Research Tips
1. Mine their website and social media channels for information; look for "About Us" information and any resources or publications produced by the organization. Check its parent office, or related offices (example: the UST Pollinator Path is under the Biology Department in the College of Arts and Sciences.) See if the organization (or its parent unit) has posted an Annual Report.
2. If the organization is a student club, is the club a chapter of a national organization? See what information the national organization has for students. Research their chapters/organizations at other colleges/universities.
3. If the organization is a campus office or unit, research its parent unit, as well as similar offices at other colleges and universities (example: Dining Services.)
4. On the News/Articles tab, search local, regional, and news sources. You can search for full-text articles in ProQuest US Newsstream, Access World News, Pioneer Press, and Business Journals (includes the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.) Access World News has a separate section where you can search "college and university titles" (i.e., campus news/media.) You can also search newspaper websites directly, but they often have a paywall.
5. Perform an Advanced Google Search on your organization and limit it to the "PDF" format. Many reports, program reviews, and other documents will be on the web in this format. Be sure to check how current the information is, and evaluate where the information is coming from.
6. Set up a Google Alert on your office/club or their leader(s) to monitor the media.
Learn about the Higher Education Sector. What are the larger trends?
1. On the Industries tab, search in IBISWorld, ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry, and Business Source Premier for industry profiles and trade publications related to colleges & universities, and/or membership organizations. Use the format limiters to narrow your search results to these types of publications.
2. The Office of Institutional Data, Analytics and Reporting (IDAR) can run reports on St. Thomas demographics. You can contact them at idar@stthomas.edu.
3. Minnesota’s Office of Higher Education has facts about college student enrollment in the state. The National Center for Education Statistics has their “Fast Facts” for postsecondary topics. You can find additional information on college students through web searching.
4. On the Market Research Reports tab, you can use Statista to locate statistics related to college and college students.
5. On the Market Research Reports tab, Mintel has a report on Generation Z, which includes college students. The Consumer Behavior volume of the RKMA Market Research Handbooks has a section on college students.
6. Search for relevant trade and professional associations in the nonprofit sector. You can find trade associations through web searching as well as in industry reports in IBISWorld and ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry.
7. On the News/Articles tab, search local, regional, and national news sources for articles and news stories on what the organization does (examples: sustainability, environmental issues.) You can search for full-text articles in ProQuest US Newsstream, Access World News, Pioneer Press, and Business Journals (which includes the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.) You can also search newspaper websites directly, but they often have a paywall.
8. The Chronicle of Higher Education features news and reports on trends and developments at colleges and universities.