Benchmarking in Higher Education

These benchmarking consortia and companies serve higher ed (and some extend considerably beyond the higher ed community). Details are accurate to October 2008.

BearingPoint
This consulting company addresses benchmarking for the Higher Ed community in four areas: Human Resources, Research Management, Student Affairs & Services, and Strategic Financial Analysis. These areas display previous reports (years 2002-2005, for example) for public access; locate through "Library" links within the web site.

CHEBA: Consortium for Higher Education Benchmarking Analysis
Membership organization (no member fees) sharing the costs of research to produce benchmarking research for use in higher ed. Currently, CHEBA has about 55 institutional members, including U of Maryland, McGill U, and North Carolina State U. CHEBA is part of The Benchmarking Network, Inc., which claims 140,000 members and serves many business areas.

EBI: Educational Benchmarking, Inc.
With a client list of more than 1200 institutions, EBI serves a broad community including 2- and 4-year institutions, military entities, and online universities. Assessments are available in the areas of housing, student center, first-year experience, fraternity/sorority, as well as Education areas of Management, Teaching, Engineering, and Nursing. New Product: MAP-Works developed with Ball State for early intervention to students at-risk.

Primary Research Group
This firm publishes benchmarking studies and surveys for higher ed (as well as other concerns as disparate as hospitals and museums). Costs range from roughly $100 to $400 for higher ed topics. Prices are considerably higher in other areas (e.g., $1500 for a telecommunications study). Recent titles are Survey of Assessment Practices in Higher Education and Research Library International Benchmarks. Survey topics are broad enough to encompass Library Cafes and Student Retention (not combined in the surveys but it would be interesting to know if they should be). Sample prices:
College Alumni Relations Benchmarks $295 (Paper or PDF)
Assessment Practices in Higher Ed $110 (PDF)
Student Retention Policies $119 (Paper), $134 (PDF)
2007-2008 Survey of Distance Learning Programs in Higher Ed $129 (Paper), $137.50 (PDF)

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Email contact: bold[AT]marybold.com. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as legal or professional advice. Bold is the co-author of Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields. She is a consultant and speaker on assessment, distance learning, and technology.