NORC Annual Report 2006
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65 BUILDING ON OUR HISTORY 2006 ANNUAL REPORT NORC BOARD OF TRUSTEES LIFE TRUSTEES Craig G. Coelen Robert T. Michael Robert McCormick Adams President Former Director of NORC Nathan Keyfitz NORC at the University of Eliakim Hastings Moore Chicago Distinguished Service Professor Evelyn Kitigawa Chicago, IL Harris School of Public Policy Arthur Nielsen, Jr. Studies Harry L. Davis University of Chicago Dorothy Rice Roger L. and Rachel M. Goetz Chicago, Illinois Eleanor Sheldon Distinguished Service Professor Chairman of the Board Graduate School of Business Ralph W. Muller University of Chicago Chief Executive Officer NORC OFFICERS Chicago, IL University of Pennsylvania Health System Edward O. Laumann Phil E. DePoy Philadelphia, PA Former President of NORC President Retired Director, Janet L. Norwood Craig G. Coelen Meyer Institute of Systems Senior Fellow & Counselor, New Engineering (Naval Postgraduate York Conference Board Vice Chairman of the Board School) Former Commissioner of U.S. Janet L. Norwood Annandale, VA Bureau of Labor Statistics Chevy Chase, MD Secretary John Mark Hansen John H. Thompson Dean, Division of the Social Clayton S. Rose Sciences Former Head of Global Treasurer Charles L. Hutchinson Investment Banking, James E. Dunne Distinguished Service Professor JP Morgan & Co, Inc. Department of Political Science Essex Fells, NJ and the College University of Chicago Stephen M. Stigler Chicago, IL Ernest DeWitt Burton Distinguished Service Professor Edward O. Laumann Department of Statistics George Herbert Mead University of Chicago Distinguished Service Professor Chicago, IL BOARD OF TRUSTEES COMMITTEES Department of Sociology and the College Judith M. Tanur Finance Committee University of Chicago Distinguished Teaching Professor Members: Harry L. Davis, Edward O. Chicago, IL Emerita Laumann, Janet L. Norwood Department of Sociology Edward F. Lawlor Stony Brook University Executive Committee Dean, George Warren Brown Montauk, NY Members: Craig G. Coelen, School of Social Work Harry L. Davis, John Mark Hansen, Washington University Gail R. Wilensky Edward O. Laumann, Ralph W. Muller, St. Louis, MO Former Administrator of the Janet L. Norwood Health Care Financing James L. Madara Administration, Committee on Conflicted Transactions Dean & Sara and Harold Lincoln and Presidential Advisor on Members: John Mark Hansen, Janet Thompson Health Care Issues L. Norwood, Gail R. Wilensky Distinguished Service Professor Senior Fellow, Project HOPE Biological Sciences Division and Bethesda, MD Compensation Committee The Pritzker School of Medicine Members: John Mark Hansen, University Vice President for Edward O. Laumann, Janet L. Medical Affairs Norwood University of Chicago Chicago, IL ORC, known since its founding in 1941 as the National Opinion Research Center, has offices on the University Nof Chicago campus and in Chicago's downtown Loop, Washington, DC, Bethesda, Maryland, and Berkeley, California, as well as a field staff that operates nationwide. NORC's clients include government agencies, educational institutions, founda- tions, other nonprofit organizations, and private corporations. Although NORC's national studies are its best known, our proj- ects range from local to regional and international. NORC creates unique value for its clients by developing effective, innovative solutions that combine state-of-the-art technology with high-quality social science research in the public interest. Our project work is interdisciplinary, with strong staff coopera- tion across substantive and operational areas. And NORC is an equal opportunity employer, committed to facilitating the per- sonal and professional development of everyone on our staff. 2006 ANNUAL REPORT 2 Letter from the Chairman and President 4 In Memory of Peter Rossi 5 NORC Senior Fellows 7 Focus Areas 29 Survey Operations 31 Academic Research Centers and the University of Chicago Affiliation 34 Selected Clients 36 Selected Publications and Presentations 52 Central Administration 1 Letter from the Chairman and President 2006 marked NORC’s 65th year as the trustee and Vice Chairman Joe Sullivan left us largest university-based survey research missing and appreciating his advice and counsel. center in the U.S. In the last year, as in We continued to win new work in the tech- nology and international arenas in 2006, moving the previous 64, NORC and its staff made these groups from start up status to full fledged seminal contributions to public knowledge, departments. Hatem Ghafir, who also serves as adding significant new survey data, improv- project director for the Qatar National Education ing the operational and methodological Data System (QNEDS), will lead the newly efficiency of survey research, and delivering formed Technology Solutions department