Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Stories from the Road: To the Moon and Back. Twice.

Earlier this year my Delta flight took me from PDX to JFK, and somewhere in route I crossed the 1,000,000 flight mile mark.  Or, 2,000 hours.  Or, 84 days.  At 36,000 feet.  Sometimes it can be fun, sometimes not so much.  But it is always an adventure: before, during, and after the flights there are things to experience and people to meet that I would not otherwise encounter.

I will admit that I sometimes long for those days of past elegance in travel, where a flight was a journey and people dressed for the occasion, the anticipation palpable, before air travel became common place, and pajamas acceptable attire.  But on the plane, looking out the window, I am always amazed.  Amazed, first, that the whole, massive, contraption even gets airborne.  Then, amazed at the view above the clouds and the earth so far below.  And finally, I’m amazed that I get to see that view regularly, one that has only been possible in the recent past, and even now, only for a few of us among the billions on the planet.  Amazed and blessed to have this adventure as a regular part of my job.  So next time you fly, ignore the pajamas and take a moment and look, really look, at that view.  You’ll be amazed too.

--James VanArsdel, VP of Client Relations 
James spends much of his time on the road as an ambassador for CollegeNET.  He travels the globe visiting with customers and gathering their inputs to bring back to the home officeIf you'd like to have James visit your campus to learn about your CollegeNET implementation, please let your account manager know!  He's out there folks!



Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Latest Schools to License CollegeNET Series25 Products


Boston University
Yale University

Concordia College- New York
South Piedmont CC

Contra Costa CC District
Atlantic Cape CC

Widener University
Linfield College

Only Series25® Systems Give You All This, and More:
 
    - SaaS and local deployment options (with no outsourcing to third-party providers)
    - Complete academic and event scheduling, including management of resources and event details
    - Bi-directional integration to all student information systems
    - Master calendaring
    - Native event registration and payment processing

More about Series25 here

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Schools are Moving to Series25 SaaS for Improved Application Performance and Reduced IT Overhead

The following institutions have recently moved their Series25® deployment from on premises to CollegeNET SaaS:


Carroll Community College
Frederick Community College

Amarillo College
San Bernardino CC District

Clemson University
University of Redlands

Victor Valley College
Macy's Merchandising

Notre Dame of Maryland
Dutchess Community College

Towson University
Burlington County College

Northeastern University
Northeastern Illinois University

Schools continue to migrate to Series25 SaaS for maintenance-free, secure service.  SaaS from CollegeNET streamlines the deployment process, reduces IT burden, and optimizes application performance.

Learn more about how SaaS from CollegeNET can enhance your Series25 implementation here.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Latest Schools to Go Live with Series25


Seton Hall Unviersity
University of Winnipeg

CSU East Bay
University of Alaska Anchorage

Salem State University
Concordia University, Irvine

Virginia Tech
Fuller Theological Seminary

Northeastern University
Portland CC District 

Pitt Community College
Onondaga CC

University of South Carolina
Burlington County College

University of Virginia
Montclair State U

The Series25® scheduling system from CollegeNET provides optimized course and event scheduling, calendar publishing and space use analytics.  Series25 is available as a SaaS or on premises solution, only from CollegeNET. 

Get more information about CollegeNET Series25 Here

Monday, October 5, 2015

The Latest Schools to Upgrade to 25Live


Florida Polytechnic University
University of Michigan-Dearborn

Muhlenberg College
Towson University

Cal Poly SLO
UNC Charlotte

Millikin University
Community College of Rhode Island

Eastern Michigan University
Widener University

Burlington County College
Franklin University

Gaston College
University of Redlands

Aurora University
Brookdale Community College

Wor-Wic Community College
The Catholic University of America

Cuesta College
Benedictine University

Upgrading to the 25Live® all-in-one scheduling system makes course and event scheduling, resource  management, and campus-wide calendaring easier and more efficient.  25Live also includes e-commerce features to manage event registration, ticket and merchandise sales, and event accounting online. CollegeNET technology assures schools the highest level of security and maintenance-free service.

