CU’s Accountability Data Center provides figures, facts in one spot

The University of Colorado today launched its Accountability Data Center, a convenient, central access point for details on the institution’s finances, academic practices, personnel and more. The website (www.cu.edu/accountability) assembles data that previously was distributed among several CU websites.

“Accountability and transparency are among the university’s most important guiding principles as articulated by the Board of Regents, and the CU Accountability Data Center provides our constituents with one website where they can review budget, academic and general information about the operations of the entire CU system,” said Kyle Hybl, chairman of the University of Colorado Board of Regents.

As a public university, CU has provided information on its operations since the university’s inception in 1876. In June 2010, the Board of Regents unanimously approved the University of Colorado’s Guiding Principles. The third of these, Regent Policy 1.B.3, states: “Consistent with the legal obligations and responsibilities of the University of Colorado community, the university will promote and uphold the principles of ethics, integrity, transparency and accountability.”

The CU Accountability Data Center is organized into three information categories:

• Financial, including details on CU’s annual budget, tuition and fees, salaries and debt obligations.
• Academic, covering accreditation, tenure policy, teaching loads, academic rigor and more.
• General, with employment totals and annual performance metrics such as number of degrees awarded and amount of research funding received.

The collection of reports and documents was compiled by the University of Colorado for the CU Board of Regents, the Colorado Department of Higher Education, the Office of the State Auditor and the general public.