FOCUS
TouchNet Information Systems, Inc.
When you’re challenged with a new problem at your school, wouldn’t it be nice to hear from someone who’s already solved that very same challenge? Each episode, we’ll interview a university administrator or industry expert about the problems they’ve solved and how they addressed it. If you’re a campus administrator, IT director or work in student affairs or the bursar’s office and you want solid ideas for solving your campus’ challenges, this podcast is for you.
Категории: Образование
Слушане на последния епизод:
As higher ed institutions take steps towards innovation, strategy and technology need to be developed together. On this episode of FOCUS, Heather Fraser of Dalhousie University (Dal) discusses the strategic approach the institution is taking to manage campuswide digital transformation. Fraser, the Director of Enterprise Application Services at Dalhousie, is responsible for managing recent efforts to innovate the institution’s enterprise portfolio. Listen to learn about the importance of ownership of technology and key strategic insights as you bring your institution forward in the digital space.
Approach to managing enterprise-level systems
Dalhousie is a long-time user of TouchNet solutions such as OneCard, Payment Center, and more as their digital transformation has evolved. The university also uses Ellucian’s Banner as their ERP (enterprise resource planning) system.
A recent merger of digital teams brought the management of enterprise applications including OneCard and Banner into one office. The portfolio also includes cloud service technologies management, project management, systems architecture, infrastructure and databases, program development, business intelligence reporting, and the university’s web presence.
Deciding who “owns” the technology
The restructuring of Fraser’s department presented the opportunity to review how the university as a whole approaches enterprise applications. The DalCard, Dalhousie’s OneCard system, has historically been owned by the IT department because of the need for technical support resources.
However, the team is looking at shifting how they manage the DalCard. The idea is to shift the decision-making process to better accommodate needs from the business units that use the technology. Using a similar governance to how they already manage Banner, IT partners with all the different functional areas across campus that run the business processes of the technology. So offices such as student affairs and ancillary services would be the front-line support for the end users (students) with the IT team being backend support for those teams.
Driving forces behind moving to the cloud
Fraser’s team is looking at a 2-3 year plan to relocate their data center off campus for a variety of reasons. In doing so, they are using this as an opportunity to reevaluate which technologies are hosted on premise versus moving technologies to the cloud, which can help mitigate the risks of on-campus data storage, add flexibility, and lay a foundation for additional technology improvements.
Additionally, a lot of Dalhousie’s technology partners are making greater investments in their software-as-a-service (SaaS) or in other cloud offerings that are overshadowing what is happening in on-premise solutions. In order to keep up with student expectations, a move to the cloud is an integral part of Dalhousie’s strategy.
Dalhousie University’s Strategic Plan and Digital Strategy
Fraser explained that none of this could be done without a unified vision for the university. Dalhousie is currently working through a five year strategic plan that includes an accompanying digital strategy led by the university’s Chief Information Officer and Dean of Libraries.
The Digital Strategy has been a driving force behind the decisions they are making from a digital space perspective, which encompasses both technology and people. The document focuses on five key pillars which outlines leadership’s commitment to making Dalhousie a state-of-the-art digital learning campus with an extreme focus on research: Teaching and Learning, People-centric, Research and Innovation, Community Collaborations, and Digital Foundations.
“There is a lot of human focus in this strategic document that you normally may not associate with something that is a digital or technology plan,” said Fraser. “But really it’s a way to look across our entire institution at how we’re going to be able to meet the needs of today’s digital learners and digital teachers.”
Advice for Leading Digital Transformation
It’s important to remember that Dalhousie University’s commitment to strategy and leveraging technology-based decisions didn’t happen overnight. It is an ongoing initiative in which they pull together key stakeholders at various times to get buy-in on new directions. This helps cross-campus teams feel ownership of decisions and understand the work that is needed to make transformation happen. Fraser credits the progress to the trust within her team and the others worked with.
Her biggest piece of wisdom to impart on other institutions looking to create change in the face of digital transformations is to not only trust your team, but also work to anticipate the future technology needs of students, faculty, and staff and start the work now. Under a unified team and strategy, shaping the digital landscape of higher ed institutions becomes an exciting exercise of “what if.”
Special Guest: Heather Fraser.