Learn more about CollegeNET Scheduling, Calendaring, and Event Management systems.

The Latest Institutions to License ApplyWeb Admissions Systems from CollegeNET


Portland State University
Radford University

University of Houston
Lehigh University

University of Michigan 
Washington University St. Louis

Miami University-Oxford
Richland College

Wilberforce University
Oaks Christian School

University of Hartford
Idaho State University

Boston University
Edinboro University Grad School

Tulane University
Northern Illinois University Grad School

These institutions have chosen CollegeNET’s integrated electronic admissions and recruiting systems to improve efficiency, reduce administrative time and paper consumption, and improve the application experience for students and prospects.  CollegeNET’s  ApplyWeb® admission application processing, evaluation, and CRM systems also maximize yield and retention because they enable schools to more successfully target students and stay connected with them throughout the entire admissions and decision process.

Get more information about CollegeNET’s ApplyWeb® Systems here

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

University of Tennessee, Knoxville Graduate Admissions Cuts Application Review Time by More than a Month!

University of Tennessee, Knoxville recently selected CollegeNET’s Admit application evaluation system to replace their paper review process. The new system has not only helped the school’s Graduate Admissions centralize and streamline their entire application processing and decision process, it has also saved a lot of administrative time.

According to Yvonne Kilpatrick, Assistant Dean and Director for Graduate Admissions at University of Tennessee,

"[Using Admit] we have reduced the time to review applications for admissibility to the Graduate School by at least five weeks during the peak season."

In addition to saving time, UT Grad’s switch to Admit has made the evaluation process simpler and more convenient for the review committee. In fact, the system appears to have won over even the most ardent skeptics: One mathematics faculty member who had formerly refused to look at anything but paper ultimately chose to use Admit exclusively.

One of the big advantages of the Admit system is Admit Reader, which allows authorized faculty to review and evaluate applications on their mobile devices, anytime, anywhere.

To learn about Admit’s many other exciting features, contact us!

Thursday, August 27, 2015

The Latest Technology for Higher Ed Revealed at CollegeNET User Conference

Nearly 500 college administrators and staff from across the country gathered in Portland for CollegeNET’s annual User Conference in July. Customers attended three days of workshops and seminars and enjoyed a variety of receptions, food and entertainment.  Demonstrations of CollegeNET’s new surveys and self-assessment technology, and new video interview and career placement services were among the variety of seminars and workshops offered. Customer presentations gave attendees an opportunity to learn from the experiences of colleagues and get helpful advice.  Each year, in addition to the informative sessions, CollegeNET treats conference goers to the sights and culture of the beautiful Pacific Northwest with a variety of tours, activities and local entertainment.

Comments from this year’s attendees included:

“Love the conference every year!”

“Great food, great networking opportunities, good information and availability of staff support and connecting with the people behind the scenes.”

“Very thoughtful and generous events. Enjoyed the hospitality.”

“CollegeNET staff is absolutely amazing. As a first timer I thoroughly enjoyed all of the session interactions with them, as well as the fun out of session times with staff. I truly appreciated their excitement and enthusiasm.”

Mark your calendar!  The next CollegeNET User Conference is July 17-20, 2016.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

University of Iowa Athletics Department Boosts Results with Online Surveys

University of Iowa Athletics Department replaced their paper survey process with the What.Do.You.Think? online evaluation and survey system from CollegeNET. The new system not only eliminated paper consumption, it also yielded more useful data and faster analysis. Using What.Do.You.Think? gives the University customizable online forms they can use for any data gathering purpose.

According to UI Associate Athletics Director Fred Mims, “Using CollegeNET to offer an online version of our student-athlete year-end survey provided several benefits: Our student-athletes had the flexibility to access and complete the survey at a time convenient to them. Their anonymity was protected, giving them the freedom to be as candid as possible. We were able to immediately compile and assess results for timely review.”

