Data Governance

Norfolk State University will develop and implement a data governance framework to better manage the university’s data assets in service of promoting student success and increasing the efficiency of university operations. 

 

Why does NSU need data governance now?

The origins of Norfolk State University’s data ecosystem date back to the 20th century (1998-99) when Ellucian Colleague, the university’s ERP (enterprise resource planning system) was brought online. In addition to Colleague, there are more than seventy distinct systems generating data at NSU. Despite the large number of data systems, a centralized data repository does not exist. As a result, many people who could benefit from certain data are not aware of its existence, data can be siloed and therefore difficult to access for those who need it, the quality and validity of data sources may not be sound, it can be difficult to arrive at consensus for important data points (e.g., enrolled student counts). 

The University has begun work to adopt a new ERP, Workday. Over the next five years, three products from the Workday suite will be implemented in sequential order: Human Resources, Finance and finally, Student. The transition to Workday, which will take approximately five years to complete, presents an ideal opportunity for the University to revisit its data management practices by developing and implementing a data governance framework. 

 

How Will a Mature Data Governance Framework Impact NSU?

The University’s new data governance framework will result in a set of documented policies and processes to clarify how the University manages its data assets on an ongoing basis. This will result in higher data quality, reduction of data siloes, timelier data, data that is used and interpreted appropriately (data literacy) and finally, data that is agreed upon – a single source of truth for the University. Ultimately, the development of a new data governance framework will allow Norfolk State University to better leverage its data assets to promote data-informed decision making and positively impact student success outcomes. 

Data governance implementation supports the university’s mission. 

 

Data Governance Goals

1. Implement a Data Governance Framework
   • Develop and implement a leadership structure to implement and monitor data governance practices
   • Develop formal processes for managing the university’s data assets 
   • Develop a formal set of data governance policies
2. Acquire Data Governance Technology 
   • Establish a central data repository to support reporting and analysis 
   • Implement a data management software package 
   • Implement a data reporting system 
3. Data Literacy
   • Implement a formal data literacy program to train users on the data management and data reporting software systems
4. Change Management
   • Implement a data governance change management/integrated communications program to ensure the effective adoption of the data governance framework