Peer and Aspirant Institutions

Overview

In addition to examining current and historical data from our own institution, Jacksonville University leaders frequently also want to compare our data, policies, programs, and outcomes to those of similar institutions. Prior to completing the data-informed peer and aspirant institution identification process, different groups tended to work off individualized lists as the institution did not have a publicized or shared peer and aspirant list for benchmarking purposes. The identification process centers on not identifying institutions by name until the list has been trimmed to a small number using publicly available data.

Riverfront

Task Force

During the 2019-2020 academic year, JU utilized a Rankings Task Force to examine our positioning in national publications and ensure we are presenting ourselves to the best of our ability. Committee members include:

Scott Bacon鈥擲enior Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and University Advancement
Amanda Billy鈥擠irector of Information Strategy
Katie Jackson鈥擠irector of Digital Marketing
Sherri Jackson鈥擵ice-Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of Psychology
Teresa MacGregor鈥擵ice President, Enrollment Management
Jeff Morris鈥擜ssociate Director of Employer Engagement
Laura Phelps鈥擲enior Director of Public & Media Relations
Tom Taggart鈥擜ssociate Vice President of Student Experience

As part of their larger work, this taskforce undertook the following process to identify JU鈥檚 current peer and aspirant institutions.

Process

The committee鈥檚 work began by determining which variables they felt were essential to consider when determining peer and aspirant institutions. As part of initial considerations, the following seventeen variables were included in the blinded analysis (with JU鈥檚 value included within parentheses).

Sector (from IPEDS)
Carnegie Classification (from IPEDS)
ICUF Membership (from ICUF website)
Admissions Peer (from National Student Clearinghouse)
U.S. News and World Report Regional University Ranking (from U.S. News and World Report)
SACSCOC Member Institution (from SACSCOC directory)
Pioneer Conference Member (from Pioneer Conference website)
Full-Time Equivalent Enrollment (from IPEDS)
Percentage of Full-Time Equivalent Enrollment鈥擴ndergraduate (from IPEDS)
Tuition and Fees as a Percent of Core Revenues (from IPEDS)
Endowment Assets per FTE Enrollment (from IPEDS)
Instruction Expenses as a Percent of Total Core Expenses (from IPEDS)
Salaries and Wages for Core Expenses as a Percent of Total Core Expenses (from IPEDS)
Average Net Price for Students Awarded Grant or Scholarship Aid (from IPEDS)
Full-time Retention Rate (from IPEDS)
Six-year Graduation Rate (from IPEDS)
Percent of Undergraduate Students Awarded Pell Grants (from IPEDS)

Peer Institution Analysis

Given the number of variables, the task force opted to assign points to institutions similar to JU. For categorical variables, they received one point for matching with JU; for rational variables, they received the point if they were +/- one-quarter of a standard deviation of the national mean from JU. The data began with 3,626 potential institutions. The table below shows the variables, JU value, and the range for which points were awarded. The final column shows the total number of institutions receiving a point in that category.

Aspirant Institution Analysis

For categorical variables, institutions received the point for matching with JU; for rational variables, they received the point if they were +/- one-quarter of a standard deviation of the national mean from JU on most variables. Given the aspirational nature of this list, we awarded points for endowment per FTE, retention, and graduation rate for campuses if they were more than a one-quarter standard deviation above JU鈥檚 current value. The data began with 3,626 potential institutions. The table below shows the variables, JU value, and the range that points were awarded for. The final column shows the total number of institutions receiving a point in that category.

Peer Institution Identification Data Table


Variable	JU Value	Low Threshold	High Threshold	Number Receiving Point
Sector	Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above			1,700
Carnegie Classification	Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs			371
ICUF Membership	Member			28
Admissions Peer				16
U.S. News and World Report Regional University Ranking (45-65)	Yes			90
SACSCOC Member Institution	Yes			986
Pioneer Conference Member	Yes			10
Full-Time Equivalent Enrollment	3,236	2,501	3,999	408
Percentage of Full-Time Equivalent Enrollment鈥擴ndergraduate	76.6	69.7	83.5	393
Tuition and Fees as a Percent of Core Revenues	74	67	81	430
Endowment Assets per FTE Enrollment	$12,162	$7,163	$17,161	495
Instruction Expenses as a Percent of Total Core Expenses	46	43	49	914
Salaries and Wages for Core Expenses as a Percent of Total Core Expenses	47	45	49	1,062
Average Net Price for Students Awarded Grant or Scholarship Aid	$25,674	$23,539	$26,899	275
Full-time Retention Rate	71	66	75	728
Six-year Graduation Rate	43	37	49	565
Percent of Undergraduate Students Awarded Pell Grants	28	23	33	859

3,361 institutions scored at least one point out of the 17 available鈥攚ith the highest scoring schools receiving 11. To limit the number of institutions to be examined more closely by the committee, we chose to remove institutions that did not receive at least 7 points, were public, did not receive a point on retention or graduation (our two key variables of focus), schools with minimal graduate work, single-gender institutions, HBCUs, and schools that received more than 75% of their points from categorization variables. This left us with a list of 23 institutions to discuss by name as a committee. Through discussion, examining websites, and studying data trends, the committee selected the ten institutions listed at the end of this report.

Aspirant Institution Identification Data Table

Variable	JU Value	Low Threshold	High Threshold	Number Receiving Point
Sector	Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above			1,700
Carnegie Classification	Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs			371
ICUF Membership	Member			28
Admissions Peer				16
U.S. News and World Report Regional University Ranking (1-10)				39
SACSCOC Member Institution	Yes			986
Pioneer Conference Member	Yes			10
Full-Time Equivalent Enrollment	3,236	2,501	3,999	408
Percentage of Full-Time Equivalent Enrollment鈥擴ndergraduate	76.6	69.7	83.5	393
Tuition and Fees as a Percent of Core Revenues	74	67	81	430
Endowment Assets per FTE Enrollment	$12,162	$17,162	$21,999	110
Instruction Expenses as a Percent of Total Core Expenses	46	43	9	914
Salaries and Wages for Core Expenses as a Percent of Total Core Expenses	47	454	49	1,062
Average Net Price for Students Awarded Grant or Scholarship Aid	$25,674	$23,539	$26,899	275
Full-time Retention Rate	71	77.1	100	973
Six-year Graduation Rate	43	54.1	100	1,065
Percent of Undergraduate Students Awarded Pell Grants	28	23	33	859

3,347 institutions scored at least one point out of the 17 available鈥攚ith the highest scoring school receiving 12. To limit the number of institutions to be examined more closely by the committee, we chose to remove institutions that did not receive at least 9 points, were public, schools with minimal graduate work, and schools that received more than 75% of their points from categorization variables. This left us with a list of 16 institutions to discuss by name as a committee. Through discussion, examining websites, and studying data trends, the committee selected the ten institutions listed at the end of this report.

Outside

Data-Informed Peer Institutions

(Louisville, KY)
(Dallas, TX)
(Boiling Springs, NC)
(Houston, TX)
(Wilkes-Barre, PA)
(Lynchburg, VA)
(Harrison, NY)
(Belton, TX)
(North Canton, OH)
(Wingate, NC)

Data-Informed Aspirant Institutions

(Berea, OH)
(Lakeland, FL)
(Erie, PA)
(Nashville, TN)
(New Orleans, LA)
(Winter Park, FL)
(Moraga, CA)
(Springfield, MA)
(Deland, FL)
(Findlay, OH)

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