Sungard Higher Education — Case Study
fsaATLAS Helps Wright State University Increase Competitiveness By Improving Service to International Population
As the number of international students and scholars in the U.S. has declined (an estimated 2.4 percent in the past year according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators), institutions of higher education struggle to attract, retain, and serve these valuable constituents. In order to meet this increasing level of competition, Wright State University (WSU) implemented fsaATLAS.
“fsaATLAS helps us keep better track of what is happening with our international enrollment and programs. We can see how many students transferred and why; how many didn’t complete their programs and why. Once we identify the issues and challenges, we can address them and then be more competitive,” explains Kimberly Brumbaugh, Director of Visa Information and Support/SEVIS Management at Wright State University.
Mission Critical Challenges:
Results with fsaATLAS:
fsaATLAS is a proven solution for international student and scholar management that provides comprehensive case management tracking, dynamic reporting capabilities on all fields in the system, and eliminates manual entry of SEVIS and non-SEVIS forms. WSU is using the application to streamline administrative processes, improve communication with internationals, and free up its staff from clerical work so they can focus more on providing better service.
WSU, like other U.S. institutions, is facing increased competition from institutions in the United Kingdom, Australia, and other countries that have less restrictive visa requirements than the United States.
Features within fsaATLAS help WSU staff keep track of required documentation and, as a result, provide better service to internationals. “I really like the appointment manager feature. I use it to keep track of everything we do for each student. Instead of thumbing through a student’s file, I can quickly look in fsaATLAS and see every appointment, every correspondence, and everything related to the student in one place. This helps us serve our students better,” says Ms. Brumbaugh.
Another essential feature is the alert system. “The alert system is priceless. It keeps our internationals apprised of important deadlines and helps our staff make sure that we have done everything required of us. And because it’s Web-based, we don’t need to be concerned about a system going down,” says Ms. Brumbaugh. fsaATLAS provides some established email alerts. It also provides the ability to create custom alerts. For example, Ms. Brumbaugh has set up email alerts to keep faculty informed of pertinent changes. “I can execute the emails right in fsaATLAS. I don’t have to go into a separate email program. And the application keeps track of the messages I am sending and receiving,” explains Ms. Brumbaugh.
fsaATLAS also helps colleges and universities comply with Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) reporting requirements mandated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Regulatory updates are provided with fsaATLAS as part of the product maintenance agreement. “The ongoing updates for compliance are a huge benefit. We know that the system will prevent us from mistakenly doing something that we shouldn’t be doing. I make a concerted effort to stay up to date with changing regulations, but knowing that the software is regularly updated is an added assurance,” says Ms. Brumbaugh.
The solution also provides a user-friendly reporting function. “The reporting function helps me do my reports in a more timely fashion; and to respond to requests for information,” explains Ms. Brumbaugh. “If someone wants to know the number of internationals in a given program, I can easily access the answer. This was impossible with our previous system.”
The power of fsaATLAS will increase when the University implements the Banner administrative system. A student’s complete and historical information will be housed in one database and available to the international office within the SEVIS reportable fields. This will keep the department informed about any updates, such as a change in major or a student having withdrawn.
“With Banner, the data will automatically come to our department. This will be invaluable for keeping our information current. And we will no longer have to do as much data entry,” says Ms. Brumbaugh.
Admittedly, there is little that an institution can do to address the restrictive VISA issues in the United States compared to other countries. So WSU is focusing instead on making its institution as attractive as possible.
“We are focused on offering more diverse programs, more scholarships, more benefits, and the best service possible to internationals.,” says Ms. Brumbaugh. “fsaATLAS supports us in our efforts.”
Contact Information:
800 223-7036
www.sungardhe.com
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