The Office of Institutional Research and Planning provides essential information about the University of Maryland for the purposes of decision-making, policy analysis, strategic planning, mandated reporting, and academic program review. We capture data on faculty, staff, students, and finances and use it to characterize the institution in quantitative ways using nationally accepted definitions. Our office responds to the institutional reporting needs of the University administration, the academic colleges, the campus community, the University System of Maryland, the State, the federal government, and non-governmental, non-profit organizations that support higher education research. We draw on a variety of data collection procedures, information processing methods, analytical tools, and reporting strategies in our efforts to present information with clarity, validity, reliability, and value.