In October, CIC will be distributing an update of its increasingly familiar benchmarking report, the Key Indicators Tool (KIT). The 2007 KIT will be expanded from 18 to 20 indicators, offering new data on admissions yield rates and unfunded institutional aid. It will also provide additional comparisons for each indicator using the new “basic Carnegie” classifications.

CIC’s KIT is an annual benchmarking report that uses national data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and is made available exclusively to the presidents of CIC member colleges and universities. It is designed to increase the capacity of member institutions to make more effective use of comparative data in institutional planning and decision-making.

The KIT provides useful institutional performance indicators with essential data on students, faculty, financial aid, revenue, and expenditures. Indicators are tracked over a five-year period. Benchmarking information is provided using four different comparisons: region of the country, financial resources, enrollment size, and—new for 2007—Carnegie classification. The report is formatted to be shared easily by presidents, if they choose, with senior administrators, trustees, or others.

CIC’s Key Indicators Tool is an important component of the array of benchmarking services prepared for CIC by The Austen Group and generously supported by the William Randolph Hearst Foundations. Additional information is available here.