How well do you really understand your medical school’s research enterprise? For many institutions, the answer is "only in pieces."

At our latest Coffee Break webinar, we explored how leaders are shifting from fragmented data to a connected, holistic view—one that supports faculty success, informs strategic investment, and helps tell a clearer story of research impact.

Read the full recap and catch up on key takeaways from the discussion.

Industry demand for academic collaboration is rising fast, but many universities still don’t have a clear view of their strengths, their partnerships, or their opportunities.

From internal alignment to supporting faculty who are new to industry engagement, today’s conversation made one thing clear: strategic partnerships require strategic insight.

Read the full recap to learn how institutions are building stronger industry relationships and empowering their faculty to do the same.

Rolling out a faculty activity and evaluation system isn’t a quick “flip-the-switch” project—it’s a strategic transformation. Most universities are juggling legacy systems, paper forms, and unit-specific processes that make standardization challenging. CIOs need a secure, governed, and interoperable environment that still respects the unique realities of each academic department.

A bespoke implementation approach is the key. By pairing thoughtful configuration with strong academic partnerships, institutions can unify faculty data, streamline accreditation reporting, strengthen security, and build trust across campus. From phased rollouts to disciplined data migration, the right partner helps CIOs deliver a scalable, institution-wide solution that improves accuracy, reduces operational risk, and supports faster, fairer decision-making.

Many CIOs are asked to “just build” a homegrown faculty activity system—usually after years of storing sensitive academic records in spreadsheets, shared drives, or tools never designed for institutional data. The request sounds simple, but the reality is far more complex. Security gaps, escalating IT workload, inconsistent department needs, and the risk of knowledge loss all make the build-versus-buy decision a strategic one.

Evaluating your approach through security, total cost of ownership (TCO), and long-term resilience helps CIOs avoid multi-year rebuilds, reduce operational risk, and ensure faculty evaluations rely on governed, trustworthy data.

Annual faculty reviews are meant to strengthen conversations about contributions, goals, and growth—but at many institutions, the process has become a time-consuming administrative burden. Faculty spend hours re-entering information that already exists elsewhere, while chairs and deans sift through scattered, inconsistent data. The result is a review cycle defined by inefficiency, duplication, and frustration.

Modernizing the process with an integrated, automated system transforms reviews from paperwork into meaningful dialogue. By centralizing faculty activity data, eliminating redundant entry, and providing consistent, accurate information for leaders, institutions can shift the focus back to impact, development, and strategic alignment.

Today, data-driven decisions are more important than ever.

Governing boards, university faculty, staff, and students all expect decisions about the future of the academic enterprise to be informed by up-to-date and accurate data. Academic Analytics’ faculty activity reporting platform empowers institutions to move beyond reactive reporting and embrace proactive insight.

Why do universities struggle to connect? Is it recruiting across fields, creating joint appointments, or building research centers that unite expertise under one initiative?

Collaboration drives innovation, but it also comes with challenges:
- Navigating disciplinary boundaries

- Evaluating interdisciplinary performance fairly

- Providing the right resources and recognition

In her latest blog, Academic Analytics Senior Advisor Lydia Snover explores how universities can overcome these hurdles and foster intentional, data-informed collaboration.

I write this post from Philadelphia, a great historic center, and a long time home of Benjamin Franklin.  I’m thinking about our extraordinary research universities and all that they have meant and continue to mean for our nation.  I’m thinking of an often quoted Franklin adage and the guidance it brings to mind for higher education today. “An investment in knowledge always pay the best interest.” (in Benjamin Franklin, The Way to Wealth, 1758).

Academic Analytics was proud to participate in the 2025 AAMC-GFA conference in Portland, Oregon where faculty affairs leaders engaged in thoughtful conversations with their peers and the company’s leadership over a private dinner at Portland City Grill. These interactions offered valuable insight into the evolving needs of medical schools and the strategic role data can play in supporting faculty development, retention, and institutional growth.

Academic Analytics was honored to sponsor the 2025 APLU-CAA Conference in Boise and engage with provosts and executive leaders shaping the future of public research universities. In addition to rich dialogue throughout the conference, we hosted a private dinner at Chandler’s to explore how institutions can align leadership priorities with faculty impact.

Today, data-driven decisions are more important than ever.

Governing boards, university faculty, staff, and students all expect decisions about the future of the academic enterprise to be informed by up-to-date and accurate data. Academic Analytics’ faculty activity reporting platform empowers institutions to move beyond reactive reporting and embrace proactive insight.

How Are Your Alumni Contributing to Workforce Development? At our June Coffee Break webinar, Matt Cooper and Chelsea Bassett from Academic Analytics shared practical, powerful strategies for understanding the real-world impact of your alumni and how that data can fuel workforce development, policy conversations, and student outcomes.

Higher education and specifically medical centers have come under attack in 2025 with such threats as cuts to Medicare/Medicaid, cuts to federal research funding, elimination of diversity training programs, halting specific lines of research, denigration of social determinants of health and assaults on patients and staff by immigration officials who now can freely enter medical clinics.

UNLV President Keith E. Whitfield was a dedicated user of Academic Analytics during his time as provost at Wayne State University, using the platform to improve faculty research performance, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and advance the university’s research goals. He brings this experience to UNLV, where he aims to see Academic Analytics similarly drive data-informed decisions and further elevate the university’s research capacity.