shazia Siddiqua, Mary Lawless (holding award), Kaaren Fife, Dr. Mary Grunke, and Chris Day.
