The “virtual face” of institutions: Why legislators and other outsiders view higher education as aloof

This research investigated the availability of information on higher education institutions through the web sites of 40 higher education institutions; 10 each from Doctoral/Research, Master’s, Baccalaureate, and Community Colleges drawn from 40 different states. This descriptive study answered two research questions: (1) How accessible is information important to legislators and parents? (2) What does higher education’s “virtual face” say about us? The research investigated 20 different types of information important to legislators and parents and identified information not found and the average number of “clicks” of the mouse to locate the information. Findings indicate that data about students and program assessment, faculty and faculty expertise required more clicks to find, if available. Crime statistics were not found on 17 of 40 sites, but information about the institution’s president was found in 39 of 40 cases in one or two clicks. These findings indicate that higher education’s “virtual face” may appear aloof to parents and legislators seeking information about the institution.