Office of Institutional Research

The Office of Institutional Research originated within the Office of the Registrar.  At that time, the University Registrar served as both registrar and institutional researcher.  Once the registrar functions expanded to full-time, the Office of Institutional Research was reorganized into the Office of Management Research and Analysis (MRA) in 1997.  The new office was established and overseen by Peter French, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, to carry out the university's institutional research function.  MRA's first director was Barbara Timko, who hired Institutional Research Coordinator, Sarah Parrott, in 1999.  In 2000 Jean Eddy, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment, assumed leadership of MRA, which was renamed the Office of Institutional Research (OIR).  The office provided consultation, analysis, and communication of pertinent information to inform and assist senior management and other university constituents in their strategic planning and decision-making processes.  The work of Institutional Research falls into three main categories: coordination of data collection for external surveys and information requests from publishers; campus surveys, in both electronic and paper format; and admissions and financial aid data preparation and analysis (enrollment management). In 2010 a new office was created at Brandeis which merged OIR with other functions, The Office of Planning and Institutional Research (OPIR). Dan Feldman became the Vice President for Planning and Institutional Research. Please see the finding aid for the OPIR for records created as of 2010.