Building Data Strategies for Equity and Excellence at North Park University

North Park University, a private university in Chicago, identified disparities in student retention and graduation rates, particularly among students of color. Leaders wanted to better understand the factors contributing to those disparities, but lacked the comprehensive data needed to identify root causes and guide improvements.

The university needed to:

• Build a more unified data infrastructure
• Improve consistency in data collection and management
• Strengthen institutional analytics capabilities
• Better understand factors affecting retention and graduation
• Move from anecdotal information toward data-informed decision-making

Without a dedicated institutional research department, data practices varied across departments, making a more coordinated approach to data and analytics especially important.

North Park used NACUBO’s Data Ecosystem Assessment and Data and Systems Governance Guide to identify gaps in its data environment and establish stronger governance practices.

The university:

• Assessed its existing data infrastructure and governance needs
• Identified priority areas for strengthening its data environment
• Established a cross-functional Data Governance Council
• Began developing policies for data governance and management
• Partnered with Trivium BI to strengthen data collection and analytics
• Examined the relationship between financial factors, enrollment, retention, and graduation

Together, these efforts helped North Park build the infrastructure and analytical capacity needed to better understand the factors affecting student outcomes.