The Electronic Dream and Going Green

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Use Mobile Guidebook to Evaluate this Session
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Planning and Implementing a Paperless
Registrars Office

• La Kiesha Armstrong, Associate Registrar, Belmont
  University
• Ginger Bossier, Associate Registrar, Belmont
  University
• SACRAO Conference 2015
• Session M4.05

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The Electronic Dream and Going Green

• From This

To This
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Belmont Quick Facts

• Located in Nashville, Tennessee
• Fall 2014 Enrollment 7,249
• Total undergraduates 5,837
• Total graduate students 1,409

Belmont's VisionTo be a leader among teaching
universities, bringingtogether the best of
liberal arts and professional educationin a
Christian community of learning and service.
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Why is This So Important?

• It fits philosophically with Belmonts desire
  and initiatives to be a green campus.
• It puts in practice a global lesson of being
  environmentally sensitive And one of those steps
  is being as paperless as possible.
• There is a significant cost savings if you are
  not buying and processing paper or paying for
  printing and print cartridges.
• Management of documents becomes easier and
  faster.
• Documents can be tracked electronically. Who has
  them now?
• Time savings. Paper, especially most forms, have
  to be passed, signed, touched, scanned (and/or
  filed) and often gathered for secure destruction.
• Work productivity and efficiency. Paper
  documents are often sorted and shuffled only to
  be reprinted and scanned.
• Accountability. Electronic tracks who does what
  and when.
• Controlled information access.
• Information security.

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How Does the Green Initiative Fit?
in the future students will include the
universitys transparency and record on
sustainability issues as criteria for choosing
where they will enroll for their undergraduate
and graduate studies. Newport, D., Chesnes, T.,
Lindner, A. (2003). The environmental
sustainability problem. International Journal
of Sustainability in Higher Education, 4, 4,
357-363.
two-thirds of university applicants say that a
school's environmental report card would
influence whether they'd enroll. Sierra Cool
Schools The Third Annual List (2009).
http//www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200909/coolschool
s/
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Belmont Goes Green
For more than a decade members of the Belmont
University community have been doing their part
to positively impact the environment and
encourage the campus at large to go green. From
recycling efforts to educational initiatives,
Belmont students, faculty and staff have shown
their commitment to increasing the universitys
environmental sustainability. The green
initiative is for Belmont one of several
important drivers in our commitment to go as
paperless as possible.
www.belmont.edu/green
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Environmental Sustainability and Stewardship in
Higher Education

• Universities are in a unique position to be
  leaders in going green.
• Rooted locally, networked globally (globally
  influencing center)
• Connection of intellectual and geographical
• Open public space for those who attend as well
  as the
• surrounding community
• Opportunity to set an example
• Four Cs Curriculum, culture, campus, and
  community
• Paper reduction and going paperless is just one
  part of how
• universities can set an example of sustainability

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Progressive Steps Taken at Belmont to Be Paperless

• Primary drivers Environmental initiatives
  Streamlining in a significant enrollment growth
  mode cost savings physical space
  considerations information protection work
  productivity work smarter before adding staff.
• Developed as a 10 year plan.
• There was a leadership decision in the fall of
  2001 to move away from paper processes. Authority
  was given to the University Registrar for
  implementation.
• Spring of 2002 course schedule booklets were
  discontinued in favor of a homegrown on-line
  course schedule tracker in real time
  (ClassFinder).
• In the spring of 2002 all Registrar files and
  records (back to 1960) were scanned and
  integrated to Banners Web X-tender.
• June 1, 2002 the university catalog was rolled
  out onto the web -- 100 electronic / web based.
  No paper copies were printed.

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Progressive Steps Continued

• 2003 2004 collection and scanning of academic
  area files
• Stopped printing all triplicate forms since
  single documents would be scanned
• Training for administrative assistants and new
  culture training for faculty
• 2005 Implementation of on-line degree audit
  (DARS). Stopped paper documents printed out of
  student files (e.g. substitution forms)
• 2006 E-mail and Portal communication announced
  as the primary communication tool (some
  exceptions such as suspension letters).
• 2007 Begin to experiment with E-mailing forms
  from faculty (security side is use through their
  Belmont account with unique ID number)
• 2008 Retain (Hobsons Product) rolled out --
  used to target groups via E-mail.
• All outside vendor printing of forms
  discontinued. -- Either electronic communication
  or can still use on-line PDF is the accepted
  method.

