In September, AIR published its 2023–2024 annual report. Over the past year, AIR has focused on the vital intersection of people and data, where we’ve worked to build both individual and institutional competencies necessary to use data, information, and analytics in ways that are effective, ethical, and equitable—reaffirming our community’s long-held position that data without people and context are limited in their meaning and impact.

I encourage you to read through the report, which highlights many ways AIR has embraced and worked toward its vision of success: “AIR works at the intersection of people and data to build the individual and institutional competencies necessary to use data, information, and analytics in ways that are effective, ethical, and equitable.”

Whereas historically, AIR has largely focused on serving individual professionals, the report illustrates how AIR aims to design programs, services, and resources to serve the interests of three primary constituencies:

• Higher education professionals, especially AIR members
• Higher education institutions
• Higher education community
  

Read on for details on these efforts, including an update on the successful addition of an organizational membership option this past year. The report also includes updates on the Board’s initiatives and efforts over this time period.

Speaking of the Board’s progress, our September Board meeting provided a moment to look both backward and forward, as we first examined our self-monitoring reports from the past two years and then engaged in a discussion about how to better incorporate strategic foresight into our ongoing work and processes. I look forward to sharing more in the coming months.

In the meantime, thank you for all you do for our community, your institutions, and higher education.