Claremont College Consortium

From Shared Challenges to Shared Success: Claremont Colleges' ERP Evolution

institutional profile

Clustered both geographically and academically, the eight Claremont Colleges – six undergraduate and two graduate campuses enable their students to attend a small, tightly focused college even as they enjoy the benefits the large college consortium offers including cross-enrollment in classes, and participation in a host of multi-campus social, academic, political, creative and religious organizations.

The consortium consists of Pomona College, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont University Consortium, Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, and Keck Graduate Institute.

Challenge

The Claremont Colleges Consortium faced a complex set of challenges in managing their student information systems and adapting to evolving educational technology needs:

  • Managing a shared environment with multiple institutions using a single student system (Jenzabar) and multiple instances of financial aid systems (PowerFaids)
  • Navigating the complexities of cross-registration and shared degree plans across member institutions
  • Assessing the viability and effectiveness of their current systems against rapidly evolving ERP market offerings
  • Needing a comprehensive evaluation of current business processes and desired functionalities across all member institutions
  • Integrating diverse needs and requirements of all undergraduate institutions into a cohesive set of specifications for a potential new system
  • Determining whether to upgrade existing systems or transition to a new, more comprehensive ERP solution
  • Ensuring any new or upgraded system could accommodate the unique operational model of a college consortium
  • Balancing individual institutional needs with the benefits of a unified system approach
  • Adapting to changing student information needs and expectations in a rapidly evolving higher education landscape

These challenges required a strategic approach to not only address current inefficiencies but also to position the consortium for future technological advancements and operational excellence.

Solution

Recognizing the need for expert guidance, the Presidents of the Claremont Colleges consortium took a proactive approach:

  • Issued an RFP to seek assistance in assessing consortial student information needs
  • Sought expertise to navigate the evolving and changing ERP market for student information systems
  • Selected SIG to perform these crucial services based on their extensive experience and expertise

Upon engagement, SIG implemented a comprehensive solution that included:

  • Conducting a thorough review of key existing business processes across the consortium
  • Performing a detailed fit-gap analysis comparing current system capabilities with desired functionalities found in newer ERP solutions
  • Assessing the future viability of the existing Jenzabar system
  • Facilitating an RFP process for a new student information system tailored to the consortium’s unique needs
  • Integrating requirements from all undergraduate institutions into a common set of “Unique SIS Requirements”
  • Educating potential vendors on the consortium’s specific and unique requirements to ensure tailored solutions
  • Organizing and overseeing custom product demonstrations from three shortlisted vendors

SIG’s approach was characterized by:

  • Utilization of their Rapid Process Improvement (RPI) methodology to efficiently assess and optimize processes
  • Close collaboration with stakeholders across all member institutions to ensure comprehensive requirement gathering
  • Strategic guidance on translating process improvements into effective ERP system selection criteria
  • Expertise in navigating the complexities of multi-institutional needs within a consortium structure

This multifaceted approach not only addressed the immediate needs of the Claremont Colleges consortium but also positioned them for long-term success in their ERP transformation journey.

HOW SIG CAN HELP

Our Rapid Process Improvement (RPI) process is designed to meet the challenges at your institution. Performed before, after, or in conjunction with the implementation of new technology, an RPI allows you to take stock of your most critical processes, develop ideal processes, and create a plan to achieve dramatic improvements.

By conducting an RPI workshop prior to procuring new technology, SIG will:

  • Meet with stakeholders to define requirements for the future state and then translate into vendor demonstration scripts
  • Ensure first class ERP implementation by re-imagining processes before configuring new technology for dramatic improvement
  • If the outcome is to remain with existing technology, SIG will implement tactical process changes to identify improvements to fully utilize existing technology


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