York University has introduced new resources that will help faculty, staff and administrators clearly understand the expectations, guidelines and responsibilities that support the consistent, reliable and responsible use of institutional data across the University.
A data governance policy is in place to support the University’s Data and Analytics Strategy, providing the governance foundation needed to support the strategy's implementation.
While the strategy sets the direction for how data and analytics support institutional priorities – such as planning, strategic enrolment management and decision-making – the policy establishes the roles, standards and accountabilities that guide responsible use of institutional data.
Together, the strategy and policy support consistent data practices, improve data quality and access, and strengthen confidence in institutional information used for academic and administrative decisions.
Defined by York’s data principles and priorities, the strategy offers key resources on data governance and management, such as York’s Data Dictionary, Guiding Principles for Student Data, a data onboarding roadmap, and initiatives to enhance data literacy among faculty and staff.
“At its core, the Data Governance Policy recognizes that faculty, staff and administrators rely on institutional data every day, but too often face uncertainty about definitions, quality or accountability,” says Margaret Kierylo, York’s chief data officer and lead of York’s Office of Institutional Planning and Analysis (OIPA). “This policy gives the University a shared foundation. It clarifies roles, strengthens trust in our data and helps ensure people can focus on using information to support data-informed decision-making.”
Patrick Cernea, director of data strategy and governance, says data governance is about clarity and trust. “By setting clear roles, standards and accountabilities, this policy helps create the conditions for better collaboration and more effective use of institutional data across the University.”
To put these priorities into practice, the University is taking several steps to support employees who work with data. These include streamlined dashboards in the Data Hub – a searchable directory of dashboards, reports, metrics and resources – as well as expanding data literacy training.
“Our goal is to help colleagues feel confident working with data and ensure that data is reliable and accessible,” says Kierylo.
Implementation will be led by OIPA in collaboration with Faculties and administrative units, and supported through the Data Stewardship Committee, the Data Trusteeship Committee and UIT.
To support this work, the OIPA team will deliver information sessions for faculty, staff and administrators through the Data & Analytics Community of Engagement (COE). Created in Fall 2023, the COE will offer training, lunch-and-learn sessions and other opportunities to help employees put the policy into practice.
“The community of engagement is designed to support employees as they develop their data skills,” says Kierylo. “By bringing people together, we can build a strong, data-informed culture across the University.”
The Data and Analytics Community of Engagement invites community members to its Teams channel to stay informed, explore data-related topics beyond governance, share ideas for learning and training and collaborate with others who work with data.
A full summary of the work – including all available resources – can be found on the Data & Analytics Governance website.