Wake Forest University (WFU) is in the midst of a 28-month student information system (SIS) transition. The authors' offices are deeply involved in this process on a daily basis. As the university collects and analyzes data, discusses operational needs with campus colleagues, builds and configures tenants, tests and validates, and implements a new…

This article is the second of a three-part series based on the book "Basic Guide to Financial Aid." The contents within are adapted from the publication, with additional emphasis on the impact federal student aid administration has on non-financial aid professionals in higher education today. It should be noted that this information is…

Granting access to student information, for what purpose, and to whom, is rarely a simple decision. Academic records have long been critical to the functioning of a university, but leveraging institutional data has become increasingly important (Lester, et al. 2017). Data stewards in higher education institutions nationwide confront a…

The spread of COVID-19 has caused major disruptions in the higher education space, and colleges and universities faced difficult decisions on how to reopen their campuses. At Indiana University Bloomington, student exposure to other students was reduced by leveraging the existing academic calendar and strategically managing course enrollment…

This feature focuses on the five areas an institution needs to know before implementing holistic measures. These include: what does a holistic review entail, how to be legally complaint, Sedlacek's noncognitive variables, applying student success measures, and the vital importance of training.

In order to help assist all students, with or without disabilities, SUNY Corning Community College (CCC), located in the Southern Tier of New York, chose to purchase a new software embedded directly into its LMS platform, Blackboard, called Blackboard Ally. This software is designed to automatically calculate the compliance of a document, video,…

Phillip Henry is a semi-retired former U.K. Registrar and Secretary with almost 40 years' experience in higher education. He has been active in staff development in the United Kingdom (Association of University Administrators, Academic Registrars Council, and Association of Heads of University Administration), in the United States (AACRAO and a…

Current college-aged students, broadly referred to in this article as Gen Z, are entering adulthood with the concept of gender as a spectrum rather than a binary. However, student information systems (SISs) in use throughout U.S. higher education institutions were built with retention and collection practices relative to binary sex and identity…

In this article Philip Henry, now in semi-retirement, reflects on the last 50 years of his career in United Kingdom higher education and the changes that ensued during this time. Over the span of his career he had the opportunity to experience a wide range of institutions in all of the U.K. university mission groups and in a range of positions…

Learners of all types must be able to represent their achievements to prospective employers and education institutions to prove that they have the requisite knowledge and skills for success. The most recognized means by which students represent themselves is the credential. As in many other industries that engage with customers, partners, and…

The authors examined factors that affected the size of the freshman class at small liberal arts colleges after a decline of ten percent or more. Although top ranked national schools needed to do little, lesser ranked ones enjoyed a greater degree of recovery by offering larger amounts of financial aid and regional schools by awarding aid to more…

Non-selective Division III institutions often face challenges in meeting their enrollment goals. To ensure their continued viability, these schools recruit large numbers of student athletes. As a result, when compared to FBS (Football Bowl Division) institutions these schools have a much higher percentage of student athletes on campus and a…

The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) examined nine research areas of interest to its members in 2017. Six took the form of 60-Second Surveys; one was a career profile; another examined community college completion initiatives including student attitudes about community college; and one was completed in…

Relationships are key to the success of everything higher education hopes to accomplish, from recruiting the next class to retaining them, guiding them to graduation, creating successful alumni, and fostering satisfied donors. Creation of those relationships can be engaged and facilitated by the technology, communications tools, and ideas…

As universities begin to implement business intelligence tools such as end-user reporting, data warehousing, and dashboard indicators, data quality becomes an even greater and more public issue. With automated tools taking nightly snapshots of the database, the faulty data grow exponentially, propagating as another layer of the data warehouse.…