A Road Trip to Scholarship Program Efficiency at Colleges and Universities

Transcription

1 A Road Trip to Scholarship Program Efficiency at Colleges and Universities Robin Yarbrough, Jacksonville State University Chris Cheatwood, Jacksonville State University Joni Malson, Kennesaw State University 1

2 Objective: Share how automation, including integration with university systems, helped us improve our processes by Centralizing tasks for students Managing renewable awards Eliminating subjective awarding Ensuring donor appreciation.and much more. 2

3 About the Presenters: Robin Yarbrough Director, University Budgets, Scholarships, Grants & Contracts, Jacksonville State University Chris Cheatwood Systems Analyst, Department of Information Technology, Enterprise Information Systems, Jacksonville State University Joni Malson Assistant Director, Foundation Scholarships and Donor Relations, Kennesaw State University 3

4 About the Institutions: Jacksonville State University Enrollment is 8,550 Awarded $20 million in scholarships in academic year Gives out more money than all other institutions in Alabama, aside from University of Alabama Took process fully online for the first time in Kennesaw State University Enrollment is 35,218 Awarded $2 million in scholarships in academic year Institution is celebrating its 50 th year milestone Has utilized an online process for about 10 years 4

5 5 The State of Affairs

6 Before taking our processes online: Labor intensive paper applications Students submitted multiple applications to multiple departments Manual matching of students to scholarships Stacks of applications for reviewers to review Reports to validate student answers against data from school systems Spreadsheets for budget and award tracking Tireless hours spent compiling data for donor stewardship Subject matter expertise limited to a handful of team members 6

7 Challenges Faced Difficult for students to navigate the application process Felt antiquated Tech savvy generation demands an efficient, online application Manual integration of student system data Labor-intensive matching of students to scholarships Hours of staff time required Complex spending tracking and budget projection processes Loss of donor, scholarship and process knowledge when staffing transitions occurred 7

8 8 Finding a Better Way

9 Something had to change Pulled together a team with representatives from the areas that supported the scholarship process Developed criteria for a solution Online solution that could integrate with the student and donor information systems Easy to navigate, mobile friendly student experience Search database Smart applications Matching engine Online award tracking Managing renewable awards Ability to collect thank you letters and agreements Reporting to track awards and budgets Real-time integration for award posting and document tracking in student information system Evaluated scholarship management products and identified a fiscally-responsible solution that addressed all of our needs 9

10 Creating a One Stop Scholarship Shop Scholarship Search Engine Centralized location where students can apply for scholarships campus-wide Smart logic tailored the application to a student s unique experience Eliminated redundant questions reducing the hoops students need to jump through Robust student profile populated with student information system data via nightly feed Application workflow shows specialized scholarship applications to eligible students only Easy to add new questions to the application(s) and data feed as new opportunities present 10

11 Creating a One Stop Scholarship Shop Award notification and document collection Once awards are made, administrators generate notices from the system Students can accept awards and submit award related items through the system Thank you letters, agreements, photos, etc. Task Portal Allows administrators to assign on-line tasks to students and to communicate with them 11

12 Simplifying the Review Process Easy to navigate system Controlled permissions Present just those scholarships that a reviewer needs to see Automatic matching ensures readers only see qualified candidates for a fund Customized reviewer views Administrators are able to control the data points displayed to the reviewer Ability to sort candidates by those who meet must have and preferred requirements Scoring systems set up to aid with the review process Review and award candidates in multiple years Review and award/revoke renewable scholarships 12

13 Facilitating Donor Stewardship Donors want stories Can pull up any application with an essay and provide a story to a donor Create Stewardship Reports/Packages Pull recipient data from system Collect photos No longer need to chase down students for the data Documentation collected before awards released to the student Ensures thank you letters and agreements on file, when required Consult with donors when gift is being made Project candidate numbers based on current population 13

14 14 Facilitating Donor Stewardship

15 Better Process Administration Budget controls Prevent over awarding Control the amount of spending per awardee Renewable award tracking Encumbered renewable dollars Integration of awards and documentation into student information systems When student accepts the scholarship, system sends an instant update to student accounts When student submits documentation, system sends an instant update to student records Reduce human errors Frees up staff to do other work Real-time reports for reconciliation and budget tracking Access to real-time spending data supports the push to increase enrollment through increasing scholarships 15

16 The NEW State of Affairs Jacksonville State University One year ago, process was decentralized Now approximately 80% centralized with outliers folding into the process this year Music, drama, etc. portfolios can be collected online with the application Incorporate audition feedback into the scholarship review process Instant positive response from students Kennesaw State University Online, centralized system helps answer foundation and donor questions about candidates, recipients, future gifts, funds spent, and available funds Better able to assist at-risk students with funding Use the funding data from the system at the beginning of the year to seek additional funding, growing the scholarship process Reduce time preparing donor stewardship package by incorporating stewardship questions into the application process 16

17 17 Thank You!