Gordon, Columbia Opt for Jenzabar's Higher Ed ERP

Jenzabar, a vendor of software for higher education, has announced that Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts and Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina have upgraded to the Jenzabar EX enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to "increase operational efficiency and better meet the expectations of constituents," such as alumni and parents.

 

The Jenzabar EX administrative system is a product aimed squarely at higher education, providing a relational database offered on the Microsoft (News - Alert) SQL Server platform. Gordon College officials said they wanted to revamp the school's current technological infrastructure to improve reporting capabilities, streamline workflows and obtain real-time data.

 

This June, TMC reported that Jenzabar announced 11 institutions of higher education had selected Jenzabar’s Internet portal, “Internet Campus Solution,” so far in 2008.

 

The institutions included Avila Institute, Campbellsville University, Elizabethtown College, Green Mountain College, Goshen College, Molloy College, Naropa University, Northwestern College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Peace College, and Penn Highlands.

 

The JICS campus portal connects candidates, students, alumni, faculty, and staff to an institution’s database at any time and from any Internet browser, company officials say. It offers a single point of access to Web-based self-service, e-learning, communications, and community-building applications.

 

"Our Jenzabar implementations were completed simultaneously across departments, allowing all offices to go live at the same time," says Dan Tymann, Executive Vice President for Advancement, Communications and Technology at Gordon College, adding that "incorporating an ERP system can be a large shock to an organization."

 

Jenzabar EX is integrated with Jenzabar's Internet Campus Solution, an Internet portal offering a single point of access to Web-based self service, e-learning and other community-building applications.

 

Basically, the new technology gives Gordon College officials the ability to track correspondence with prospective students, monitor efficiencies in admissions and run student bills.

 

Columbia College is much the same story, using the Jenzabar product to integrate student information and administrative data across all offices in hopes of simplifying operations for all constituents. Laurie Hopkins, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Columbia College, said systems were configured "to work specifically for our institution."

 

Columbia College officials say it's now easier for students to use the self-service functions, including registering for courses, viewing class information, checking current billing information, and chatting with classmates. Business offices get more accurate information and effective reporting, and as Jenzabar officials delicately phrase it, "the executive team can now access data without assistance."

 

Earlier this spring, Jenzabar announced that social networking capabilities were available with its Learning Management System. The functionality “allows faculty members to incorporate social networking services into their online learning curriculum."

 

The social networking phenomena, offers “one of the newest ways to engage students and has had a global impact online learning initiatives.”

 

Gordon College is a Christian college of the liberal arts and sciences on Boston's North Shore, nationally ranked for its excellence in academics. Columbia College is a private liberal arts women's college related to the United Methodist Church.