2014 essential guide social enterprise software for higher education

Report Date: August 2014
Essential Guide:
Social Enterprise
Software for
Higher Education
Developed for Executives and Leaders in Higher Education and Includes
Functional, Digital, and Business Requirements Checklists
www.thetambellinigroup.com
2014
By Vicki Tambellini, The Tambellini Group LLC., Michael L. Mathews, CIO, Oral Roberts
University, Shah Ardalan, President, Lone Star College System, University Park, Dr. Trent
Grundmeyer, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Drake University

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Copyright © 2014 The Tambellini Group, LLC All rights reserved. www.thetambellinigroup.com
Table of Contents
Executive Summary 3
Essential Considerations 5
Vendor Considerations 7
Company Culture 7
Commitment/understanding of Higher Education 7
Functionality 9
Cost 11
Support and Implementation 11
Product Architecture / Openness/ APIs 12
Perceived Risk 13
Summary 15
Authors 17
Organizations 20

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Executive Summary
Most higher education institutions struggle with aging and ineffective SIS style student portals
as students leverage social media with mobile technology as their primary method to obtain and
access information that engages them. With flat or shrinking IT organizations, and more
demands on those resources, institutions struggle to keep antiquated portal content changing
at the same rate that social media sites provide. Students no longer gather around technology
such as portals, but desire ‘flipped technology’ whereby technology gathers around them in a
fluid and instantaneous manner. Students are beginning to demand that technology walk, talk,
travel, and flow with their busy schedules. The days of open enrollment and managing student
access to online registration systems with limited logins are behind leading institutions.
Replacing or transforming existing SIS style portals will require an innovative strategy; and if
done right, the solutions will not resemble the portals of the past. Technology by itself is no
longer the excitement that it once was. Innovative uses of the way students communicate and
engage has become the energy that institutions now require. Simply put, innovation has the
ability to create energy and student engagement, while technology has become the vehicle in
which innovation rides.
The portals of the last decade were constructed as web-based add-ons to the current SIS, ERP,
and LMS systems to revive the antiqued code and in particular the transactional aspect of
systems. With the advent of the digital learning commons concept, open access education
system, and social learning environments the ‘lipstick’ that portals provide have lost their gloss.
The addition of ‘mobile technologies’ onto the aging systems is very short sighted. The fear of
being left behind with old systems and a slightly newer portal has many IT and educational
leaders wondering where their investment should be placed over the next two years. For lack of

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better terms, the higher education technology industry has left leaders guessing, or at best
looking through a kaleidoscope of various parts and pieces.
Visionary leaders do not prefer using a kaleidoscope for ‘future-casting’, whereby all the small
bits and pieces of technology miraculously align. Rather they look for a clear and singular vision
on how all technologies seamlessly work in a social mediated environment. Leading institutions
understand that the key to success includes real-time and fluid ‘engagement’ with prospective
students, students, faculty, staff, alumni and all constituents. Mobile, social, private, secure, and
easy to configure and support are among the many mandatory requirements for the engaged
campus. The engaged campus will combine a new style of ‘enterprise’ that includes fluid delivery
of social, document management, document collaboration, publishing, badging/credentialing,
self-navigation, and self-service functions to help ensure that institutional goals are achieved.
These social mediated deliverables will be 100% integrated while delivered through socialized
and mobilized technologies.
Access, integration, ease of use, and institution control are some of the key drivers for selecting
a vended solution for social business software for higher education enterprise engagement.
While the goals of the institutions may be clear, the vendor landscape seems crowded and
confusing. What is critical for leaders is to know how to properly synchronize all components so
that the outcome is still a manageable enterprise wide solution – with students fully engaged via
the mobile and social enterprise within the ‘Enterprise’.
The concept of Mash-up Technology base is a negative spin on what great leaders would
design. It also advocates for a hodge-podge of designed technologies for lack of planning and
design. The truth is that the students are coming on Campus with a form of their own enterprise
through mobile and social technologies. It is imperative that leaders help design this new
enterprise either within the current enterprise or a replacement thereof. A short and
meaningful analogy of the transformation of higher education is available from the 2012 IMS
Global Conference -- ‘Next Generation Platforms’.
This essential guide is presented to provide executives with critical insight about the functional,
digital, and business requirements for an engaged enterprising campus. The 2014 U.S. Social