as vice high-quality reports on attitudes, social, president and director. The department launched political and economic behavior, and the the highly successful American Hospital Association Quality Center and work continues efficiency and effectiveness of public on the QNEDS. The coming year will focus on programs and policies. expanding this natural outgrowth of our survey and analytical business lines. Our International The year brought new leaders to NORC. Projects department won two contracts in 2006 to Clayton Rose, the former head of global invest- evaluate overseas development activity by the ment banking for J.P. Morgan and Co., Inc., Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). joined NORC’s board of trustees in October. After Leading project teams that include the RAND 30 years in financial and managerial roles at the Corporation and the Urban Institute as well as Gas Technology Institute, Jim Dunne became local partners, NORC will assess the impact of NORC’s new Chief Administrative Officer, with MCC-funded programs in Benin and the Republic primary responsibility as its Chief Financial of Georgia. Officer. Formerly director of infrastructure for We also launched an exciting new technology Sempra Energy and director of technology infra- in 2006 – a data enclave. This is a protected envi- structure at the Tribune Company, Ron Jurek ronment that makes otherwise inaccessible data joined NORC late in 2006 as Vice President, available to authorized researchers while preserv- Infrastructure and Systems Operations. Our group ing confidentiality. We expect it to make impor- of senior fellows grew to 9 with the addition of tant strides in the field of knowledge manage- health policy analysts Jon Gabel and Michael J. ment. We also established a new program, the O’Grady. Joint Center for Education Research, led by Tom The year brought sadness along with success. Hoffer, to expand and develop a role for collabo- The passing of former NORC director and noted rative work with the University of Chicago and sociologist Peter Rossi prompted us to recall his other education research groups. groundbreaking work on homelessness, occupa- Work on existing projects continued to yield tional prestige, and public reaction to emergen- positive outcomes. Of special note was renewal cies like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the New of the contract to conduct the National York City blackout. And the death of longtime Longitudinal Surveys of Youth (1979 and 1997 2 Edward O. Laumann Craig G. Coelen Chairman President cohorts) for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Recent interviewer hours on random digit dial surveys), analyses of NLSY data have shown that mothers moving us to the forefront of our industry in this who attain a college education have higher earn- respect and fulfilling our commitment to leader- ings than their counterparts who do not. The past ship in the field of survey research and methodol- year also saw the very successful completion of ogy. Another demonstration of our strength and data collection for the Residential Energy depth of knowledge came as a record number of Consumption Survey and the first round of work staff members presented papers at professional on the National Social Life, Health, and Aging conferences. Project (NSHAP), which included groundbreaking Finally, our logo, website and offices were work using biomeasures (e.g., blood samples, sali- each updated. Offices at One North State Street in va samples, height and weight measurements, Chicago’s downtown Loop were renovated; they and measures of touch sensitivity) collected by now are home to NORC’s new infrastructure and interviewers without prior medical training rather digital security center and a 300-seat state-of-the- than by health professionals. A project commis- art telephone interviewing center. We signed a sioned by the State of California found that the new lease for office space at 55 East Monroe, state has one million problem gamblers. The built out and newly furnished 80,000 square feet General Social Survey concluded its 26th round of workspace for 270 professional staff. The East with an impressive 71 percent response rate. The Monroe space includes displays that highlight data showed shifts in public opinion in several NORC history, our contributions to the science of areas that have been followed since 1972, includ- survey research and public policy assessments, ing the public’s opinion that men are better suited and our ties to the University of Chicago. The to political office than women—only 22 percent new NORC website provides current information agreed with the statement in 2006, down from 43 about NORC and its work to clients, scholars and percent in 1972. prospective employees. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation With a strong