Campus Technology

Westmont College has selected a new constituent relationship management (CRM) platform in an effort to modernize its enrollment processes.

Westmont is a four-year undergraduate Christian college with an enrollment cap of 1,200. Reaching that cap “is both an art and a science,” according to a news release. “As part of the college’s strategic planning process, Westmont is embarking on a national marketing campaign, which they anticipate will result in a marked increase in applications. However, it would be virtually impossible to effectively handle the increase with their current manual processes. more

Westmont College has selected a new constituent relationship management (CRM) platform in an effort to modernize its enrollment processes.

Westmont is a four-year undergraduate Christian college with an enrollment cap of 1,200. Reaching that cap “is both an art and a science,” according to a news release. “As part of the college’s strategic planning process, Westmont is embarking on a national marketing campaign, which they anticipate will result in a marked increase in applications. However, it would be virtually impossible to effectively handle the increase with their current manual processes. Westmont selected Enrollment Rx to improve how the admissions team functioned, ease the application process for students and improve the college’s ability to create the best class possible.” more

With a cloudy funding picture in store for 2012 college CIOs are honing their presentation and negotiating skills and relying on them to secure financing for their IT projects. … 4. Examine your leasing options. Many of Westmont College’s capital expenses are on leases. In fact, the Santa Barbara, CA-based school’s wired infrastructure, desktop and laptop computers, and security system were all financed this way in order to save on upfront costs. more

When Reed A. Sheard joined Westmont College as the institution’s first chief information officer, he was immediately tasked with turning around an IT department that–while talented and well intentioned–just wasn’t “getting the job done” when it came to advancing technology on campus. That was in 2008, the same year that phrases like “economic recession” and “budget cutbacks” were starting to become more common on college campuses. more

“Positive, but not utopian.” That’s how Reed Sheard, vice president for college advancement and chief information officer of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA, sums up his two-year experience with six different cloud initiatives, including Google Apps for Education, Meraki‘s cloud-managed 802.11n wireless network, and Salesforce.com. more

Reed Sheard, vice president for college advancement and CIO of Westmont College (CA), a small liberal arts college with about 1,300 students, says that, after a thorough assessment by his staff, he was convinced the college’s data “will be much safer in the cloud than in anything we could afford to do here.” more

For some campuses, necessity is the mother of innovation. Reed Sheard, vice president for college advancement and CIO at Westmont College, a liberal arts school in Santa Barbara, CA, said funding issues and a devastating wildfire shifted his priorities. more

I am one of the very fortunate IT professionals who get to work in higher education. It is a great job, something that more resembles a calling than a way to make a living. I truly love showing up every day to work at Westmont College. This is an exciting time at the college. There are a many strategic initiatives in motion across the institution. However, as for many schools and businesses, the reality of the economic downturn has required us to think differently about how we want to improve the organization. The typical, time-honored approach would be to hire additional people to help lead new initiatives. But the reality of this economy has made all of us realize that now is not a time when we can do much hiring, and that we are all expected to do more. more

Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA has gone public with its use of cloud computing for application integration. The college is using a cloud integration platform from Cast Iron Systems to secure two-way exchange of real-time information between SalesForce CRM, Westmont’s on-demand constituent relationship management application, and its Datatel enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which runs on the college’s private network. more

Westmont has about 1,350 students and 24 major buildings on its 111-acre campus. The college decided to upgrade to an all 802.11n network for two primary reasons. First, it had experienced a significant increase in mobile Internet usage among students and faculty and expects the trend to accelerate in the coming years. Westmont plans to use its 802.11n wireless network to support in-class and campus applications as well as providing Internet connectivity within residence halls and faculty residences. Second, Westmont’s existing deployment didn’t provide comprehensive indoor/outdoor coverage and wasn’t user friendly. more