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Enterprise Software for Higher Education Market Trends and Analysis will provide a more in-
depth review of solutions and current trends in higher education.
Essential Considerations
Dr. William Graves article ‘Social progress requires not an evolution in education, but a
revolution to synchronize educating and learning’ is the first consideration when considering a
vendor. Dr. Graves quickly addresses that there is a need to synchronize education and learning
revolutions to advance social progress. This being said, there is unquestionable proof that the
Social Mediated solutions have provided numerous revolutions in every industry, with the
exception of education. The need to investigate, plan, and strategize careful revolutions with
social mediated software is imperative.
The balance of these revolutions will need to take into careful account that higher education has
taken more than twenty years to implement enterprise ERP/SIS, and LMS systems. This clearly
indicates the following considerations:
1. The social mediated solutions by vendors
must consider an ‘Enterprise’ approach to
any type of revolution.
2. Education has a wealth of highly educated
and motivated leaders among the industry.
This indicates that careful planning with
incremental cycles of revolutions-of-
change toward a fully social mediated
enterprise system, higher education will far
surpass the changes in other industry.
3. Thought leadership in conjunction with
policy makers will be critical. An example is
a new Meta API idea developer by thought
leaders at Oral Roberts University and Lone
Star College System called the Education
Records Transport Layer. This solution was
recognized by the White House Office of
Science and Technology as a means to
provide a proven revolution around
academic records access.

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"The White House Office of
Science and Technology and
Department of Education
continues to challenge the public
to get creative to solve some of
the most difficult decisions in
education. We appreciate the
creative submissions by thought
leaders at universities like Oral
Roberts University and Lone Star
College System at the national
level. It will be thought leaders
like these that continue to help
solve the student success issues
for future generation."
~ Nick Sinai, United States Deputy
Chief Technology Officer at the White
House
4. Educational leaders must listen to the
words, advice and input from both
students and data. It is great that big data
and analytics can illuminate information
and trends, but what if students can
confirm what the data says? This is exactly
what Lone Star College System did on a
National Student Survey (led by students)
and a power video called ‘Let the Students
and Data Speak.’ This initiative won the
2012 U.S. Department of Education Start-
up award by students, and the 2013
Campus Technology Innovation of the Year
Award for Student Systems.
The need to carefully plan and synchronize educating and learning revolutions in order to
advance social progress within education warrants an ever-increasing awareness of how to
select vendors. Michael Saylor’s (CEO of MicroStrategy) book the ‘The Mobile Wave’ clearly
invokes revolution with mobile and social technologies; however, education should lead by
example with incremental and planned cycles of revolution.

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Vendor Considerations
Considerations are easily grouped into the following categories:
Company Culture
Organizations are largely influenced by corporate culture. Interactions with everyone from sales
to customer support, implementation and product management will be positive or negative
because of the culture of the company. It is important to understand enough about the
company that you are considering to ensure that there is a match between the culture of your
institution and that of the vendor.
Commitment/understanding of Higher
Education
Higher education is struggling with the national crisis
of educational costs, student success, and completion.
Institutions have heard the promises that more
technology can address key challenges and improve
outcomes. However, some believe they are being
forced to reconsider a former ‘build-it-ourselves’
model, as they are fearful that vendors no longer
“The vendors of choice in
the 21st
century will be the
ones who demonstrate an
understanding of the
comprehensive nature of

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relate to their real issues and challenges. There has
even been skepticism over the associations of
education whose sponsorship are comprised of
technology vendors.
the issues and challenges
facing education.”
The vendors of choice in the 21st
century will
be the ones that demonstrate an
understanding of the comprehensive nature
of the issues and challenges facing
education. The vendors must be willing to
guide thought leadership and admit that
‘technology’ by itself is not the game-
changer. During the years that education
has flourished and benefitted from
technology, the vendors would easily ascribe
to a belief system that their products were
behind this success. Now that there is a
reversal of success in many areas, the same
vendors must help take ownership that the
systems and technology are no longer
keeping current; and in some cases even the
reason that the demands and needs of
students are not being met.
When considering enterprise social business
software for higher education, leaders are
wise to consider the vendors demonstrated
commitment to and understanding of higher
education.
Does the vendor know how to work with the
institution and your constituents? Is the
product developed to support the
requirements of higher education? How are
higher education requirements prioritized in
the overall product development calendar? Is
higher education a company focus or is it a
sales focus? Large, public companies
generally assign higher education to
geographic sales. This may explain why many
successful higher education technology
solutions are delivered by privately held
companies. Private companies may have the
focus and understanding required to meet
the needs of higher education.

