Beloit College Institutional Research records

Reporting directly to the President, the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment & Planning (iRAP) coordinates research studies, surveys, statistical and policy analyses to inform the college decision-making process, to support long-range planning, and to provide public accountability. As the official source for institutional statistics, the Office also responds to external requests for information from state and federal governments, other agencies and consortia, and interested parties who need up-to-date information related to college processes, accountability, and academic programs. Additionally, the office supports and advises institutional, departmental, and programmatic inquiry surrounding student learning outcomes. [https://www.beloit.edu/irap/]

The Beloit College Catalog for 1965-1966 is the first documentation of a College Examiner, an individual tasked with conducting research and analysis about the college and its populations in light of the implementation of the Beloit Plan in 1964. This is the clear precursor to the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning (iRAP), earlier simply called Institutional Research. The Office of the College Examiner only existed through 1971, when it fell victim to the economic woes of the college and was trimmed along with many other administrative offices.

College Examiners included Parker J. Palmer and Roland Reboussin. The body in charge of accreditation of Beloit College is the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). Over the course of the latter half of the 20th century through to the present, the NCA has visited the college every ten years for purposes of evaluation, and in preparation for these visits, the college has conducted extensive self-studies. It may not be a coincidence that the Office of Institutional Research was (re-)established around 1987, the same time one of these NCA evaluations was to take place.