Sandy, this is a good, provocative question: to whom does
the IR
actually make an institution visible? I suspect this
audience
goes beyond legislators and other governmental officials.
Among
the other constituencies an IR targets:
- Private donors. The IR can serve as a valuable marketing
tool
for alumni associations. It can demonstrate the vibrancy of
a
particular research unit, department, center, institute,
lab, or
program. A graduate of Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law,
for
example, might be more inclined to send an annual donation
if she
were easily able to see the ongoing scholarly output from
her
alma mater.
- Prospective students, graduate students, postdocs, and new
faculty hires. The IR, by rendering visible the scholarship
associated with a specific unit, can serve as a valuable
marker
for individuals potentially interested in intersecting with
that
unit. What is the focus of a lab's research? What types of
dissertations are being authored in a department?
Understanding
the output of a given unit helps folks make informed
decisions
regarding the suitability of the fit between institution and
individual.
It is true that one might reasonably ask whether IRs are
resonating with these audiences any more effectively than
with
legislators. It does seem likely, at the very least, that
these
constituencies are better equipped to, as Sandy wrote,
"pass
judgment as to the quality or 'relevance' of such
research".
Best, Greg
Greg Tananbaum
Consulting Services at the Intersection of Technology,
Content, & Academia
(510) 295-7504
gtananbaum gmail.com
http://www.scholarnext.com
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