This program facilitates more centralized oversight, resource optimization, risk management, and improved communication for data governance across the university.

Structure

The Data Governance Program at UVM is managed by two complementary councils that meet regularly. Each council spans units and departments from all across the institution to ensure that all voices are included in these discussions. The two councils are:

• The Data Trustees Council is composed of senior leaders who are responsible for the data & systems within a unit. The Data Trustees Council meets quarterly to keep apprised of data governance issues on campus and advise the Data Operations Council when necessary. Trustees champion data governance within their unit and across the institution.
• The Data Operations Council includes data operators (such as data stewards and data custodians) who are closely connected to the data they use and manage. Members of the Data Operations Council are often involved in data & technology initiatives across the institution and are experts in their area. The council meets each month to provide the tools and resources necessary to build a strong culture of data governance.

All UVM units and departments are included within these two councils. Please contact a dean, director, or other senior leader in your unit if you have questions about data governance. You may also contact the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment for data governance questions.

Program Vision and Mission  

Vision: To establish a robust data governance framework that ensures high-quality, secure, and compliant data management, supporting the university's strategic goals.  

Mission: To implement and maintain data governance policies, standards, and processes that promote data stewardship, optimize resource utilization, and enhance data-driven decision-making.

Guiding Principles and Values  

The Data Governance Program embraces UVM’s “Our Common Ground” statement. As such, the following values guide the program:  

• Protection: Respect the people and communities on whom data are collected with thoughtful stewardship and safeguards for all data.

• Quality: Promote integrity in data use and reporting by ensuring complete and accurate data in and across all systems.

• Agility: Enable innovation and effectiveness in all areas of the institution with consistent, available data that adapt to emerging realities and technologies.

• Communication: In the spirit of openness, provide clear, two-way communication with campus constituents to promote transparency, trust, and a data-informed culture.

• Ethics: Effect justice through inclusive, ethical policies and definitions that lift voices and identities that have been historically marginalized.

• Collective Responsibility: Recognize that data are a shared asset and a collective responsibility that we must all work together to maintain and manage.