Institutional Research provides campus data and information to students, faculty, administrators, media, and community members locally and across the nation. Institutional Research on the MU campus was created in 1979 as the primary office to fulfill information needs in a decision-support environment. The office has devised consistent definitions and reporting procedures, and can respond to a variety of subject questions. Requests for information vary from providing detailed analysis for university planning, to comparison studies and surveys for peer institutions and outside higher education reporting organizations.