About the Office of Institutional and Enrollment Research

The Office of Institutional and Enrollment Research at Calvin carries out research, data analysis, and reporting to support institutional decision-making.

Historically, the primary focus of the Office has been support for Admissions and Financial Aid activities in the Enrollment and External Relations Division. Presently service is offered college-wide to support planning and decision-making.

In August 1998, Tom Van Eck began as Director of Institutional and Enrollment Research. Tom holds a Master's degree in Sociology from the University of Chicago, and has worked for the past 16 years in applied research and evaluation in numerous fields, including Education, Human Services, Community and Congregational Studies.

Some of the major responsibilities of our Office include:

• Coordinating official enrollment reporting (Day 10) for new and continuing students.
• Maintaining and coordinating a database of enrollment-based research and institutional data.
• Providing research in Admissions and Financial Aid such as prospect and applicant studies, scholarship competitiveness, enrollment projections and price sensitivity.
• Performing student-related studies on retention/attrition, satisfaction, institutional performance, graduation rate studies, and demographic profiles.
• Coordinating institutional reporting to internal and external agencies.
• Collecting, analyzing, and assisting in the interpretation of data and information descriptive of Calvin College's activities, its students and programs including annual production of a college Factbook.
• Advising and supporting administrative divisions and academic departments on conducting and disseminating institutional research.