Silent Cleanup: Managing Technical Debt in Higher Education Mergers and Acquisitions
With financial, political, demographic, and cultural pressures, higher education institutions are looking for new ways to operate and strengthen their standing (as recently highlighted in this survey.) Institutional leaders are increasingly pursuing mergers and acquisitions focused on aligning resources, simplifying operations, reducing duplication, and either direct or complementary alignment of academic offerings and student profiles. […]
Standalone HR and Payroll Systems in Higher Education
Higher education institutions most often choose their HCM and finance platforms from the same vendor—and usually also choose their student system from that same vendor. This trend has been true in higher education for 30 years and continues in buying trends today. Institutions recognize that using a single platform for their key transactional systems provides […]
Tambellini 2023 Student Systems Report Highlights
As many of you know, Tambellini has been tracking all student system vendors selling into higher education across North America (and, more recently, globally) for over 20 years. In April, for the 15th consecutive year, we released our 2023 Student Systems US Higher Education Market Share, Trends, and Leaders Report, which provides a detailed view […]
CASE DRIVE 2023: A Critical Forum for Advancement Technology Practitioners
The annual CASE DRIVE conference convenes higher education advancement practitioners to discuss their daily work and the technology they use to support it. The 2023 event was back in person with a sold-out attendance, and it was energizing to come together to share ideas, discuss issues, brainstorm, and talk to colleagues in a safe environment. […]
Application Migration to the Cloud: Know Your Purpose
Institutions have moved commercial, on-premises applications to the cloud with significant success over the last several years. As I’ve spoken to CIOs about this shift, I’ve discovered a variety of drivers for their initiatives, with various pathways, but generally with solid success. The most important common factor in their successes was defining their strategy based […]
EDUCAUSE 2022—Back Together Again
As the higher ed community descended upon Denver for the last week of October, many wondered what the experience would be like. Would it be eerily quiet, like in 2021? Or would it be back to normal? How many would come? These were questions I heard often on the first day. EDUCAUSE Is Back The […]
Five Steps to Advancement CRM Selection Readiness
Embarking on a selection process for a modern advancement CRM can be a significant undertaking that requires as much time and planning as the process for other enterprise administrative selections such as finance, HCM, and student. Taking the time to execute a selection readiness effort can help ensure a smooth, data-driven process that ultimately leads […]
What Advancement Leadership and CIOs Should Know About Modern Advancement CRM Systems
Many higher education institutions have selected new advancement CRM solutions in the last two years, migrating away from legacy systems of 20 or more years. A key factor is that several widely used legacy advancement systems have been sunset. Another even more causative factor is the inability of legacy systems to support the needs of […]
5 Key Themes for the Enterprise CRM Journey
In the early days of constituent relationships management (CRM), most use cases were highly departmentalized and served a single function. Recruitment and Admissions CRMs and Service Management CRMs (i.e., IT helpdesk) were among the most popular implementations. However, Tambellini’s research shows a mindset shift toward the bigger picture in higher education. Enterprise CRMs (ECRMs) are […]
Rethinking IT in the World of Cloud
If you’re busy trying to keep your old legacy system going and are in a perpetual state of adapting to meet your campus’s needs, you’re not alone. Colby College realized two years ago that things had to change. CIO Cindy Mitchell faced it head on. Her strategic plan includes “the things that eat our lunch” […]
