Academic department chairs are key in helping universities achieve student success. To succeed in their decisions and furthering their university's educational mission, department chairs can use institutional data to inform their decision-making. In many cases, however, there are gaps, misalignments, and inefficiencies between department chairs and the data they need. Although significant research has been done on the factors that predict if a technology will be adopted, this study specifically investigates what factors influence how and why academic department chairs use data in their work. By interviewing department chairs about their motivations to use institutional data and their experiences interacting with it, this study sheds light on the key factors that influence department chairs' data use. Additionally, this illuminates specific actions data providers can take to help department chairs better leverage data in their decision-making. Ultimately, department chairs who are motivated and able to use data effectively in their decision-making improve higher education in a variety of ways. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]