Developing Peer Groups for the Oregon University System: From Politics to Analysis (and Back).

Abstract

In the fall of 1997, institutional research staff in the central office of the Oregon University System were asked to build a set of peer comparators for the state's seven diverse public universities. The peer groups were to serve the analytic needs of budgeting, performance measurement, and trend analysis. Because of several critical political issues requiring interinstitutional unity, the peer groups had to be developed and implemented with the participation and support of the seven university presidents. In addition, the peer groups had to be understood and accepted by board members, legislators, and the governor's office. Through a process that combined detailed statistical information with a sensitivity to the political dynamics and judgments of campus presidents and staff, the system office developed a set of peer groups that found acceptance in both the political and analytical environments. Ten conditions that contribute to the creation of peer groups on a systemwide basis are identified and offered as guidance to other university systems.