Before piloting the online surveys with the Athtletics Department, University of Iowa began using What.Do.You.Think? campus wide last year for term course evaluations.  According to Annette Beck, Director of Enterprise Instructional Technology and Evaluation & Exam Service, “What.Do.You.Think? surveys and reporting features allow us to archive data and see trends over several years, so we can help faculty see where they’re doing well and where they need guidance. We couldn’t do this kind of analysis with our old system.”

Learn how What.Do.You.Think? can improve data gathering and analysis at your school here

Monday, August 3, 2015

University of Michigan Medical School Streamlines Online Admissions Process Using New AMCAS Import from CollegeNET

University of Michigan Medical School's online application system now seamlessly integrates with the Admit application evaluation system, providing one streamlined admissions process, from submission through evaluation and decision. The University worked with CollegeNET on new technology that automatically imports AMCAS application data directly into Admit.

Combined with this new AMCAS integration, CollegeNET’s ability to collect supplemental forms ensures that all application data is captured in a single system.  According to Sandra Davis, Business Analyst at University of Michigan, “Admit’s flexible permissions settings and high degree of configurability allow administrators to control access to specific data elements and customize the presentation of applicant information based on each individual evaluator’s need.”  The end result is that all evaluators can efficiently review just the applicant data they need to see while still recording their comments and scores in one centralized location for easy comparison.

Thanks to Admit Reader mobile compatibility, authorized staff can also review and score applications on their smart phones and tablets—anywhere, anytime.

Contact Sales to learn how Admit/AMCAS integration can streamline admissions for your medical school.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Colleges and Universities Overwhelmingly Choose CollegeNET’s SaaS Scheduling System

Over the past year, 100 percent of new licensees of CollegeNET’s  Series25®  institution wide scheduling and calendaring system have chosen the SaaS option, including these institutions:


Penn State University
CSU San Bernardino

Miami-Dade College
Hillsborough Community College

Pepperdine University
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College

St Bonaventure University
Heartland Community College

Manhattan College
Yuba College

Find out why over 275 institutions have already chosen CollegeNET’s SaaS deployment model.  Our native SaaS platform benefits your institution by conserving precious IT resources, speeding time to go-live, improving application performance, and ensuring that the most current version of the solution is always available. 

Contact CollegeNET Sales to Learn More

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Virginia Tech Posts Record Year in Applications for Admission

According to a recent report from the Collegiate Times, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University achieved an eight percent jump in total admissions applications, from nearly 21,000 to 22,500.  Mildred Johnson, Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Director of Undergraduate Admissions, believes that Virginia Tech's "personalized attention in the admissions process," accounts in part for the increase.  

Virginia Tech uses CollegeNET as their online application providerAccording to Mildred, CollegeNET's ApplyWeb® admission system facilitates Virginia Tech's holistic, highly personalized approach because of its scalable, SaaS platform which easily manages surges in application volume without compromising quality of service to applicants.

Learn more about how CollegeNET's admissions systems can improve the applicant experience and facilitate growth in the admissions program at your institution here.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

The Latest Schools to Go Live with Intelligent Connections Applicant Portals



Caltech
St. Louis University

Worcester State U
Lehigh University

Western Washington U
University of Penn, Wharton

Montana State U
University of Penn, Grad

Univ of Oklahoma
University of Houston

These institutions have chosen CollegeNET’s Applicant Portals  to improve efficiency, reduce administrative time, and improve the application experience for students.  CollegeNET’s Intelligent Connections® Applicant Portals help your institution stay connected with applicants throughout the entire admissions and decision process, facilitating higher completion rates and better overall yield on your admissions recruitment efforts. 

