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Salem State University Reports

The Common Data Set (CDS) initiative is a collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers, as represented by the College Board, Peterson’s, and U.S. News & World Report. The combined goal of this collaboration is to improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student’s transition into higher education, as well as to reduce the reporting burden on data providers.

The Salem State University fact book includes information that is derived from and aligns with data reported to external organizations such as the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education through the Higher Education Information Resource System (HEIRS). It provides a single-source summary of most of the information in those individual reports.

The factbook reports only the credit-bearing activity of the college, non-credit activities provided by Salem State University are not reflected. It includes data about the entire university but no subunits other than graduate and undergraduate. The intention is to make the factbook available each spring adding annual activity for the previous year and current fall to the trends in the previous factbook.

Institutions have a wide variety of data and information needs. The factbook reflects data from comparable points in time, over time. The data can inform decision-makers by delineating trends as well as providing context and perspective. Today's data collection and retrieval systems provide far more immediate information for operational decisions and the factbook should be used to supplement that data and for providing general information about the university.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act or Clery Act, signed in 1990, is a federal statute codified at 20 U.S.C. § 1092(f), with implementing regulations in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations at 34 CFR 668.46.

The Clery Act requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose information about crime on and near their respective campuses.

The primary driver of effective higher education performance measurement systems is a database that enables time-efficient and reliable linear data trending for planning, policy development, and performance assessment.

Current linear trend information is available on the DHE Data Center website.

The purpose of this document is for Salem State University to comply with reporting requirements mandated by the US Department of Education for institutions receiving funds through the CARES Act: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF).

Salem State University is required to make the report available and appear in a format and location that is easily accessible to the public. Accordingly, Salem State responses to specific requirements will be made available on the Salem State University website 30 days after the date when the institution received its allocation under 18004(a)(1) and updated every 45 days thereafter.

For more than 160 years, Salem State University has been a vital part of the economic, intellectual and cultural vibrancy of Salem, the North Shore and all of Massachusetts. This economic impact study aims to quantify the significance of the activities of the university and the many contributions of Salem State's students, alumni faculty, and staff.

This plan, as presented and reviewed by the Board of Higher Education, was approved in December 2017.

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