Donna Salak knew the financial aid office at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, was not using its Banner student information system to full capacity. Salak, who is Xavier’s director of financial aid, had staff with a user-level understanding of Banner, but there had been knowledge loss on the technical side due to staff turnover. Salak […]
D enise Swett has seen the same approach from several different companies when it comes to offering academic-planning solutions: Plenty of promises that do not fit the needs students at Foothill College, a community college in Northern California. "Everyone says they're going to solve our retention problems or graduation problems," says Swett, who has a […]
What do you see as today’s biggest challenge in operating a campus mailroom? Is there anything colleges tend to do that makes the problem worse? “One of the biggest problems for campus mailrooms is lack of space! You can hire more workers and buy more software, but it’s practically impossible to get more space. If students […]
After working in an antiquated mailroom in a windowless basement of a dorm, Linda Barrows was thrilled to occupy space in the brand new, centrally located Center for Communication and Creative Media on the campus of Champlain College in Vermont. Her process has been upgraded as much as her digs. In the "old" days, her […]
Future use of unmanned aerial systems, more commonly known as "drones," is limited only by the imagination (and physics). Needless to say, the use of drones for both commercial and private purposes will only increase. This emerging technology provides not only opportunities for colleges, but also headaches. Balancing the benefits—from improved academic curriculum to research […]
Colleges and universities face an increasingly competitive environment for attracting and retaining students. These challenges are further complicated with tighter funding constraints and the need to keep up with the latest technological advancements to remain competitive. Student ID card systems are not immune to these pressures; outdated ID technology can result in increased costs, long […]
Many higher education institutions still rely on inefficient, disparate systems for tracking employee time and attendance. And with workers on campus in a wide variety of jobs, it can be challenging to manage professional, union, auxiliary and student workforces all at the same time. Some institutions are turning to automated time and attendance solutions to […]
College and university leaders manage large datasets that are compiled across people, departments and systems. Producing quality performance reports, institutional effectiveness measures, and academic data can be a challenge in today’s environment. In addition to maintaining reliable and accurate data, higher ed leaders are continually asked to do more work, with more depth—but without additional […]
The new generation of students and parents has a unique perspective on viewing and paying tuition bills, and a different set of expectations when it comes to the e-commerce options available at their college or university. Understanding and responding to these changing expectations is crucial, not only to remain competitive as an institution, but also […]
Folks ask us about popular college career programs – for example, the emergent death care industry – after all, "people are dying to get in." Just ask any baby boomer who is planning end of life and death care arrangements, and you will hear about white hot jobs – just try "cremation," no pun intended. […]
