Having consistent Institutional Research support is critical for colleges and universities. Unfortunately, sometimes an institution can experience a gap due to turnover, leaves of absence or other unforeseen reasons. Even though there may be other staff who are capable of performing the tasks, there simply may not be enough time or shared knowledge for those employees to carry the load until until your institution identifies a permanent employee, an employee returns, or the increased demand for IR support has passed (e.g., accreditation visit is complete).