The U.S. Department of Education collects volumes of data on institutions that participate in the federal student financial aid program. But getting access to it can be a chore.

Until now.

The AFT has just brought online the AFT Higher Education Data Center. It compiles, institution by institution, data on everything from faculty salaries, to instructional staff levels, to tenure rates, to institutional revenues and expenditures. This is information that colleges and universities report to the National Center for Education Statistics as part of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

Here are some of the things you can do at the AFT Higher Education Data Center:

       • Find recent data for your institution.

       • Review 10 years' worth of data to help identify institutional trends.

       • Compare your institution with others in your state or with institutions of comparable
          size, type and stature.

       • Use the center's search functions to create a new comparison group.

The center also provides statistics on the U.S. system of higher education as a whole—a useful reference point for assessing how your institution is doing.

The data isn't perfect, but it is based on official information institutions must report. So if you see inaccuracies, bring it to the attention of administrators at your institution. One unfortunate hole in the U.S. Department of Education data, for example, is the lack of information on contingent faculty and graduate employees, particularly with regard to compensation.

Beyond institutions, the data center also includes information about state budgets collected by the National Association of State Budget Officers. You can look at how your state's spending on higher education compares with other areas of its budget. Or you can see how your state ranks in relation to the other 49.

Information is power. The data center is a powerful resource you can use to prepare for bargaining at your institution, to work on state legislation, or to educate members and your campus community about trends in higher education.

Check out the AFT Higher Education Data Center at http://highereddata.aft.org/index.cfm.

Questions? Write to highered@aft.org.

[Barbara McKenna, Craig Smith]

July 21, 2008