Student Affairs Research & Information (SARI) has three primary goals:

• To conduct comprehensive, student-centered institutional research and evaluation activities that support the academic mission of UC Davis.
• To maintain databases and produce information that meets the needs of campus decision makers, workgroups and committees and that addresses the information requirements of external requesters (e.g., federal and state agencies, accrediting agencies, reporters, AAU institutions, college guide publishers).
• To provide analytical support to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and other campus entities (e.g., Undergraduate Advising Council, Undergraduate Associate Deans, Academic Senate Committee on Education, Vice Provost Undergraduate Studies, Analytical Studies, and College Academic Review Committees).

Two comprehensive and influential recent studies are the survey of 1999 alumni and the 2001 survey of enrolled students.

At the 2001 Chancellor's Fall Conference on undergraduate education, SARI data were used to anchor and center many of the discussions. Vice-Chancellor Wall undergirded her presentation, later made available to the full campus community, with SARI data and then compared UC Davis specific trends with the most recent data from comparison institutions.