Data stewards ensure UW–Madison’s institutional data is protected and available for appropriate use. John Dreger and Phil Hull, two data stewards for the enrollment domain— Financial Aid and Student Record data, respectively— abide by laws, regulations, and institutional policy to determine access. They partner that with a strong desire to help their colleagues.
When a data access request is submitted, John and Phil carefully analyze what is requested, by whom, and for what reason. More often than not, an initial request leads to deeper conversations, clarifying the need. These deeper conversations are at the heart of making data accessible while protecting it. Data stewardship is much like the national parks system—appropriate access and use for today while ensuring availability for the future.
Much of our financial aid data is classified as restricted data, especially when disaggregated, and John’s stewardship decisions are primarily based on complex regulations, including:
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which regulates who can access student records, including parents and UW-Madison faculty and staff;
- Higher Education Act, which includes authorization of the federal government’s primary student financial aid programs; and
- Federal Financial Aid Guidelines now include IRS tax rules because of the revised FAFSA application process.
While access to student financial aid data is limited, John seeks to find ways to assist requestors. For example, a user may request a list of all Pell Grant recipients’ names because they need to know how many are in their school or college for a report. However, the income level of families is classified as restricted data, and the request cannot be granted. In this case, John can share a Tableau visualization, UW–Madison Pell Rate by School or College, that provides that information in the aggregate.
When Phil considers access as the Student Record data steward, including data the Registrar’s Office maintains in the Student Information System (SIS), he also follows regulations, specifically FERPA. However, because this data is regulated differently than the financial aid data, Phil examines several things, such as who requested it, their role, and where they work. He asks himself:
- Does this person have a work-related need to use this data?
- Does what they are asking for make sense?
Phil can’t often answer those questions independently and will initiate a back-and-forth conversation to clarify and understand the need. Phil shared how critical it is for a requester to feel listened to and understood. When a request needs to be denied, Phil will let an individual know why and advise on other options, including access to prepared reports such as those found in RADAR.
Stewarding and protecting data go hand in hand with helping find the right data for the job. John and Phil ensure that UW–Madison’s institutional data is protected and accessible. Their efforts protect data and empower colleagues to make informed decisions.