Предишни епизоди
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52 - Episode 707: Managing Enterprise-Level Systems During Digital Transformation Tue, 12 Dec 2023 - 0h
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51 - Episode 706: Extending Student Success Beyond the Student Finance Office Tue, 28 Nov 2023 - 0h
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50 - Episode 705: Optimizing Your Payment Solution to Work for Your Students Tue, 14 Nov 2023 - 0h
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49 - Episode 704: ACH Payment Trends and Avoiding Fraud in Higher Ed Tue, 31 Oct 2023 - 0h
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48 - Episode 703: Empowering a Safe and Secure Experience with OneCard Tue, 17 Oct 2023 - 0h
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47 - Episode 702: Simplifying International Payments with Tulane University Tue, 19 Sep 2023 - 0h
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46 - Episode 701: Taking a Student-Friendly Approach to Past-Due Accounts with the University of Alabama Tue, 05 Sep 2023 - 0h
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45 - Episode 607: Behind the Scenes of Mobile ID for Apple and Android Tue, 25 Jul 2023 - 0h
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44 - Episode 606: The Future of Sustainable Campuses with TAFE Queensland Gold Coast Tue, 11 Jul 2023 - 0h
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43 - Episode 605: Unlocking the Entrepreneurial Spirit on Your Team Tue, 27 Jun 2023 - 0h
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42 - Episode 604: Evaluating Data Breach Trends & Payments Security in Higher Ed Tue, 13 Jun 2023 - 0h
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41 - Episode 603: Unifying Student Services into a One-Stop Shop with Portland Community College Tue, 30 May 2023 - 0h
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40 - Episode 602: Designing Intelligent Experiences in Higher Ed Tue, 16 May 2023 - 0h
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39 - Episode 601: Protecting Student Investments with University of Texas at Dallas Tue, 02 May 2023 - 0h
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38 - Episode 507: Cryptocurrencies 101 for Higher Education Tue, 06 Dec 2022 - 0h
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37 - Episode 506: Maximizing Campus Card Operations with University of Louisiana at Lafayette Tue, 29 Nov 2022 - 0h
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36 - Episode 505: Redesigning Student Services with California College of the Arts Tue, 08 Nov 2022 - 0h
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35 - Episode 504: Building an Integrated Student Payments Experience with George Washington University Tue, 01 Nov 2022 - 0h
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34 - Episode 503: Driving Innovation within the Higher Ed Community Tue, 25 Oct 2022 - 0h
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33 - Episode 502: Going Cashless with Eastern Michigan University Tue, 11 Oct 2022 - 0h
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32 - Episode 501: Elevating the Campus Card Office with NACCU Tue, 04 Oct 2022 - 0h
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31 - Episode 408: Modernizing Payments with Canberra Institute of Technology Mon, 15 Aug 2022 - 0h
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30 - Episode 407: Understanding the New PCI Standards for Higher Ed Tue, 02 Aug 2022 - 0h
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29 - Episode 406: Streamlining Payments for Campuswide Compliance with College of Charleston Tue, 19 Jul 2022 - 0h
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28 - Episode 405: Addressing Stranded Credits to Create Win-Win Solutions Tue, 05 Jul 2022 - 0h
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27 - Episode 404: Understanding Gen Z's Expectations and Behaviors Tue, 21 Jun 2022 - 0h
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26 - Episode 403: Improving Payment Operations with Georgetown University Tue, 07 Jun 2022 - 0h
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25 - Episode 402: How Robots are Reshaping the Campus Experience Tue, 24 May 2022 - 0h
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24 - Episode 401: The Changing Role of the Chief Business Officer (CBO) in Higher Education Tue, 10 May 2022 - 0h
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23 - Episode 308: Payment Plans at Long Island University Mon, 11 Oct 2021 - 0h
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22 - Episode 307: International Students and Alternative Payment Methods Mon, 27 Sep 2021 - 0h
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21 - Episode 306: SponsorPoint at Wichita State with Robyn Bongartz and Ryan Lohfink Mon, 13 Sep 2021 - 0h
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20 - Episode 305: NACUBO Report Update with Bryan Dickson Mon, 23 Aug 2021 - 0h
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19 - Episode 304: Digital Transformation at Redeemer University Mon, 09 Aug 2021 - 0h
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18 - Episode 303: Better Outcomes with Tuition Protection Mon, 26 Jul 2021 - 0h
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17 - Episode 302: Improving Processes with EmoryCard Mon, 12 Jul 2021 - 0h
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16 - Episode 301: A Platform Approach at TouchNet Mon, 21 Jun 2021 - 0h
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15 - Episode 208: The Changing Payments Landscape with Stacy Hughes Tue, 15 Dec 2020 - 0h
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14 - Episode 207: Student Housing Post-COVID with Jason Gross and Michael Fogarty Tue, 08 Dec 2020 - 0h
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13 - Episode 206: PCI Council’s Strategic Framework and Expectations for PCI DSS v4.0 with Troy Leach Tue, 01 Dec 2020 - 0h
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12 - Episode 205: Using KPIs on Campus with Christine Blakney Tue, 17 Nov 2020 - 0h
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11 - Episode 204: Using Data to Create Success with Lindsay Wayt Tue, 03 Nov 2020 - 0h
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10 - Episode 203: Positive Outcomes from the Pandemic with Valarie Van Vlack Tue, 20 Oct 2020 - 0h
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9 - Episode 202: Protecting Students' and Schools' Investment with John Fees Tue, 22 Sep 2020 - 0h
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8 - Episode 201: Working Toward a Contactless Campus with Jennifer McNeill Tue, 08 Sep 2020 - 0h
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7 - Episode 108: NACUBO Report Update with Bryan Dickson Tue, 28 Apr 2020 - 0h
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6 - Episode 107: Columbia College's Payment Plans Game Changer with Denise Gelina Tue, 14 Apr 2020 - 0h
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5 - Episode 105: Protecting the Student Account with Meghan Carr Tue, 17 Mar 2020 - 0h
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4 - Episode 104: Business Officer Survey with Doug Lederman Tue, 03 Mar 2020 - 0h
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3 - Episode 103: Creative Campus Cards with Colorado School of Mines Tue, 18 Feb 2020 - 0h