Get more information about CollegeNET Admissions Systems Here

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Early Customer Reports Reveal HUGE Performance Improvements With New vCal Import Process

Here are just a handful of the comments we have received from customers who are using the recently refactored vCal Import process:

"REMARKABLE! I cleared a prior term from R25 in preparation for batch exporting it again.  As such, it had all its room assignments already in our PeopleSoft test system. What usually takes several hours did not. I started the batch export process at 12:27PM and it finished at 12:45PM (18 minutes) exporting 2,271 classes. Since I could not believe it, I cleared the term again (which took 56 minutes) and re-ran the batch export at night from home.  Again, it ran in 18 minutes, representing a 90%+ time reduction.  Bravo for allowing us to assign resources. Double Bravo for allowing event type changes."
-- Bob Caron, UMASS Boston

"I just ran a batch download for fall into test. 2043 sections loaded in about 17 minutes. It used to take 5 hours or more. Hurray! Thank you!"
-- Tammy Miller, University of Idaho

"I just had to share how great I think it is that the meeting pattern now appears as part of the reservation. This saves me a ton of time researching issues with placements in the Optimizer…
Nice enhancement to go along with the lightning fast transactional processing… You guys are AWESOME!"
-- Steve Reed, Ball State University

"These are the results of the 201508 Batch Export:
       Interface started on 2015-02-11 at 08:44:03:67
       Batch Download completed 09:11:22:654 Number of classes: 4359……………… 27 minutes!!!!
This is fantastic!"
-- Vandy Travelstead, Clemson University

"It is *ridiculously* fast. The old way took 5.5 hours; the new way took about 30 minutes."
-- Monika Schwartz, Duquesne University

If you have a vCal performance story you'd like to share with us, or have a suggestion for where we can make additional improvements, please let us hear from you.  CollegeNET is paying attention and working hard to provide you with the best possible user experience.  Let us know what matters to you so we can make it happen!

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Come See What Your Peers Are Up To at the CollegeNET User Conference!

Below is just a sampling of the engaging customer presentations that will be on tap at this year's annual CollegeNET User Conference.  Come hear how other institutions have creatively addressed their institutional challenges using CollegeNET products and services. We hope to see you here in July!

Admissions

University of Kansas - Prospect CRM Implementation
Washington State University - Multi-Campus Implementation of Prospect CRM
Lehigh University - Implementing CollegeNET Admissions Systems
University of Kansas - Implementing Admit for Grad Funding 
Miami University of Ohio - Using Prospect CRM for Graduate Assistantship Nomination



Scheduling

College of Lake County - Integrating Catering into 25Live®
Missouri State University - Implementing 25Live for Energy Efficient Scheduling
East Carolina University - Final Exam Scheduling in 25Live
Loyola Marymount University - Streamlining Facilities Management in 25Live
UT San Antonio - Creating 25Live Custom Reports with Webservices
CSU San Marcos - Implementing 25Live Publisher Across Campus
UMASS Boston - Creating X25® Parameters and Reports
Florida Southwestern SC - Room Assignment Optimization with Schedule25®

The User Conference  is July 12-15.  Please register Here!

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Stories from the Road: Golf Carts!

Often when I’m visiting a campus I see golf carts in use … by the facilities folks, security, general transportation around campus.  Oh, and occasionally on an actual golf course that is a part of the school.

At Furman University in South Carolina golf carts are used to give tours by the admission staff, but with a twist.  The roof of each cart is actually a solar battery so the carts are powered by the sun!  New technology requires new habits, though, and soon after the carts arrived, they started running out of ‘gas’ while on tour.  It didn't take long to figure out that the cause was the garage--- no sun,  no power!

In order to keep the carts charged and ready to roll, the admissions staff are now keeping the carts right at the curb outside their building.  Way to go Paladins for going green!

--James VanArsdel, VP of Client Relations 
 
Note:  If you'd like to have James visit your campus to learn about your CollegeNET implementation, or explore campus in alternative forms of transportation, please let your account manager know!

