Briefs

1/10/2008, By Linda L Briggs

First-year enrollment at the University of Alabama is up 40 percent, at least in part because the school is using a sophisticated data analysis product to gauge which students to target in enrollment and retention campaigns.

The positive numbers--which also include an increase in student retention from 82 percent to 85 percent--are the result of a combination of efforts, according to Cali Davis, associate director of data analysis and specialized recruitment at UA. Strategic decisions by university top brass have played a part in the solid growth figures, Davis said. But having good data and using it wisely has helped with strategic decisions the administration has made.

The university is using predictive analytics from business intelligence company SAS. Although some of what UA is doing is no longer highly unusual in higher education--though Alabama was an early and creative user of data mining--the extent in which the university is using data about current and prospective students is noteworthy.

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