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Data Subjects
W&M organizes institutional data around the major activities and information needed to operate the university. W&M Data shows how that information is organized, connected to university work, and stewarded for trusted use.
W&M Data Subjects
W&M organizes institutional information into seven Data Subjects. Each Data Subject contains more detailed Data Domains that group related areas of university work and information.
- Academic: Information about W&M’s academic structure, programs, curriculum, courses, instruction, assessment, and academic oversight.
- Student: Information supporting the student lifecycle from admission and enrollment through academic records, financial activity, student support, outcomes, and reporting.
- Research Administration: Information used to administer research proposals, sponsored awards, research finance, compliance, and related university research activities.
- People: Information about individuals and their relationships with W&M, including faculty, staff, employment, identity, and workforce information.
- Finance: Information used to record, plan, manage, and oversee W&M’s financial resources and activities.
- Operations: Information supporting the services, infrastructure, resources, and activities used to operate the university.
- Regulatory, Policy & Reporting: Information supporting regulatory requirements, university policy, compliance, institutional reporting, analytics, and data governance.
Explore the Data Subjects
| Data Subject | Representative Areas | Participating Offices |
|---|---|---|
| Academic | Academic Policy · Programs & Curriculum · Courses · Instruction · Faculty Academic Activity · Assessment | Provost Office · Schools & Academic Departments · Registrar · Faculty Affairs · Institutional Effectiveness |
| Student | Admissions · Enrollment · Registration · Academic Records · Financial Aid · Student Accounts · Student Support · Outcomes | Registrar · Undergraduate & Graduate Admission · Financial Aid · Student Affairs · Schools · Institutional Research |
| Research Administration | Proposals · Awards · Sponsored Activity · Research Finance · Compliance · Research Administration | Office of the Vice Provost for Research · Sponsored Programs · Finance · Schools & Research Units · Compliance |
| People | Person & Identity · Faculty · Staff · Employment · Compensation · Time · Performance · Workforce Planning | Human Resources · Provost Office / Faculty Affairs · Schools & Departments · Payroll · Information Technology |
| Finance | Accounting · Budgeting & Planning · Procurement · Expenses · Payroll · Treasury · Student Finance · Restricted Funds | Finance · Budget · Procurement · Payroll · Student Accounts · Research Administration |
| Operations | Facilities · Campus Services · Advancement & Alumni · Athletics · Communications · Technology · Institutional Administration | Facilities · Advancement · Athletics · Marketing & Communications · Information Technology · Libraries · Administrative Offices |
| Regulatory, Policy & Reporting | Regulatory Requirements · University Policy · Compliance · Institutional Reporting · Metrics · Analytics · Data Quality · Data Governance | Institutional Research · Compliance · Legal · Risk Management · Data & Analytics · Office of the CDO · Functional Offices across W&M |
Research Administration refers to institutional data used to administer research activities. Scholarly or scientific research data is governed through separate research, sponsor, regulatory, policy, and ethical requirements.
University activities often cross Data Subjects. A single activity may use Student, Academic, People, Finance, Research Administration, Operations, or Regulatory, Policy & Reporting information together. W&M’s framework helps connect those relationships while maintaining clear stewardship and meaning.
Participating offices are representative and may contribute to more than one Data Subject. Detailed stewardship is aligned to specific Data Objects and the activities they support.
How Activity and Data ConnectW&M organizes data around the work of the university. University activities create and use information. W&M connects that information to Data Objects, which provide a consistent way to describe important university information across systems, reporting, analytics and integration. University Activity → Data Object → Steward → Data Fact → Reporting & Analytics Stewardship helps connect university activity with trusted information by establishing meaning, business rules, quality expectations, trusted sources, and appropriate use. For example: Facilities Management → Work Order → Facilities Team (Steward) → % Work Orders Pending (Data Fact) → Work Order Report (Reporting & Analytics) Facilities work creates and uses Work Order information. The Facilities Team, acting as steward, helps define the data and support trusted Data Facts such as % Work Orders Pending, which can then be used in a Work Order Report for reporting and analytics. This keeps governance connected to how university work is actually performed, rather than organizing data only around individual systems, organizations, or committees. |
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How W&M Organizes Institutional DataW&M uses a common structure to organize institutional information:
Detailed stewardship assignments are associated with Data Objects, while broader Data Subjects and Domains help show how related information and university activities fit together across W&M. |
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From Data Objects to Trusted InformationData Facts turn Data Objects into trusted institutional answers. A Data Fact may be a measure, count, calculation, outcome, or indicator supported by agreed definitions, business rules, timing, trusted sources, and stewardship. Work Order → % Work Orders Pending → Work Order Report Detailed definitions, stewardship assignments, trusted sources, Data Facts, and related governance information will develop over time where they are most important to support university work, shared understanding, and trusted use of data. |