Measuring the Impact of an Academic Statistical Consulting Center

• Activity Number: 430
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 6, 2014 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistical Consulting
• Author(s): Kim Love-Myers*+
• Companies: University of Georgia
• Keywords: consulting ; collaboration ; academic ; university ; impact

Abstract

To understand the extent to which an academic statistical consulting center impacts its university, we must first understand how that impact can be measured. However, not all stakeholders in a center may agree on the most appropriate measures of impact. Should impact be measured by income, time devoted to collaboration with researchers, or extended research outcomes such as publications? What is the role of client satisfaction, or the accomplishments of the center's consultants? Are there other ways in which a center can promote its university's mission? Most importantly, how can these measures, once identified, be used to best represent a center's impact to those who must evaluate it?

This interactive talk will explore the possibilities and challenge academic consultants to consider the metrics that we choose to represent ourselves. I will discuss the metrics that each of our stakeholders at the University of Georgia has suggested in the past, and the ones we are currently using. Rather than providing stakeholders with numbers and charts alone, we use these metrics and qualitative information to tell the story of how the SCC impacts UGA and the surrounding community.