Dr. Joe Sallustio is one of our nation’s foremost higher education experts and currently serves as the Vice President of Industry Engagement at Ellucian. Previously, Joe served as a higher education executive administrator for over two decades, overseeing every functional area outside of the classroom, at multiple institutions across the U.S. with on-ground, hybrid, and online education options. He is also co-founder and host of “The EdUp Experience,” the nation’s leading higher education podcast, where he has interviewed over 900 total guests and over 300 college and university Presidents. These interviews led him to co-author Commencement: The Beginning of a New Era in Higher Education, that includes insights from the first 125 Presidents interviewed on The EdUp Experience Podcast.
Imagine, for a moment, that one single decision could affect enrollment, retention, registration, course scheduling, course management ability, student accounts, financial aid processing, student experience, outcomes tracking, data visibility, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence adoption, or any other area on the mind of today’s higher education leader. This trajectory-defining decision is often overlooked, the impacts misunderstood, and the consequences of a bad decision are dire.
This decision is not launching a new program, breaking ground on a new building, moving athletics programs through divisions, or even launching a new strategic plan. It’s not a functional restructuring, an investment in a new initiative, or deciding to execute cost-cutting measures to align revenue and expenses. In fact, this consequential decision is one that leaders at the highest level within higher education don’t fully understand – which is why the results bring confidence or catastrophe for staff, faculty, and students
What single decision is this consequential and all-encompassing? The answer?
Selecting a cloud-based Student Information System (SIS).
Why SIS Matters
The SIS is the linchpin for higher education operations. Gartner defines the SIS as “the core system of record for higher education institutions that serves as the central hub for storing, organizing and processing student academic and administrative activities.”
The SIS supports the entire student lifecycle, from interest to outcome. It’s the technological backbone that enables institutions to track credit or competency achievement, record progress toward degree completion, and ultimately track outcomes and student success. In essence, the SIS is the technology foundation powering an institution to achieve its mission.
Students, as primary stakeholders, experience the most direct impact. Today’s learner expects user experience in higher education with on-demand access, ease of use, and one that is information-rich – like other technologies they use in their daily lives. A modern SIS can dramatically improve their educational journey through streamlined enrollment processes, real-time access to academic records, and personalized recommendations that are proactive, guide the student and remove friction. It can facilitate easier course registration, more transparent degree progress tracking, and seamless integration with learning management systems. Financial aid officers benefit from improved processing capabilities, ensuring more efficient and accurate aid distribution and registrars can manage academic records and degree audits more effectively. For faculty members, a robust SIS can revolutionize course management and student engagement. It can provide comprehensive student profiles, enabling more personalized instruction and timely interventions. Additionally, streamlined grading and attendance tracking can reduce administrative burdens, allowing faculty to focus more on teaching and learning.
The interconnected nature of these stakeholder benefits underscores the strategic importance of SIS selection. A well-chosen system can create a positive ripple effect throughout the institution, improving overall efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction across all stakeholder groups – especially for students.
The Current Landscape
According to an April 2024 study completed by ListEDtech, data showed that institutions keep their student information systems between one and forty-nine years, with the average being fourteen years. Many leaders in higher education only upgrade their main student system after the current system ages out – which is not a foundation for strategic decision-making or meeting students where they are. This lag in modernization can have serious implications for institutional competitiveness, student satisfaction, and data protection.
Some leaders have become enamored with the possibility of artificial intelligence (AI) enhancing operations and overall institutional efficiency. The active search for bolt-on enhancements is swaying decision-making away from the SIS, the system of institutional service, by demanding implementation time and resources. Future-ready is being A.I. ready – but understanding how artificial intelligence is embedded into the modernization of current product platforms will help leaders maximize their time, efforts, and resources.
If a President or leader needed proof of the need to modernize the SIS, the recent (and continued) FAFSA Simplification initiative has highlighted the crucial role of a modern, flexible SIS. Institutions with agile systems are finding themselves better equipped to handle the changes, processing student information quickly and gaining a competitive edge in a highly competitive marketplace. This situation has served as a wake-up call for many leaders, demonstrating how technological infrastructure directly impacts an institution’s market position.
Business Model Innovation and SIS
As institutions seek to diversify revenue streams and innovate their business models, the SIS becomes even more critical. Discussions around alternative term structures, new financial aid packaging models, and competency-based education all require a flexible SIS capable of supporting these innovations to meet a student where they are – modern technology for a modern student. As institutions experiment with alternative credentials, three-year bachelor’s degrees, and subscription-based Title IV, the modernization of the SIS to keep pace with business ideation becomes table stakes.
For instance, creating different program versions with varying Title IV disbursement models necessitates sophisticated SIS configuration. As institutions face budget cuts, enrollment decline, and, in extreme examples, a potential closure, it’s more important than ever that colleges and universities can remain relevant in the shifting marketplace. A modern SIS isn’t just a repository of information; it’s a powerful tool for data analytics and informed decision-making. It serves as a central hub, integrating data from various institutional systems and providing real-time analytics capabilities. Advanced SIS platforms incorporate predictive analytics models, empowering institutions to be proactive in addressing student retention, enrollment trends, and resource allocation.
By providing accessible, accurate, and timely data, a modern SIS can foster a data-driven culture across the institution – disintegrating silos that hinder innovation. This can transform how an institution operates, leading to improved student outcomes, more efficient resource allocation, and a stronger competitive position.
The Leadership Imperative: A Wake-Up Call
The strategic importance of the SIS selection necessitates Presidents and other senior leaders be actively involved in technology decisions affecting students, staff, and faculty. The choice of SIS is not merely a technological decision but a strategic one that can enable or constrain an institution’s future direction. These decisions require a true partnership with higher education experts – who have built their solutions around the unique and specific needs of colleges and universities.
Modernization initiatives can begin in many areas. Some institutions modernize administrative departments first, delaying student-facing modernization. Others move with a student-first mentality pushing to modernize the SIS and student experience to meet student needs before tackling support areas. Any leader in higher education who has tried to conduct a degree audit for a student who has been misadvised, while trying to bring clarity to their financial aid package, knows exactly where the biggest impact will be. Student-first institutional positioning is best displayed by student-first decision-making.
Eyes on the Future
Selecting a SIS is arguably the one of the most consequential decisions a college leadership team can make. This isn’t a simple technological decision, it affects how effective the institution will be in achieving their mission in the future. It impacts every aspect of institutional operations and directly influences the ability to serve students effectively. As higher education continues to evolve, leaders must recognize the strategic importance of this choice and approach it with the careful consideration it deserves – and avoiding a SIS modernization due to institutional inertia is an excuse to accept the status quo.
In an era where data-driven decision-making and student-centric operations are paramount, the right SIS is the most powerful tool for institutional success. It’s time for Presidents and university leaders to give this decision the attention it warrants — the future of the institution may depend on it.