Data Governance - Data Strategy

Managing Transparent Institutional Data

Data governance at Kennesaw State University is a shared, institution-wide responsibility that requires coordinated participation across academic, administrative, and operational units. While the Office of Data Strategy provides leadership, facilitation, and technical enablement, effective data governance depends on the collective stewardship, accountability, and decision-making of data trustees, stewards, and users across the University.

This model recognizes that institutional data are created, maintained, and used across the University to support teaching, learning, research, student success, finance, compliance, and operations. As such, data governance is not the responsibility of any single division or office, but a collaborative framework designed to ensure that data are accurate, secure, accessible, and used responsibly to advance KSU’s mission. The Institutional data governance structure is developed in alignment with the USG expectations, as outlined in the University System of Georgia (USG) Business Procedures Manual 12.0, Data Governance and Management.

Anna Miller

Director, Data Governance

(470) 578-5762

Data Governance Organization and Structure

Data Domains

The general data governance structure for Kennesaw State University includes the President as the Data Owner, members of the President’s Cabinet as the Data Trustees. Data Trustees appoint the Data Stewards for their areas. The work of the Data Stewards is divided into six data domains: Student Affairs, Research, Athletics, Advancement, Administration, and Academics.

Data Owner

President

Data Trustees

Data Trustees are the senior-level KSU executives who own the data assets in their functional areas; they are accountable for the data quality and integrity within their domains. Data Trustees are responsible for managing, protecting, and ensuring the integrity and usefulness of institutional data and for upholding KSU policies, USG policies, state laws, and federal laws applicable to the institutional data. Each Data Trustee appoints one or more Data Stewards for the Data Trustee’s specific domain.

Data Stewards

Data Stewards are assigned by and accountable to Data Trustees. They help define, implement, and enforce data management policies and procedures within their specific domain. Institutional data stewards have delegated responsibility for all aspects of how data is acquired, used, stored, and protected throughout its entire life-cycle, from acquisition through disposition. A Data Trustee may delegate to the Data Steward the authority to represent the Data Trustee in data-related policy discussions. The Steward is responsible for the management and fitness of data elements—both content and metadata; ensuring the quality, accessibility, and protection of data.

Data User

A data user has access to university data as part of assigned duties. This role includes staff members who have direct responsibility for entering and using data.

Data Governance Guiding Principles

Asset. KSU is the owner of all university data assets. The governance framework delegates responsibilities for data trustees and data stewards.
Accessible. Data should be made accessible and data governance should be as least restrictive as possible while minimizing risk to the university (e.g., privacy, security, compliance).
Efficient. Data governance processes should be standardized and as automated as possible to keep current with changes in data and data processes.
Continuous Improvement. Policies and processes and procedures should be regularly evaluated as data and university needs change over time to ensure continued effectiveness and to seek opportunities for improvement. Data governance is an ongoing process.

Scope: The tenets and practices of the data governance framework are focused on enterprise data, which is used for accreditation, compliance, and findings impacting the institution.

Compliance

Effective management of data content, access, and usage is essential to comply with federal, state, local laws, and grant or contract requirements. Kennesaw State University is tasked with handling data responsibly to ensure that confidential information is correctly classified and protected. The university has established policies and procedures to ensure that relevant staff are knowledgeable about the applicable regulations.