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Progressive Steps Continued

• 2009 New Degree Audit software (DegreeWorks)
  adopted roll out March 15, 2010 --- Advisor
  files all online.
• 2010 All forms available on line and adapted to
  be tracked and validated through Microsoft
  Outlook. --- No paper forms and drag and drop
  features
• 2012 Online Transcript Ordering through National
  Student Clearinghouse.
• 2013
• Banner Graduation Application
• Concurrent Enrollment Submissions online through
  student portal
• All graduation related communication sent by
  email
• All notifications sent by email Deans List,
  Probation/Suspension, Registration Dates and
  Deadlines.
• Upgrade room scheduling software to EMS
  scheduling, room requests all done
  electronically.
• 2014-2015
• Mobile app
• Electronic Transcripts

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WHATS GONE?

• Printed academic catalog
• Course schedule books
• Mass mailing of letters and notifications

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Class Finder
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Online Catalog
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Benefits of the Online Catalog

• Direct entry for update and changes (html)
• Instant changes can be published to the web
• Tracks changes person and timestamp
• No prohibition by state, federal or accrediting
  agencies on having an on-line only catalog.
• Bi-annual updates. (January for editorial and
  non-substantive June for all substantive
  changes)
• Cost saving out of the Registrars budget is
  approximately 1.2 million since 2002 - (does not
  factor in any cost increase over the past 8
  years)
• Track usage and movement by end users. Average
  monthly hits on the catalog 1,725
• All archived catalog years available for viewing
• Stepping stone for online degree audits (DARS to
  Degree Works)

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Benefits of Class Finder

• Publishes approximately 2-3 months prior to the
  start of a term (for fall about 5 months in
  advance)
• Refreshes new information every 5 seconds
• Cost savings of just under 100,000 since 2002 -
  (does not factor in any cost increase over the
  past 8 years)
• Average monthly hits in Class Finder 622,000
  (average of 90 hits per student).

Other Website Hits Dec 26 Jan 25

• Total Visits 5982
• Transcript page 1238 page views
• Exam-Schedules 1735 page views
• Registration Schedules 266 page views
• Transfer information 450 page views
• Registrar Forms 294 page views
• Graduation information 526 page views

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Document Imaging and Scanning

• Benefits of Document Management
• Banner Web X-Tender
• Free up physical space.
• Placing staff in positions where they can add
  value.
• Drag and Drop capabilities.
• Immediate access to student files from any
  office with security parameters.
• Greatly reduces (eliminates) misplacement of
  confidential documents.
• Documents are safe on a dedicated server.
• FERPA requests processed quickly.
• Eliminates the how long do you keep it
  policies, since everything is saved.

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Scanning Process
Transcript Received by Admissions
Transcript Received by Registrars Office
Scanned and stored in Document Imaging
Admissions
Academic Department
Registrars Office
Advisor
Prospective student web link
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Student Communication Tools

• Information and notifications previously sent by
  regular mail are now distributed to student email
  addresses.
• Benefits
• Build a strong communication plan with proven
  content built to drive students to graduation.
• Streamlined communication with students
• Increased staff availability to personally
  interact with students
• Increase efficiency and track results
• Maximize budget by doing more with less
• Target unique populations in unique ways
• Postage cost savings in what would normally be
  direct mailings

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Student Communication Tools

• Graduation Communication
• Notification to apply for graduation
• Notification of drop, add, and withdrawal dates
• In Progress Targeting specific groups such as
  VA and Athletes
• Deans List notification with link to press
  release
• Text Alert System
• Mobile App

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Degree Works Audit Software
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Degree Works Audit Software
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Degree Works
Benefits of Degree Works

• One page graduation audit as well as progressive
  audits can be saved in PDF format.
• PDF files can be emailed to students and
  advisors as well as dropped into students
  document imaging file.
• Secure online access to degree audits for
  students and advisors.
• Real time information.
• Less paper audits means more security with
  student academic records.
• Creates electronic advising file with notes and
  academic planner.
• Shared information between all advisors.

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The Next Steps2015 and Beyond
Banner Workflow
Electronic Transcripts
Mobile App
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Questions?
La Kiesha Armstrong, Associate Registrar,
Belmont University (lakiesha.armstrong_at_belmont.edu
) Ginger Bossier, Associate Registrar, Belmont
University (ginger.bossier_at_belmont.edu) SACRAO
Conference 2015