Des Moines Area Community College uses SAS® to improve institutional effectiveness

Unique benefits extend from president to faculty

CARY, NC  (Feb. 12, 2008)  –  Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) is using software from SAS, the leader in business intelligence, to improve institutional effectiveness, boost student retention and assess program contributions to student success. DMACC produces voluminous data from nearly 60,000 students at six campuses. Previously, producing data driven reports for specific users was inefficient and time-consuming. The Institutional Effectiveness Office chose SAS^® data integration, business intelligence (BI) and predictive analytics to gather and analyze data and provide timely and accurate reports organizationwide. 

An important health indicator for community colleges is enrollment. By monitoring enrollment daily, DMACC can intervene if growth stagnates. Also, DMACC analyzes student data to determine factors tied to success or struggle. 

“Predictive analytics allowed us to go from being reactive to proactive,” said Joseph C. DeHart, PhD, Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness. “Previously, when things were happening in student lives we would try and help them pick up the pieces. Now, we can predict which students are most likely to have those issues and get to them ahead of the curve.” 

DMACC is also better targeting recruitment efforts, offering more evening courses and shorter sessions to accommodate growing numbers of adult students, and increasing online courses because it can spot trends in demand in real time. DMACC also studies students earning college credit while in high school to predict when it might saturate a high school market. 

SAS raises DMACC president Robert J. Denson’s confidence that his college meets accreditation requirements and supports his objectives for DMACC’s national leadership in education and workforce preparedness. 

Anticipating an Iowa worker shortage in the next decade, Denson launched an initiative to prepare workers to support Iowa’s economy. Combing state student and workforce data, SAS helps Denson identify critical shortages and timeframes. 

“That’s the research analyses President Denson does, and SAS is the only tool that allows him to do that from start to finish,” said DeHart. 

By viewing grades and student retention information through customizable reports, faculty gain insight how their grading compares to colleagues, or if their students are withdrawing more frequently. 

Soon, a business intelligence dashboard for strategic planning will include key performance indicators for business offices, human resources and other nonacademic programs.

“President Denson’s support for the work I do is directly tied to SAS’ ability to quickly and accurately go from transactional data to aggregate, to graphs, to self-serve data, to predictive analytics. It’s a one-stop shop for answers,” said DeHart. 

With more than 2,000 college, university and business-school customers in 109 countries and education specialists on every continent, SAS serves the education industry by delivering software solutions, strategic services and academic programs that spark innovation and expand educational opportunities. 

DeHart hosts today’s session, “Institutional Research and SAS: The Right Information for the Right Decision at the Right Time,” at SEM WORKS Community College Enrollment Management and Student Marketing Symposium at SAS world headquarters.

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