Photo by Mathieu Plourde is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Colleges and universities have been forced to reduce costs and generate revenue for themselves. That’s a switch! In the beginning, that was no easy task for academic teams, but the results have been rather remarkable.
As education professionals raced to accommodate an ever-growing student population and meet escalating expectations, many found technology offered some of the greatest cost savings options. And, later, technology was found to also offer exceptional revenue-generating solutions.
Cloud computing, the outsourcing of data and programs to a network of private-sector-owned servers, is now commonplace on college campuses and significant cost reductions have resulted. Because technology is changing faster than the seasons, colleges and universities cannot possibly keep up with the latest version of everything. And, yet, they must…so a decision to migrate data and programs to the cloud was not a difficult one for directors of IT.
Public sector CIOs must have networks that allow all stakeholders to stay connected. They also need to be able to store and access documents and collaborate online. They like the idea of letting someone else be responsible for disaster recovery, license renewals and network security… and they especially like the savings that cloud computing offers. So, cloud computing was an attractive option.
In higher education, as in many private businesses, Software as a Service (SaaS) is commonplace in the cloud. A recent survey of higher education technology officials indicated that 79 percent of the campuses use SaaS. This too, offered cost savings, so SaaS is serving the education community well.
Other IT-related strategies have included direct deposit of payroll and expense checks for employees. This practice relieves administrative duties and reduces paper as well as the extremely high costs associated with printing, storing and handling paperwork.
Many colleges are now hiring student interns in the IT departments. And, audits of data stored to ensure that ineligible individuals are not receiving funds have contributed to revenue savings. Consolidation of data centers has been accomplished and most institutions now outsource their email programs.
To generate additional revenue, colleges and universities have expanded online course offerings. Many now offer courses to thousands of students in other regions and in other countries. Not only does that generate revenue, but it also relieves overcrowded classrooms and lessens the necessity for building new facilities. Recruiting has moved online and wireless applications are being developed and sold to both students and parents. Revenue generation, over and above reaching out to exes, is turning the corner for universities.
It’s a new world and innovation through technology is playing a major role in educational excellence.
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