Data Governance Structure

These leaders sponsor the Data Governance Program and are responsible for:

• Setting institutional priorities and strategy
• Championing the program
• Approving policies and allocating resources
• Driving cultural and behavioral change
• Receiving performance updates on Data Governance initiatives

Led by the associate CIO and chief data officer, the DMO coordinates all Data Governance activities, helping ensure alignment with institutional priorities and compliance standards. The DMO:

• Develops Data Governance requirements
• Assesses data quality and integrity
• Creates program roadmaps
• Prioritizes initiatives and timelines with the DGC and Data Stewards
• Participates in the selection of enterprise solutions to meet campus-wide needs
• The DMO serves as the central hub for Data Governance at NCCU. 

Data Trustees are senior University officials (or their designees) with planning, policy, and management responsibilities for defined segments of institutional data. They:

• Endorse and support Data Governance initiatives
• Assign and manage resources
• Communicate priorities across departments
• Assist in approving data-related guidelines, standards, and policies
• Assist in leading the institutional Data Governance strategy
• Engage with Stewards and Data Users
• Assist in overseeing data classification, training, and compliance
• Monitor progress and key metrics

They are accountable for helping ensure data is governed safely, responsibly, and in compliance with applicable regulations.

Data Stewards are University officials with direct operational responsibility for data management and quality. This group will:

• Form agile teams for data strategy initiative
• Execute initiatives from the roadmap
• Handle data inquiries and train staff
• Support data quality improvements
• Recommend policy or standard updates to the DGC
• Promote data literacy and education
• Document and define each data element

Software Stewards are campus individuals who play a central role in shaping and implementing data governance practices related to software on our campus. Their responsibilities include:

• Assess proper utilization of existing software prior to procuring new or replacement tools.
• Guide departments in requesting and purchasing software through standardized review processes.
• Identify duplicate contracts, overlapping functionality, or redundant tools to enable streamlining and cost savings.
• Ensure all purchases align with responsible fiscal practices and adhere to budgetary constraints.
• Facilitate training programs for new software adoption and ongoing updates.
• Prioritize reliability, security, and regulatory compliance in all software selection decisions.
• Promote campus-wide awareness and adherence to software procurement policies.

Governance Stewards are Office of Institutional Research and Analysis (OIRA), ITS and campus-wide technical staff (Enterprise Systems Council, IT Security Council and Student Data Mart) who:

• Enforce data policies and processes
• Establish and enforce security standards
• Manage data quality and metadata
• Establish enterprise standards
• Promote best practices and compliance
• Provide secure infrastructure
• Maintain system availability and performance
• Manage user access privileges
• Implement and enforce information controls
• Participate in governance priority setting
• Audit classification, storage, and handling policies

Subject matter experts (SMEs) are responsible for operational-level data management. They:

• Maintain data accuracy, consistency, and reliability
• Help ensure compliance with policies and standards
• Promote data literacy and train peers
• Identify root-cause data quality issues
• Recommend improvements to Trustees and Stewards
• Collaborate with other governance members to support continuous improvement

Data users are critical to helping ensure NCCU’s decisions are based on reliable, accurate, and high-quality data.