Professional Organization Surveys

Each year the Office of Institutional Effectiveness contributes to the research and activities of national professional organizations in an effort to promote professional collaboration and support. Each organization maintains a database which provides data on a national level and allows for benchmarking. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness also completes a number of professional organization and federally mandated surveys. These surveys, in part, contribute to USC Aiken's commitment to openness and public accountability.

AAUP
The American Association of University Professors works to promote the interests and rights of faculty members. The association researches and provides data concerning faculty compensation to participating members and the public by way of its "Economic Status Reports".

CSRDE
The Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange at the University of Oklahoma works to gather and share data among participating universities, and the consortium also produces an annual retention study which provides institutions with retention and graduation data.

CUPA
The College & University Professional Association for Human Resources association focuses on issues concerning the higher education workforce. Members of this association have access to compensation data, professional development programs, workforce and compliance resources.

IPEDS
IPEDS data submissions occur on a cyclic basis throughout the academic year and include surveys of Institutional Characteristics, Completions, and 12-Month Enrollment in the fall; Human Resources and Student Financial Aid in the winter; and Fall Enrollment, Graduation Rates, and Finance in the Spring.

SACUBO Benchmarking Survey
The Southern Association of College and University Business Officers conducts an annual benchmarking study focused initially on a small number of select ratios and benchmarks not easily accessible to business officers. The survey allows the Business Office to see how well institutional support stacks up against similar institutions on 11 key indicators.

SCOIS
The South Carolina Occupational Information System gathers data and places it into an online network. The network gives students access to career planning services. High school counselors and advisors can use this resource to guide students to appropriate institutions of higher learning that offer degrees in support of their career plans.

VSE
The Voluntary Support of Education Survey, provided by the Council for Aid to Education, serves as a resource concerning private giving to institutions of higher education. This information is provided to the public in publications, and it is provided to instituions and other subscribers by the VSE Data Miner online tool.