Our Story
Constituent Research is a boutique research and consulting firm for the higher education sector. We create customized research projects in order to unearth insights at all stages of the student lifecycle, from prospective students to alumni.
Constituent Research uses a range of quantitative and qualitative approaches optimized for your institution’s unique questions and needs. These methods include but are not limited to:
- Online surveys
- Focus groups
- In-depth student, alumni or stakeholder interviews (in-person, phone or online)
- In-person and mail surveys
- Computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI)
- Multi-mode studies
- Participant Observations
- Analytics and segmentation of higher education audiences
Our Team
Mike Hanus, Founder and Director
Mike founded Constituent Research LLC in 2014, after extensive experience managing and conducting research projects across the constituent lifecycle for colleges, universities, graduate school programs, and higher education firms and organizations.
Mike previously worked as a research analyst and then an associate in Slover Linett Strategies’ higher education practice, now part of Huron Consulting Group. Mike has also worked at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand as a benchmarking and survey analyst and as a senior adviser in statistics to the New Zealand government. Prior to that, Mike worked in research management for the healthcare, financial services, and public relations sectors in both Chicago and New York City.
Mike graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in economics, political science, and Russian & East European Studies. He completed a master’s degree in public policy at the University of Chicago.
Mike Hanus helped me think through the best approaches to some very challenging research projects and provided thoughtful, on-point analysis that complements my own insights. He is a terrific research partner and a creative problem-solver who can think big-picture and also deliver the details.
- Michael Stoner | President & Co-Founder, mStoner, Inc.
Bill Hayward, Project Consultant
Currently the Director of Institutional Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Bill previously worked for twenty years in institutional research at Northwestern University. He began his consulting career leading the higher education practice at Slover Linett Strategies, where Mike and Bill worked together.
Much of Bill’s work focus has been prospective students and admitted students research, among other audiences that are critical to inform enrollment management strategy and planning. He has also worked in alumni engagement research and advancement studies for universities and top-tier graduate programs.
Bill graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in sociology. He completed a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin and completed coursework toward a doctorate. He also has a graduate certificate from the University of Illinois at Chicago in educational research methodology.