CSU System Data Governance

The Colorado State University System (CSUS) has authority over the use of its Data as well as the Data of its Institutions and is the legal custodian of all those data. System and Institution Data are valuable assets, the use of which must be aligned with the System’s strategic goals. The System established a Data Governance Program to formally manage its data assets across all its institutions.

Program Charter

Data Classification Levels

Accessing Data

Guiding Principles

These guiding principles ensure that decision-making and policy/process development within the Data Governance Program align with the values of the CSU-System. These guiding principles are as follows:

  • Data are a CSU-System and institutional asset to be managed and used ethically to further the missions of each.
  • Open communication and trust are essential to the collaboration required of a system-wide approach to data governance.
  • Data governance decisions will be transparent to stakeholders and documented in publicly available meeting minutes.
  • Data Governance activities will be regularly communicated to the CSU-System Board of Governors and IT Executive and IT Strategy Committees through the CIO.
  • System-wide data governance will build the framework for shared information and resources across the System.

Program Objectives

  • Data Quality Assurance: Data governance establishes standards and procedures for maintaining data quality, reducing errors, and improving the overall integrity of the data.
  • Compliance and Regulatory Requirements: The Centralized Administrative Data Governance Policy ensures adherence to relevant policies and legal statutes.
  • Risk Management: Effective data governance helps mitigate risks associated with data breaches, unauthorized access, and data loss.
  • Decision Making and Institutional Planning: Administrative data are an institutional asset that should be used to inform decision-making processes, improve institutional effectiveness, and support academic and administrative initiatives.
  • Interoperability and Integration: Data governance promotes interoperability and integration by establishing standards for data formats, protocols, and interfaces, enabling seamless exchange of information between disparate systems.
  • Stakeholder Trust and Transparency: Data governance builds trust and transparency by establishing clear guidelines for data collection, usage, sharing practices, and by ensuring accountability and compliance with ethical principles.
  • Resource Optimization: Efficient data governance practices help optimize the use of resources by eliminating redundancies, streamlining processes, and reducing administrative overhead associated with data management.

Program Structure

The Data Governance Program shall be defined in the Program Charter.

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