Research highlights how integrated systems and cross-institutional collaboration reduces administrative burdens, improves accessibility and drives student outcomes at scale
RESTON, Va., April 8, 2025 -- Ellucian, the leading higher education technology solutions provider, today announced the publication of 'Scaling, Serving, Sharing, and Saving: Transforming Higher Education Through Systemization,' an independent study commissioned to examine how colleges and universities are transforming through shared, integrated systems across the U.S. higher education market. Systemization in this context refers to the intentional coordination of technologies, processes, and strategies across institutions, departments, or entire state systems to simplify operations, optimize resources, and scale student-centered outcomes.
Authored by top education influencer and higher education journalist Derek Newton, the white paper draws on interviews with more than two dozen experts, advisors, and practitioners. It offers timely insights into how systemization is enabling institutions to streamline operations, improve collaboration, and build long-term resilience in a rapidly evolving higher education landscape.
"The insights from this research underscore the transformational power of systemization in higher education to empower institutions to navigate complexity and deliver meaningful outcomes at scale," said Laura Ipsen, President and CEO, Ellucian. "By integrating systems and fostering collaboration, institutions can better utilize and protect data, streamline operations, improve student experience, boost graduation rates and overall student success. At Ellucian, we're committed to helping institutions realize this vision through innovative, unified solutions that are designed for systems and drive meaningful results."
Chancellor Daniel Greenstein, the immediate past Chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and one of the experts interviewed for the white paper, emphasized the transformative potential of systemization: "Perhaps the greatest benefit of systems is that they're agents of change at scale. When you have a functioning system, you can touch hundreds of thousands of students at once."
The paper highlights the core benefits of systemization, including:
- Efficient Collaboration at Scale: Systemization fosters collaboration, enabling institutions to share best practices, drive innovation, and operate more efficiently across multiple campuses or organizations.
- Unified Data Systems: Integrated platforms reduce redundancies, provide real-time insights, and enable more strategic resource allocation to benefit students and administrators alike.
- Enhanced Cybersecurity: Collaborative systems strengthen defenses against cyber threats by pooling resources and expertise for more robust protection.
- Prioritized Student Success: Streamlined enrollment, improved course availability, and workforce-aligned career pathways are achieved through systems that center student needs and experiences.
- Better Economic Outcomes: Improved coordination across systems produces higher quality programs and more graduates to grow a strong business climate and thriving economies.
- Simplified Reporting and Compliance: Standardized processes save time and improve accuracy, ensuring institutions meet regulatory requirements with greater ease.
- Improving Institutional Resourcing: Systemized approaches help redistribute resources to underserved institutions, leveling the playing field for all students.
Click here to read the full white paper.
ABOUT ELLUCIAN
Ellucian powers innovation for higher education, partnering with more than 2,900 customers across 50 countries, serving over 20 million students. Ellucian's AI-powered platform, trained on the richest dataset available in higher education, drives efficiency, personalized experiences, and strengthened engagement for students, faculty and staff. Fueled by decades of experience with a singular focus on the unique needs of learning institutions, the Ellucian platform features best-in-class SaaS capabilities and delivers insights needed now and into the future. These solutions and services span the entire student lifecycle, including data-rich tools for student recruitment, enrollment, and retention to workforce analytics, fundraising, and alumni engagement. Ellucian's innovative solutions, vast ecosystem of partners and user community of more than 45,000 provides best practices leading to greater institutional success and achieving better student outcomes.
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