Higher education’s path to digital transformation

When I look at the year ahead, I feel a keen sense of excitement. The higher education (HE) sector is changing rapidly before my eyes, accelerating a new wave of digital transformation that is improving student and staff experiences at all levels.

And this trend, which is happening internationally, has been hugely successful for Ellucian. The European region has seen record growth over the last couple years with the signing of new high-profile clients. Across Europe, Ellucian was the partner of choice for 21 new clients in the last four years, with 13 new clients choosing us in 2021 alone, taking us to over 70 European clients in total. One of our newest clients is the University of the Year 2021 winner, Cardiff Metropolitan University. Cardiff Met chose to partner with Ellucian to improve staff and user experience with our Banner Cloud and CRM system.

Accelerating digital transformation to overcome challenges

Since the beginning of the global pandemic, we have seen an urgent need for universities and HE institutions internationally to invest in digital transformation. The HE landscape is an evolving environment, and the increase in remote access to central services requires solutions that integrate seamlessly for an enhanced user experience, as well as platforms that run smoothly and are accessible by a large volume of users from different locations at any given time.

To provide institutions with a digital campus experience whether on- or off-site, Ellucian is the chosen partner for more than 2,700 customers worldwide. In Europe, the BIMM Group, the largest multi-campus specialist provider of creative arts education in the UK, opted for Ellucian Banner Student with Ellucian Managed Cloud, a student information system (SIS) to support all activities from registration, enrolment, grading, advising and course planning. In addition, BIMM’s suite of Ellucian cloud-based solutions ensure that BIMM’s needs are met across all campus sites, now and in the future. BIMM opted for our CRM Recruit, CRM Advise, Intelligent Learning Platform (ILP), and Ethos solutions to enable future growth and development in a connected environment. Deployed across BIMM’s current institutions and automatically made available for future ones, these solutions enable BIMM to improve efficiencies and ensure a consistently seamless user experience. Accounting for all necessary interactions and adapting ahead of cybersecurity needs, these technologies keep systems running smoothly.

With the ever-changing user requirements in response to remote access and digital transformation, clients need to be able to trust their system to adapt as well. From the first conversation we have with prospective customers, our UCISA Capability Model-based approach allows us to identify early on which of our products can offer exactly what they need. We emphasize long-term value by delivering solutions that not only achieve immediate goals but will also adapt alongside other transformation needs across the institution.

Facilitating change through forward-thinking solutions

Looking ahead at 2022 and beyond, Ellucian is equipped to meet the challenges ahead while adding immediate and consistent value from the start. From the first conversation onward, our customers have access to higher education technology experts that truly understand their goals. By working in close partnership, we provide institutions with what they need at every step. And throughout consultancy, we can begin implementation, saving time and reducing costs.

Traditionally, implementing a new system could take years, but Ellucian’s deployment approach will get customers up and running on their new cloud system in just 12 months. At the same time, our Experience platform and business APIs ensure operations are connected seamlessly across the campus using multiple applications. Ellucian’s solutions adapt at the pace of the institution, not the other way around, providing a common infrastructure and UI while rolling out integrations with new apps and data sources as applicable.

Historically, HE institutions relied heavily on providing on-campus services for their students. I still recall enrolling in person in the administration office and submitting my printed essays in person to a pigeonhole. Today’s students, however, are true digital natives and are used to doing everything online, from uploading enrolment documents and submitting assignments to checking grades and registering for classes. Users expect a smooth, connected and simplified experience that is consistent on and off campus.

Across Europe, Ellucian serves more than 700,000 students across 74 institutions, with half of our customers having been with us for over 10 years. Based across the UK, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland and France, our institutions rely on Banner and Quercus solutions to serve students and achieve their goals. And I am excited to know that the growth we are seeing across the region signals an increased demand and need for standardization across the sector.

Looking ahead

The need to adapt, while accelerated by the pandemic, is not going away. HE institutions all over Europe are migrating their SIS and CRM to the cloud and Ellucian is supporting this migration at all operational levels. We are partnering with existing and prospective clients to prepare for a future with SaaS by empowering them to change and adapt their systems accordingly. And by doing so, we serve thousands of students by providing them with a user experience that adds value and enjoyment to their time in higher education.

Learn more about Ellucian’s flexible, cloud-based SIS and CRM solutions designed to support your success today and into the future.