About This Session
Last year, Denison University launched a refreshed data governance initiative that evolved into something far more transformative: a central Data & Decision Support Team. By breaking down silos, they brought together data experts from Finance, Institutional Research, and ITS into a unified "team of teams." This year, they have a fully functional team, a proven delivery model, established trust across campus, and the agility to take on larger modernization efforts — including a data lake implementation.
This session explores why Denison moved away from a policy-first approach in favor of a change management model that prioritizes community value — and what that actually looks like in practice at a small liberal arts institution.
Session Flow
- 10 minThe Pivot — Evolving the data governance model and how the DaDS "Team of Teams" was born
- 15 minThe Delivery Model — Detailed look at the dual-track approach: student-led projects balanced with executive strategy
- 10 minModernizing the Stack — Technical highlights of their data lake implementation and reporting architecture
- 10 minLessons from the Trenches — The honest truth about trust-building and cultural shifts at a liberal arts institution
- 15 minQ&A — Interactive discussion on scaling these models at peer institutions
Key Takeaways
- Why building operational processes and community trust must precede formal governance structures
- How a dual bottom-up/top-down approach drives lasting data culture change at a small institution
- How student internships and project-based delivery accelerate data modernization
- What it takes to earn and sustain cross-departmental trust in data initiatives
Learning Outcomes
- Articulate why building operational processes and community trust should precede formal governance structures.
- Identify practical strategies for running a dual bottom-up/top-down approach to data culture change at a small institution.
- Apply a team-of-teams and project-based model to accelerate data modernization efforts on your own campus.
Session Description
The presentation focuses on Denison's journey from "policy-first" to "people-first" — and how they have been building a "Team of Teams" Data Culture. The dual-track strategy utilizes undergraduate student internships and project-based delivery, paired with top-down strategic alignment. Attendees will learn how Denison has been building a "data-curious" culture through community wins while formalizing data governance, improving analytics, and modernizing their data ecosystem.