During the past several years, CIC’s benchmarking services have become increasingly important and popular.

2006 KIT—The Key Indicators Tool (KIT) is now in its third iteration and has developed comparisons on a wide range of performance indicators. Still free of any fee to CIC members, the KIT is a customized, confidential benchmarking report prepared for the president. Indicators are presented with regional and national comparisons over a five-year period with three sorting criteria: geographic area, financial resources, and enrollment size. Comparisons are based on a data set of 750 baccalaureate and master’s-level private colleges and universities. CIC’s KIT report provides helpful graphs to track an institution’s performance against similar institutions over the past half-decade.

In September, CIC sent an updated KIT report to each member president, based on the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The 2006 KIT expands the number of indicators, based on feedback from member presidents. First-year (FTE) enrollment replaces the percent change in enrollment from the previous year. First to second-year retention rates have been added, providing valuable information to members even though only the three most recent years of data are available from IPEDS. Also new this year are comparative data on average faculty salaries at the assistant, associate, and full professor ranks (based on equated nine-month contracts).

In addition, the 2006 KIT modifies the student/faculty ratio and part-time faculty indicators. In prior years, these data were drawn from a section of IPEDS that contained faculty data only for every other year. For the 2006 KIT report, data for the most recent four years are reported. CIC dropped two indicators presenting limited information about percentage changes from year to year in student enrollment and net tuition revenue. The trend lines for the annual data still retained in the KIT provide a good sense of the degree of change over time.

Comparison Group KIT—CIC is now offering a special Comparison Group KIT for a modest fee. This report will allow CIC members to receive a customized report for two additional comparison groups selected by the institution. Comparison groups may range in size from five to 25, though groups of 10 to 15 are recommended. Selecting two groups provides for multiple comparisons, perhaps of a peer and an aspirant group. The fee for the Comparison Group KIT is $400. CIC has arranged with The Austen Group to consult with member colleges and universities that need assistance in choosing a comparison group, including the necessary research, for an additional fee of $600. Both the Comparison Group KIT and the comparison group consultation service were successfully tested earlier this year.

Online KIT Consultations—A number of presidents have asked for a consultant to help interpret the KIT report to the senior staff or trustees. CIC has arranged with Mike Williams, president of The Austen Group, to provide hour-long, web-based presentations or consultations with senior staff, boards, or faculty groups for considerably less than the cost of paying a consultant’s time and travel for an in-person, on-campus visit. The online sessions will contain voice, video, and graphic presentations, allowing participants to interact real-time with Williams. The fee of $600 provides a cost-effective approach that will be of interest to many CIC members. This approach was successfully tested earlier this year. Shenandoah University (VA) president James A. Davis reported, “Mike Williams did a great job and accomplished exactly what we were seeking in the consultation.”

CIC’s Key Indicators Tool (KIT) and related services are generously supported by grants from the William Randolph Hearst Foundations. Additional information about the KIT update and related services are available here or by contacting Hal Hartley, director of research at (202) 466-7230 or hhartley@cic.nche.edu.