Institutional Research

About Us

The Office of Institutional Research provides data and analytical support to Whitman College faculty and administration. The Office serves as a major repository for information on many aspects of the college, and is charged with analyzing and interpreting these data for use in planning and policy decisions. It has a major role in providing statistical data to the President, Deans, and the Trustees and Overseers for strategic planning, accreditation review, and student outcomes. The Office of Institutional Research also has a major responsibility for compiling and filing reports required by the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, the U.S. Department of Education, and other agencies, as well as the Common Data Set and other external requests. 

An equally important role of the Office of Institutional Research is to supply faculty and administrators with information about current Whitman students. One way we collect information is through the administration of surveys. We also create databases which help us assess student progress at Whitman College. We disseminate these reports to various departments on campus to assist them in their decision making process.

Publications

"Transformative Experiences in College Connections and Community" - Neal Christopherson

Transformative Experiences in College: Connections and Community explores the intersection of two concepts: transformative experience in college and the communities in which students learn. Emerging from a five-year longitudinal interview study tracking a panel of 75 students through four years at a selective liberal arts college, this book provides a rich depiction of how aspects of the college community (and the relationships developed within that community) create opportunities for transformative experiences that lead to personal and academic growth.

Penrose Library | Publisher (Rowman & Littlefield)

Commonly Requested Data

Enrollment Reports 

An enrollment report for the current semester includes statistics on the number of full time students versus part time students, a breakdown of the diversity on the Whitman Campus, and more. 

Factbook

More information is available in the College Factbook. The Whitman College Factbook is designed to provide Whitman College administrators and faculty with accurate and consistent information about Whitman’s student, faculty, staff, and financial characteristics. This demographic information is designed to assist those who need accurate and consistent numbers for policy making, fund raising, grant writing, etc. At present, the enrollment data for 5 years are included so significant trends can be identified.

Whitman College is a member of the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) Consortium, which consists of more than one hundred small, private, nonprofit institutions around the country that are committed to sharing and using information to more fully enact their missions and promote effective liberal arts education.