UW–Madison now has a formal institutional data policy. The policy takes effect Jan. 1, 2021 and establishes minimum requirements for the management and stewardship of institutional data resources. The policy defines roles and responsibilities for managing data, plans for data identification, documentation, classification, as well as rules for storage and access to protected information in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. By protecting the value of UW–Madison’s institutional data against misuse, misinterpretation or unnecessary restrictions to access, the policy helps to leverage its use for data-informed decision-making.
“Establishing this new policy marks an important milestone in our efforts to collectively refine the management, administration, and use of institutional data at UW–Madison,” says Cathy Lloyd, policy manager and chief data officer. “I am reminded daily, as we rush to prepare new analyses for COVID decision-making, of the need to join our peers in establishing campuswide data policy, procedures, and standards for a rapidly expanding set of data sources and metrics. With this foundational piece now behind us, the real work begins, as we define standards and procedures and implement modern tools to support our data governance and analytics programs.”
The policy represents one of the latest accomplishments of UW–Madison’s Data Governance Council, which provides ongoing oversight and management of UW–Madison’s Data Governance program. The program was established to facilitate campuswide data-driven decision-making and seeks to identify what data exist or need to exist in the future, define responsibilities related to the management of data, and assign accountability for those responsibilities to specific groups or individuals within the university.
Approved by the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs and the vice chancellor for finance and administration, the policy pertains to institutional data which encompasses all data used for planning, managing, operating, controlling, or auditing university functions, operations, and mission. Institutional data excludes data used exclusively in conducting research.
Through their everyday operations, departments and units across campus collect, store, and/or utilize a wide array of data that provide valuable insights about UW–Madison as a whole, from information about students, faculty, and staff, to research administration, to courses and departments, to administrative and even facilities information.
The collection, secure storage, access, and appropriate use of the growing quantity and variety of data poses many challenges. The policy ensures proper care and maximizes utility for the entire lifecycle of all institutional data. With an emphasis on quality, access, security, and decision-making, the policy ensures the data can be leveraged as an enterprise asset.
The policy reflects a review and assessment of peer institutions’ institutional data policies, as well as alignment with the DAMA (international data management organization) framework. It was the result of more than six months of work by the Institutional Data Policy Subcommittee including consultation and review by a broad set of campus stakeholders.
The gap between the issue date of Sept. 1, 2020 and the effective date of Jan. 1, 2021 provides time for communicating the policy to those impacted and for planning. The phased implementation recognizes that it will take significant time and effort to bring UW–Madison’s existing systems, applications, and institutional data products into compliance with the policy.
As of Jan. 1, 2021, the policy will immediately apply to new systems implementation and integration work, new application and institutional data product development, and new institutional data use cases. For those already in existence, good faith efforts must be made to achieve compliance within one year of the effective date. Where compliance is unfeasible or impractical within one year of the effective date of the policy due to technical, budgetary, or other constraints, a request for an exception must be made in accordance with the policy.
More information including specific procedures and standards for each of the policy’s elements will be made available online. To learn more, send an email to info@data.wisc.edu