The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced several new challenges for higher education institutions, from navigating the shift to virtual classes and services to figuring out how to manage budget cuts. States are feeling the pinch and passing it on, with some campus information technology (IT) departments asked to make budget cuts of up to 30%.
Schools today need access to cost-effective digital solutions that allow administrators to work more efficiently without breaking the bank. In addition to affordability, a campus portal solution should also offer mobile-friendly access and prove easy to implement, navigate, and maintain over time. A campus portal solution can go a long way in helping to eas departmental budget concerns.
Saving Money and Resources with a Campus Portal Solution
Outdated legacy systems often require extensive IT support, making them inefficient and costly to manage. These costs caused by outdated systems occur when IT teams must maintain all content and updates for multiple departments or schools on campus, which often lack a user-friendly interface and can cause technical complexities.
On the other hand, modern service discovery portals like OneCampus can be implemented and managed with minimal IT resources, enabling limited or constrained IT departments to focus resources elsewhere. A campus portal solution like OneCampus features a user-friendly interface that decentralizes control while still allowing for IT oversight. Student services can easily add new tasks for example, thus removing the burden from IT and providing them with an opportunity to focus on other priorities.
Along with a low overall cost of ownership, OneCampus is simple for IT departments to update and maintain. Easy maintenance reduces administrative costs and system downtime. Plus, it empowers department managers to post announcements or disable resources because maintenance windows require minimal IT involvement.
Additionally, OneCampus offers the following benefits:
- Google-like search
- Personalization features
- Customized branding
- 24/7 access
- Mobile-friendly application
- Native mobile application available
- Reporting and analytics
- Best-in-class support
Proving the Case: St. Edward’s University
In terms of significant benefits, OneCampus, a modern campus portal, offers a user-friendly and versatile administrative experience, unlike legacy solutions that make it difficult to work efficiently.
For one use case, hear from Nicole Hill, product owner at St. Edward’s University, about the school’s experience with OneCampus:
“We were able to give departments more autonomy over their business processes with minimal involvement from the Office of Information Technology. For our part, we’re thrilled to be out of the role of middleman, and in many cases, these departments have turned into the biggest champions.”
A partnership with OneCampus enabled St. Edward’s University to build a mobile-friendly portal and mobile application that is completely customizable based on student, faculty, and staff preferences. “The interface is intuitive, particularly for students, and features like ‘favorites’ worked well for allowing users, particularly staff and faculty, to build, more or less, their own dashboard,” Hill explained.
Amidst departmental budget constraints, higher education institutions must find ways to reduce overhead costs, work more efficiently, and adapt to the new normal. A campus portal solution like OneCampus helps schools save money and redirect the IT department’s attention to focus on supporting students, faculty, and staff, whether on campus or in closed campus circumstances. Investing in a modern portal solution like OneCampus helps schools to eliminate expensive, outdated technology and improve the campus experience for students, faculty, and staff alike—during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
rSmart has more than 20 years of history serving post-secondary organizations across North America, and OneCampus is trusted by 100s of institutions including Texas A&M – Central, University of Hawaii, Notre Dame, Citrus College, and many more.
Curious about the benefits of the modern campus portal experience? Schedule a demo of OneCampus to see the benefits of a next-gen portal firsthand.