Monday, May 18, 2015

Stories from the Road: Live Catfish

I recently attended the ALLIANCE conference, this year held in Music City . . . Nashville, Tennessee.  The conference was well attended and informative, and the hotel was huge and amazing.  But what caught my eye was a BBQ restaurant that I passed daily on the drive from the convention center to the hotel.

Now I love me some BBQ, and was going to stop in for lunch, until I saw a sign out front that read “Come on in and see the LIVE Catfish”.  Catfish, live or otherwise, are not a draw for me, but especially in a BBQ joint where I have brisket and macaroni and cheese on my mind.  Perhaps I was not the target market for this advertising ploy, because I opted to drive on down the road to a different restaurant to find my brisket glory.  BBQ?  Yes, please.  Live catfish, well, no thank you.

--James VanArsdel, VP of Client Relations 
 
Note:  If you'd like to have James visit your campus to learn about your CollegeNET implementation, or to experience the regional culinary traditions, please let your account manager know!  He's game for (almost) anything!

Monday, May 11, 2015

Stories from the Road: Good Golly, Miss Molly!

When driving to visit our clients I try to stay very focused on the GPS and my printed directions; I am easily distracted and can quickly end up lost if I don’t pay attention.  That means that sometimes I miss cool things along the way because I am concentrating on not getting lost!

On a recent visit to Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, I made it to campus without incident and had a great meeting.  On the way out of the campus I looked up at the street signs at the intersection and saw that in one direction the street was named “Mercer University Drive” but in the other direction it was “Little Richard Penniman Blvd”.  Good golly!  I about missed a street named for iconic rocker, and Macon native son, Little Richard.

I found a Little Richard station on Pandora and continued my Georgia drive to some amazing music from this 82 year old pioneer of rock and roll.  Don’t forget to enjoy the journey, sometimes it is more fun than the destination.

--James VanArsdel, VP of Client Relations 
 
Note:  If you'd like to have James visit your campus to learn about your CollegeNET implementation, or swap trivia stories about local rock 'n roll heros, please let your account manager know!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

University of Kansas Graduate School Boosts Application Numbers and Diversity Efforts with Help from the Prospect Recruiting and Communications system from CollegeNET

Before the University of Kansas began using the Prospect Recruiting and Relationship Management system for Graduate admissions, each graduate program managed its own communications, allowing no process for centralized tracking of recruitment efforts. After integrating the Prospect system with the school’s Admit application evaluation system, the admissions office can now track the activity of each applicant, from initial inquiry through matriculation, and use automated communication tools to encourage prospects to complete their applications. Now, the school can prepopulate application forms with student data, including fee waiver codes, to facilitate the process.  KU Grad is also using the system’s robust reporting features to evaluate and improve diversity efforts and other recruiting practices. 

“Our professional campus, which piloted Prospect before it was rolled out to all graduate programs, has seen roughly a 16% increase in applications compared to this point in the cycle two years ago. The system definitely puts a friendly and more professional face on our communications, and it allows programs to evaluate each step of their recruitment efforts.”  – Amanda Ostreko, Director of Graduate Enrollment, University of Kansas

Find out more about Prospect

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Scholarship Site Rewards Students for Participating in Online Forums – Builds communication skills while leveling the playing field

CollegeNET.com, the popular online forum and scholarship competition for students, has awarded more than $1.7 million in college scholarships to date.

All currently enrolled college students and recent graduates are eligible to compete for weekly scholarships toward tuition or repayment of student loans. Scholarships are awarded based on points earned for participation and a peer voting system.

Here’s what one scholarship winner had to say about her experience on CollegeNET.com:

“CollegeNET has been great! I love being able to discuss anything with other people, and I only have to go on the forums that really interest me, which is different from a lot of other online scholarships where there is only one topic…. Everyone has been very encouraging and really want each other to succeed despite us all competing against each other. It is nice that it doesn't matter what your GPA is, what extracurriculars you do, or how well you answer the essay question, based on judging standards. It only matters that you are honest, state your opinion as you see it, and are voted based on your peers' standards.”
        
