Colleges and universities are challenged by both the quantity of data they manage and making that data useful, trustworthy, and secure.
At many institutions, data governance efforts begin with enthusiasm, only to slow down as they encounter cultural resistance, unclear roles, and complex frameworks. Top-down governance policies get written, passed down, and not followed. Committees are formed but lack clear paths forward. Despite the best of intentions, the promise of effective governance often feels out of reach.
At Unicon, we’ve had the opportunity to support data governance efforts across a wide range of higher education institutions. Our latest white paper, “The Unicon Way: Data Strategy & Governance,” offers a practical perspective grounded in real-world experience. It outlines a collaborative, iterative approach that helps institutions move from theory to implementation with confidence.
Here are five key recommendations drawn from the paper, each designed to help you accelerate your governance strategy to make meaningful, lasting progress.
It’s tempting to begin a governance initiative with an ideal-state blueprint. But too often, these “best practice” models ignore the operational realities of campus life.
For a more practical approach, we recommend beginning with what already works. Identify the systems, processes, and data stewards that are already contributing to data quality and consistency—even if informally. Use these existing practices as your foundation.
Then, map the current state of your data landscape and build on familiar routines. When done well, you can reduce resistance, build early momentum, and ground your strategy in what’s actually possible. This will substantially increase your probability of success.
“When we walk into a campus conversation, we don’t ask, ‘What should governance look like?’ We ask, ‘What’s already working that we can build on?’ That’s where trust starts—and momentum follows.”
– Lisa Lovell, Senior Project Manager, Services and Data Strategy, Unicon
Policies and frameworks are important—but they are only effective when people trust and use them. Otherwise, they’re weighty PDFs and piles of paper that people point to and say, “We should be following the rules, but instead we’re doing this.”
Higher education environments are inherently complex. Each institution has its own governance history, stakeholder dynamics, and institutional goals. That’s why governance strategy must be designed with culture in mind.
For example, a university that’s attempted to centralize data governance might have instead created friction between academic departments and IT leadership. Faculty could be skeptical of “another top-down mandate,” while administrative teams at different schools might struggle with one-size-fits-all data definitions. Instead, leadership should acknowledge this history and design a governance approach that emphasizes shared ownership and respected departmental autonomy.
This kind of approach means engaging stakeholders early, co-creating processes with those who will use them, and being intentional about building relationships between IT, institutional research, academic units, and administrative staff. It also means choosing language and structures that reflect your campus norms.
Governance success depends not only on technical design, but on social adoption. Leading with empathy and collaboration helps ensure that governance becomes a shared responsibility—not a compliance burden.
“You can’t drop a governance framework on a campus and expect it to stick. It has to reflect the way people already work and communicate. The best strategies grow from the inside out.”
– Jason Richter, Principal Consultant, Unicon
A common sticking point in governance efforts is unclear ownership. Who decides how a data field should be defined? Who is responsible for resolving discrepancies? Who approves access requests?
Without clear roles and decision-making structures, even well-intentioned governance work can stall. Another hypothetical example: a university might find that multiple offices are producing conflicting reports on key metrics like graduation rates or course enrollment, each using different data sources or definitions. Without clearly assigned data stewards or a defined process for resolving discrepancies, these differences can persist, undermining trust in institutional data. Establishing transparent roles and decision-making structures—such as who owns which definitions and how disagreements are resolved—can help prevent these issues and foster a more consistent, collaborative data environment.
Successful governance strategies create clarity around stewardship, authority, and escalation paths. This doesn’t mean creating rigid hierarchies, but making sure the right people are empowered to make the right decisions. It also ensures that those decisions are documented and understood across teams, providing a more collaborative and supportive “feeling” about the overall effort..
In our work, we’ve found that lightweight governance bodies (supported by clear role definitions and operational norms) can be far more effective than large, formal committees.
“Data questions shouldn’t turn into a guessing game about who owns what. When people understand their role—and how to get a decision made—governance becomes a support structure, not a roadblock.”
– Kathryn Green, Program Manager, Unicon
Data governance efforts are most effective when they’re connected directly to the institution’s strategic goals. While it’s easy to think of governance as an isolated technical or compliance task, it’s far more powerful when positioned as a foundational enabler of broader institutional success.
For example, if your university is prioritizing student success and retention, governance practices should ensure the accuracy and accessibility of advising data, course progression metrics, and student engagement indicators. If a major initiative involves expanding online programs or unifying systems across campuses, governance can support those efforts by establishing consistent data standards and access protocols that scale effectively.
By tying governance work to visible, high-priority outcomes—such as equity initiatives, accreditation readiness, or enrollment forecasting—institutions create a shared sense of purpose among stakeholders. This connection not only builds stronger justification for governance-related investments, but also helps individuals across departments see their role in contributing to meaningful institutional progress.
“Governance gains traction when it’s tied to something people already care about—student success, retention, equity. That’s when it stops being abstract and starts driving real impact.”
– Dan McCallum, Chief Services Officer, Unicon
Governance is an ongoing set of practices that evolve alongside your institution’s needs. It is not a one-time effort with a concrete completion date. There’s no finish line and you can’t announce, “We are done with data governance… What’s next in the pipeline?”
For some higher eds, this requires a mindset shift from treating governance as a destination to treating it as a process. Governance is a discipline that helps institutions avoid burnout and build sustainable momentum. Too much organizational pressure and governance never takes root. Not enough operational discipline, and it becomes an aspirational “coulda, woulda, shoulda.”
We encourage teams to focus on building habits: regular stewardship check-ins, iterative policy updates, transparent data quality reviews, and continuous training. These habits, once established, form the backbone of a healthy governance culture.
Importantly, these practices don’t have to start big. Even modest governance routines—like documenting commonly used data definitions or establishing a single point of contact for student data questions—can lead to significant improvements over time.
“A data governance policy in a binder doesn’t change anything. But a standing meeting between IR and IT where issues get solved? That’s where change takes root.”
– Kenna Ose, VP of Sales & Marketing, Unicon
There’s no universal template for data governance in higher education. But there are shared challenges and increasingly: shared solutions.
The most successful institutions we’ve worked with haven’t solved everything all at once. They’ve taken a deliberate, phased approach that balances pragmatism with ambition. They’ve built coalitions, started small, and remained adaptable. And they’ve consistently returned to one guiding principle: governance must serve the people who use data every day.
If you’re ready to move your strategy forward or want a clearer framework for getting started, we invite you to download our new white paper:
👉 Download our Data Strategy & Governance white paper
Inside, you’ll find:
Whether you’re launching your first governance initiative or looking to strengthen an existing program, this resource is designed to help you build a strategy that works—for your people, your processes, and your future.