Enhancing Data Governance at Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Impact at a Glance
Established a formal approach to institution-wide data governance
Strengthened data knowledge and literacy across the college
Improved information architecture and data management practices
Advanced a culture of data-informed decision-making
Built a stronger foundation for planning and resource allocation
The Challenge
Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC), a two-year institution in Michigan, recognized inefficiencies in how data was governed and managed across the institution. To support its strategic goal of forecasting and preparing for future students, the college needed greater trust in its data and a more formal approach to data governance.
The college wanted to:
- Establish a more consistent approach to data governance
- Build greater trust in institutional data
- Strengthen data knowledge and literacy among employees
- Improve how data was organized, managed, and used
- Better support strategic planning and future student needs
KVCC formed a dedicated data governance team to begin building the structures and practices needed to achieve these goals.
The Action
KVCC used NACUBO’s Data Ecosystem Assessment and Data and Systems Governance Guide to identify priorities and build a more formal approach to data governance.
The college:
- Assessed its data environment to identify areas requiring attention
- Used the assessment to build shared understanding among stakeholders
- Evaluated and strengthened its data governance charter
- Improved its information architecture
- Developed opportunities for data literacy training
- Began creating a data dictionary to support consistent data use
Together, the tools helped KVCC prioritize its work while building institutional knowledge and accelerating adoption of stronger data governance practices.
The Results
Immediate Impact
- Strengthened data knowledge and understanding across the institution
- Established clearer priorities for advancing data governance
- Improved the college’s data governance charter and information architecture
- Accelerated adoption of data tools and practices
Process Improvements
- Increased emphasis on data literacy and consistent data use
- Promoted greater transparency and collaboration across the institution
- Shifted decision-making toward a more data-informed approach
- Expanded the focus of resource decisions beyond cost-benefit analysis to consider student success more holistically
Ongoing Momentum
- Continue strengthening data literacy and utilization
- Evolve data governance practices as institutional needs change
- Use stronger data practices to improve financial decision-making and resource allocation
- Apply data more effectively to support future students and institutional effectiveness
“One of our strategic goals is to be able to forecast and prepare for future learners, and to holistically support their educational goals. And when we identified targets for the goal, we realized that we really need to have data governance in place to be able to assess that.”
Brian LuethVice President for Finance and Business