         – Dessa, student at Western Washington University

Visit the site here

Friday, April 3, 2015

Colorado Mountain College: 13 Locations, 1 instance of 25Live SaaS!

Spread throughout 12,000 square miles of the Rocky Mountains, amidst Colorado’s famed skiing destinations, are the thirteen locations of Colorado Mountain College.  The college has been a Series25® customer since 2008, originally deploying the software as an on-premises solution.  However, given the logistical challenges of serving such a vastly decentralized college, CMC’s small, efficiency-minded IT shop smartly decided to move their 25Live® implementation to the native SaaS platform offered by CollegeNET. 

According to Felix Haeuptle, Application Programmer Analyst and Series25 Administrator at Colorado Mountain College, migrating to SaaS was a “non-event” and, of the many migrations he’s facilitated over his 16 years in IT, this was one of the smoother ones. 

And now that Colorado Mountain’s system is on the SaaS platform, it has freed Felix and his IT colleagues up to focus on other projects, including extending their 25Live and X25® implementations.  Felix’s only complaint:  “Wish we’d done it sooner!”

Learn more about Series25 SaaS here

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Stories from the Road: Cheese What?

One of the perks of my job is the food … all kinds from all over the country …. I am not a shy eater and look forward to new regional specialties when traveling.  Recently in Wisconsin, I was offered my new favorite thing: fried cheese curds.  I like cheese and I like fried things, so this was a match made in comfort food heaven.  Cheddar cheese curds, which were new to me, encased in a brown crunchy coating … mini grilled cheese sandwiches in all of their cheesy glory.  I sampled the nearly addictive, fried cheese curds whenever they were offered during the trip, trying to figure out my favorites and what made each batch different.  What I found was that I liked them all, but my waist did not.  So, it's back to all things in moderation, deep friend cheesy wonderfulness or not, until I discover that next new culinary temptation somewhere down the road.  I’m ready for the challenge.

--James VanArsdel, VP of Client Relations 

Note:  If you'd like to have James visit your campus and perhaps share a regional delicacy or two, please let your account manager know!


Friday, March 20, 2015

The Latest Schools to Upgrade to 25Live

   Northeastern University (SaaS)         The New School 
   Fuller Theologicial Seminary (SaaS)    University of Delaware
   North Idaho College    South Dakota Board of Regents
   New York University (SaaS)    Central Washington University
   CSU, East Bay (SaaS)    Southern New Hampshire University
   Calvin College (SaaS)    Fort Lewis College (SaaS)
   University of Alaska Anchorage (SaaS)    Roanoke-Chowan CC (SaaS)
   University of Wisconsin-Whitewater    Riverside Community College District
   Central Ohio Technical College    Western Washington University (SaaS)
   Rider University (SaaS)    Onondaga CC (SaaS)

Upgrading to 25Live® gives schools an all-in-one solution that makes event scheduling, resources (singular) management, and campus-wide calendaring easier and more efficient.  25Live also includes e-commerce features to manage event registration, ticket and merchandise sales, and event accounting online. CollegeNET technology assures schools the highest level of security and maintenance-free service.

Learn more about CollegeNET Scheduling, Calendaring, and Event Management systems.

More Schools Moving to Series25 SaaS for Improved Application Performance and Reduced IT Overhead

The following institutions have recently moved their Series25® deployment from on premises to CollegeNET SaaS:


Utah Valley College Western Carolina University

Creighton University West Virginia University

CSU East Bay Calvin College

Clemson University Northwood University

Grand Rapids Community College Colorado Mountain College

Schools continue to migrate to Series25 SaaS for maintenance-free, secure service.  SaaS from CollegeNET streamlines the deployment process, reduces IT burden, and optimizes application performance.

Learn more about how SaaS from CollegeNET can enhance your Series25 implementation here.  

