Roles

There are seven formal roles for Data Governance at Dartmouth that govern the management of, access to, and accountability for institutional data.  These roles define who at Dartmouth is responsible for which data governance activity.  The role structure below illustrates that data governance is a collaborative effort by business units across the college including Information, Technology and Consulting.

Roles Pyramid

Data Users convey concerns about data-related issues and the feedback is escalated to senior leaders.  Senior leaders ensure that the data governance structure is appropriate and operating effectively.

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Data Governance roles pyramid from Data Owner to Data Users
Effective data governance requires collaboration between multiple stakeholders.

 

Data Owner

  • Trustees of Dartmouth College

Data governance authority ultimately rests with the college - the "Trustees of Dartmouth College".

Executive Sponsors

  • Provost
  • EVP for Strategy and Special Counsel to the President

Executive Sponsors ensure that an appropriate data governance structure is in place and operating effectively.  They ensure that the Data Governance program is supported by other Dartmouth leaders and serve as escalation point for issues related to data governance.

Steering Committee

Senior college officials or their designees who have planning, prioritization, communication, decision-making and policy-level responsibility for governance of institutional data in accordance with stated policies.

  • Senior Associate Provost for Institutional Research and Effectiveness (Chair)
  • Data Governance Project Manager (Secretary)
  • Chief Information Officer
  • Dean of Libraries
  • Chief Operating Officer
  • Controller
  • Human Resources
  • Advancement
  • Undergraduate Registrar
  • Graduate (Guarini) Registrar
  • Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
  • Office of the General Counsel

The Steering Committee's charge is to champion, monitor, and ensure the development and success of data governance at Dartmouth College.

Data Executor

Appointed senior college administrator with significant interaction with multiple institutional systems/applications serving as an authoritative source of data relied upon by the campus community

The Data Executor's accountabilities include ensuring the integrity and usefulness of Dartmouth's institutional data.

Subject Area Data Steward

College officials who have responsibility for the management of institutional data in a given source system, and have authority to grant access to data for their functional area, generally associate deans, associate vice presidents, or directors

Data stewards at Dartmouth protect the confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of institutional data.  They develop standard definitions for data elements created within their area.  Data stewards are responsible for articulating procedures for individuals to request access to data that are within the data steward's functional area, and, responding to requests for access to those data. 

Subject Area Data Custodian

College officials responsible for day-to-day operational data collection and management, generally managers of data systems or senior data analysts within business units

Data custodians have functional knowledge of data reported from and used within their business unit and ensure data are used consistently across Dartmouth.  They provide user support in the use of institutional data and prevent unauthorized use.

Data Users

Individuals who have been granted access to institutional data to perform assigned duties or functions at the college

Data users are responsible for following policies and procedures on the appropriate handling and dissemination of institutional data.  They champion data-driven decision-making and convey to other members of Dartmouth's data governance team any concerns about the quality of institutional data.

Data Governance and ITC Governance

Information, Technology and Consulting (ITC) supports data governance but there is more to data governance than just ITC.  Data governance is a collaborative effort by stakeholders across the college.

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Intersection of Data Governance and ITC Governance requires collaboration.
Data governance is not solved by technology alone.