Jamie Isaac and Janice KellyReid

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Step-by-Step with the IPEDS Help Desk
Turning Knowledge into Practice

• Jamie Isaac and Janice Kelly-Reid
• RTI International

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IPEDS Help Desk
- Operated by RTI International - Specially
hired and trained to serve IPEDS customers - Open
weekdays 830am to 500pm Eastern time - Open
evenings and weekends during the final week of
each collection
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Whats Happening at the Help Desk?

• At present, we have 17 staff, many of them
  seasoned veterans, with combined experience of 89
  collection periods (avg. of 5.2 each).

• IPEDS users continue to keep us very busy!
• as follows..

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Help Desk Activity Last 3 Collection Periods
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Inbound Call volume

• Collection Year

Projected
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Outbound Call volume

• Collection Year

Projected
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Undeliverable Emails

• During the 2004 SHEEO Meeting, we reported
• We recently decided that we need to send a
  letter to all keyholders asking them to take
  steps to ensure timely receipt of IPEDS-related
  emails.
• This letter was sent on July 21, and it seems to
  have been successful at reducing our bounced
  emails. Advances in technology have also likely
  contributed to the decline.

• Finally- we are seeing a decline in this problem

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Undeliverable Emails Turning the Tide

• Number of Bounced or Undeliverable Emails, by
  Collection Year

Collection Year
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Top Ten rejected IPEDS slogans
10) IPEDS just DO it! 9) IPEDS... its all
about bipeds! 8) IPEDS... we cant remember
what it stands for, but we love it anyway 7)
IPEDS... good wholesome fun 6) IPEDS...
exercise for the brain!
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Top Ten rejected IPEDS slogans
5) IPEDS... If you like doing your taxes youll
love doing IPEDS! 4) IPEDS Data that are mmm mmm
good! 3) IPEDS Incomprehensible, Perplexing, and
Exasperating Data System 2) IPEDS... Why?
Because Congress Said So!
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Top Ten rejected IPEDS slogans
1) IPEDS driving the postsecondary world crazy,
one keyholder at a time.
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Some of our favorite lines...
- I tried to change from GASB to FASB, and now
all my data are gone.  Must I enter them all
again?
- Oh, wow! Thanks for those training
announcements. Southeast Asia, Latvia, Hong
Kong. We're in New York. But keep trying.
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Some of our favorite lines...
- I am at a loss . . . help me, Obiwan Kanobi. 
Youre my only hope!
- Forgive me for commenting. but filling out
IPEDS, or even thinking about it, is like going
to the dentist.
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In Closing
Thank you for your assistance in making IPEDS
successful. Remember for your data
needs. Step-by-Step with IPEDS tools