What We Do

Mission

To facilitate the discovery of high-value insights through data that:
  1. Support efforts by Princeton administrators to advance mission-critical decision making
  2. Contribute to academic research and dialogue on higher education
 

Background

As an internal consulting service to the University, we partner with institutional leaders, staff and researchers to carry out data analytics projects. Some projects may include exploring, at the request of our administrative unit partners, the optimal uses and potential of existing Princeton data.  For other projects we employ advanced data analytics techniques to focus on collaborators’ specific questions of high operational and research value.

In July 2017 Princeton University’s former Provost David S. Lee, Chemical Bank Chairman's Professor of Economics and Public Affairs and associated faculty member of the Industrial Relations Section, established the Initiative for Data Exploration and Analytics (IDEAS) for Higher Education within the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

 

building iconGraduate Admissions

Expand access to graduate educational opportunities

 

Diversity and InclusionDiversity & Inclusion

Advance opportunity in higher education

 

Academic Labor Force and Job MarketAcademic Job Market

Catalogue faculty in U.S. institutions and identify trends

 

analytics graph iconAnalytics in Higher Ed

Help institutions improve operations and manage risk

 

Alumni OutcomesAlumni Outcomes

Evaluate the value and impact of higher education

 

Education Policies and StructuresEducation Policies

Examine institutions in public and political contexts

Our Approach

Discovering High-Value and High-Impact Opportunities

We identify opportunities to leverage data analytics

  • Engage in ongoing conversations with researchers, administrators, and other key stakeholders at Princeton and beyond

  • Conduct reviews of literature and best practices

Choosing the Right Data and Combining it in Unique Ways

We work creatively in pursuit of our research questions

  • Identify viable internal and external data sets that best answer our research questions

  • Facilitate secure access to those data for quick, targeted analyses

  • Apply customized algorithms and validation processes to combine datasets creatively, revealing unique insights

Employing Machine Learning and Predictive Models

We explore the use of many analytics tools and resources

  • Employ machine learning to extract useful information out of data

  • Build predictive models based on patterns in the data revealed through machine learning

  • Leverage the expertise of software developers, Princeton researchers, and other partners

Integrating Analytics into Existing Decision Processes

We provide tools to empower decisions makers

  • We carry out projects that enable collaborators to formulate precise questions

  • We provide guidance to assist our partners to identify the right solutions

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