KPIs Across the Academic Ecosystem

By Kenwright

You're probably measuring the wrong things. Your department definitely is. And that grant you lost? Yeah, someone else understood the metrics. This book won't make you popular at faculty coffee breaks. It might just save your career.

Pages: 460
Publication: 2026
Language: English
ISBN: 9798258934901

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Looking for a new direction in Faculty Survival? “KPIs Across the Academic Ecosystem” makes a persuasive case for giving the subject your attention. Bring a specific question and turn the reading into a purposeful exploration. Metrics become useful when you can explain what a number represents and what it leaves out. Compare the indicator with the actual goal: that gap is a productive place to start a critical reading. Use the topic as material for a clearer explanation. Choose a person who needs the idea, find a concrete example, and make the connection visible. The result can be a better conversation as well as a useful reading session. Pick a question. Open a book. See where it takes you.

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Explore Higher Education, Academic Administration, Research Metrics with a reading approach that gives the ideas somewhere to go. Metrics become useful when you can explain what a number represents and what it leaves out. Compare the indicator with the actual goal: that gap is a productive place to start a critical reading.

The listed 460 pages give a sense of extent; page count alone does not establish depth or difficulty.

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Publisher’s synopsis

Most academics hate metrics. They'll tell you 'real impact can't be quantified.' Funny how the same people keep losing grants, missing promotions, and wondering why their research gets cited by their mom and no one else. Here's the ugly truth: someone is measuring you right now. Every citation. Every student eval. Every dollar you bring in. The question isn't whether KPIs exist — it's whether you understand them. This book is not warm. It's not fuzzy. It's not going to hold your hand and tell you that you're special. It will show you exactly how academic measurement actually works: the good, the manipulative, and the 'why did we ever think this was a good idea?' You'll learn which metrics matter for tenure, which ones are total garbage, and how to make the system work for you instead of crying into your third coffee about 'publish or perish.' If you're looking for a gentle critique of neoliberalism in higher ed, put this book down slowly and walk away. If you want to game the game without losing your soul — or at least without losing your job — read on. Warning: contains sarcasm, actual data, and zero participation trophies.

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