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Latest Schools to Go Live with Series25


University of Pittsburgh (SaaS)
CSU Fullerton (SaaS)

University of Louisville (SaaS)
Illinois Central College

Michigan State University
Harrisburg Area Community College

Suffolk County Community College (SaaS)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Massachusetts Maritime Academy (SaaS)
Virginia Tech (SaaS)

Series25® from CollegeNET provides optimized course and event scheduling, calendar publishing and space use analytics.  Series25 is available as a SaaS or on premises solution, only from CollegeNET. 

Get more information about CollegeNET Series25 Here

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Latest Schools to License CollegeNET Series25 Products

     CUNY System (X25® SaaS)    Manhattan College (25Live SaaS)
     Florida Polytechnic U  (25Live® SaaS)  Florida State College (25Live SaaS)
     Penn State University (25Live SaaS)    Frederick CC (X25 and 25Live SaaS)
     Columbia Gorge CC (25Live SaaS)  SUNY Purchase College (X25 SaaS)
     Montclair State University (25Live SaaS)  Miami-Dade College (S25)
     CSU San Bernardino (25Live SaaS)  
 Saint Bonaventure University (S25)

Only Series25® Systems Give You All This, and More:
 
    - SaaS and local deployment options (with no outsourcing to third-party providers)
    - Complete academic and event scheduling, including management of resources and event details
    - Bi-directional integration to all student information systems
    - Master calendaring
    - Native event registration and payment processing

More about Series25 here

Monday, February 16, 2015

Stories From the Road: To Bee, or not to Bee...

We’ve all heard about the decline of bee populations around the country and the efforts that are being made to revive and maintain hives.  From our offices in Portland we can look across the square and see two hives atop the building that houses Macy’s and The NINES Hotel, along with flower and herb gardens that provide ingredients for the hotel’s kitchens and bars.  Several resorts in Hawai’i now have apiaries, usually on the roof, that produce honey for use in the kitchens and spas, as well as for sale to consumers. 

Well, in an interesting college twist, while visiting at American University in Washington, DC, I discovered bee hives in a central courtyard garden, surrounded by glass walled conference rooms.  I learned that the hives are tended by the Beekeeping Society of American University, and that the bees work their pollinating magic around campus, a designated arboretum, and in the surrounding community.  Urban agriculture on campus, now that's something to buzz about!

--James VanArsdel, VP of Client Relations 

Note:  James loves visiting customers and learning about what makes life interesting on campus. If your school could use some on-site customer support from James, please let your account manager know!

Monday, February 2, 2015

CollegeNET Annual User Conference Registration is Now Open

Willamette Jet Boat Tour
Every summer CollegeNET software users gather in beautiful Portland, Oregon, for three days of seminars, workshops, and Q&A sessions. The User Conference gives academic schedulers, event planners, admissions and recruiting managers, and other administrative professionals a rare opportunity to catch up with colleagues from around the country and get up-to-speed on the latest technology for their schools. This year CollegeNET welcomes attendees with hosted receptions, evening entertainment, and tours of the region’s cultural and scenic attractions. Register before May 13 to take advantage of the discounted rate.

The Details:
Conference Dates:  July 12-15, 2015
Location:  Portland Hilton & Executive Tower, Portland, OR
Cost:  $450 Early Bird / $550 Regular
Early Bird Deadline: May 13, 2015

For conference schedules and registration, go to:
http://www.corp.collegenet.com/2015UserConference/Welcome.html

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Take it to the Bridge: Emory Bridges the Teleconferences Gap with 25Live!

Long-time CollegeNET customer, Emory University, has come up with yet ANOTHER innovative use for the Series25® scheduling and event management software it licenses from CollegeNET:  They are now using the system to manage a pool of no-cost teleconference bridges available to the campus community.

According to Jennifer Stevenson, Lead Application Developer, and Series25 Administrator at Emory, the project spawned from the IT Services desk, where management of the growing volume of requests had become overwhelming.  The bridges are now available upon request to students, faculty, interns and medical staff--- anyone with Emory University and Emory Healthcare credentials.  Requests are processed by designated 'approvers' in 25Live, using native approval workflow. 

For an institution comprised of two higher education campuses and a leading healthcare provider, the eight no-cost bridges have become among the most popular 'spaces' requested in 25Live--- barely into its second year, the program managed over 1000 conference bridge requests in Q4 of 2014 alone, according to Jennifer.  She is now using 25Live reports to analyze bridge use patterns and determine whether additional bridges are needed.

If you have an interesting 25Live implementation story you'd like to share with the CollegeNET community, please contact your account manager.  We'd love to hear from you!




Monday, January 26, 2015

The Latest Schools to Go Live with Intelligent Connections Admissions Systems

     Montana State Grad (ApplyWeb®)       Manhattan College (ApplyWeb)
     Brown University (Prospect)       University of Houston Grad (Admit)
     Virginia Tech (Prospect)       Montana State University Grad (Admit)
     Washington State University (Prospect)       Saint Louis University Grad (Admit)
     Princeton University (Prospect)       University of Vermont Grad (Admit)
     University of Pennsylvania (ApplyWeb)        Western Washington State Grad (Admit)
     Northwestern University (ApplyWeb)       Wharton School of Business (Admit)
     CalTech Grad School  (ApplyWeb)       Cornell University Grad (Prospect)
     Stanford University Grad (Prospect)       John Glenn School of Public Affairs (Prospect) 

These institutions have chosen CollegeNET’s centralized electronic admissions and recruiting systems to improve efficiency, reduce administrative time and paper consumption, and improve the application experience for students and prospects.  CollegeNET’s Intelligent Connections® admission application processing, evaluation, and CRM systems also maximize yield and retention because they enable schools to more successfully target students and stay connected with them throughout the entire admissions and decision process.

Get more information about CollegeNET Online Admissions Systems Here

Friday, January 23, 2015

CollegeNET Consultant Visits Norfolk State University, Becomes Spartan Super Fan!


While working with the good folks at Norfolk State University, CollegeNET professional services consultant, Andrea Martin, was treated to a Spartan's football game.  With help from NSU's implementation team, Andrea really got in the spirit of things--- they made sure she had all the necessary accessories to pull for the home team!

Our professional and amiable consultants are one of the many benefits available to CollegeNET customers.  Contact your account manager today to learn more about how CollegeNET's professional services can take your implementation to the next level.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Stories from the Road: Ships, Not Boats!

Boats, well ships, and my maritime visits.  During 2014 I visited two of our clients with “Maritime” in their names:  California Maritime Academy and Massachusetts Maritime Academy.  Both campuses are, obviously, on the water, and both have large ocean going vessels [ships, not boats] berthed and ready for cadet training cruises.

But I also discovered that we have a third client with an affiliated maritime academy, Northwestern Michigan College and the Great Lakes Maritime Academy.  The GLMA is the only fresh water maritime academy in the US and also has a ship for training cruises on the Great Lakes, who knew!  What I found at all three locations is that 25Live is used, or will be used, to book all campus space … land or sea … now if I can find an aviation academy.

--James VanArsdel, VP of Client Relations and CollegeNET road warrior nonpareil! 

Scholarship Site Rewards Students with More than Money: open forum builds communication skills, provides a sense of community

A graduate of Provo High School in Utah has accumulated close to $18,000 in college scholarship winnings from CollegeNET.com. When asked about her experience with the site, the student said:

“When I’m not on a break (even when I was on a break) I post no matter what, five times a day. To me it is about the community. Yes, I like to win, but it is more about the support.
I have gotten a lot of support from this community.”

CollegeNET.com is the popular scholarship site where students determine who will win money for college. Weekly scholarships, which can be applied toward college tuition or repayment of existing student loans, are awarded based on points earned for participation in open topic forums and a peer voting system. The site has awarded more than $1.6 million in scholarships to date.