9
Functionality (high level list)
□ Configurable User Profile with Optional Fields
□ User Profile with Options for User to Control who Sees Profile Information
□ Options to Synchronize User Profiles with Other Systems
□ Ability to Import Users to System
□ Single Sign On
□ Public Groups
□ Private Groups
□ Premium/Paid Groups
□ Unlimited Options for Subgroups
□ Ability to Set User Permissions by Role in Each Group
□ Ability to Brand Each Group with Different Header/Colors/Layout
□ Language File Control
□ Blogs Optional for Each Group
□ Forums Optional for Each Group
□ Wiki Optional for Each Group
□ Activity Streams
□ User Controlled Options for Communications
□ Digests/Notifications
□ Chat
□ Find and Connect with Other Members
□ Advanced and Simple WYSIWYG Editors
□ Options for Social Log In

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□ Options for Social Sharing
□ Polls
□ Ability to Embed Any Media Type
□ Voting
□ Leader Boards
□ Gamification
□ Badging/Credentialing
□ Group Calendar
□ Individual Calendar
□ Synchronize Calendar to iCal or Outlook
□ Configurable (versus customizable)
□ Open API’s that are Published
□ Ability to Create e-mail Campaigns, Set Mail Groups
□ Configurable Functionality for Each Group and Sub-Group
□ Options to Moderate Posts within Groups
□ Options to Apply Warning Words
□ Configurable Compliance Options for Adding Words/Phrases that are Not Allowed
□ Optional Integration with Google Analytics
□ Reports and Statistics for Site and by Group and Sub-Group
□ Simple and Advanced Search Capabilities
□ Document/File Management by Group
□ RSS Integration
□ Mobile
□ Support for All Popular Browsers

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Cost
The cost for enterprise social software/business social
software can range from pricing based on per user per
month to pricing based on the number of pages served
each month. Several vendors such as Jive, and
Salesforce.com offer per user per month pricing. Jive
offers options for pricing based on pages served and
Salesforce.com offers higher education pricing
including 10 free user licenses. Enterprise Hive offers
pricing based on the number of faculty and staff and
students are free.
“Jive and Salesforce.com
offer per user per month
pricing. Enterprise Hive
offers pricing based on the
number of faculty and staff
and students are free.”
Vendor fees are generally paid on a subscription basis and annually in advance. The model for
most firms is to provide Software-as-a-Service. This includes the cost of hardware, software
upgrades, maintenance, help desk support and limited bandwidth and storage.
Fees for training, set-up and specific custom deliverables and consulting are usually invoiced as
separate fees. Consulting rates for project management, training and custom deliverables for
enterprise projects including gamification range from $165.00 an hour to over $350.00 per hour
depending on the firm selected.
Support and Implementation
Critical success factors for higher education may include the type and amount of support
available from the vendor. Is the vendor available to assist with configuration and training? Is
the institution expected to work with third party firms for services? Is the vendor directly

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engaged with higher education customers after the sale? How? What options are available for
engaging with the vendor?
Product Architecture / Openness/ APIs
Numerous vendors with solutions from single-sign-on to social media to Facebook look-a-likes
are all claiming a new solution that will solve the interoperability issues of systems. However, the
leaders in this field know that there is no silver bullet for the massive interoperability and
integration issues being faced. A new framework of systems must be considered to collectively
orchestrate the art of building a social mediated enterprise within a transactional enterprise.
It is critical to note that every serious vendor in the educational space has delivered hundreds
of APIs for the past 10 years. However, the APIs by themselves do not add up to a new
framework or enterprise solution. The APIs are band aids that create a form of transferring data
between systems. This approach works against building an open enterprise and architecture
that would replace the hundreds of APIs that must be maintained.
Creativity and innovation seeks to find a solution that synchronizes all data within a framework
for success. Creativity and innovation also admits that what used to be the enterprise is no
longer the enterprise. Even though a transactional systems or systems of record are still
required, the ability to synchronize data with the fuller enterprise of social media, mobile
technology, wearables, and traveling data is a must.
Institutions are focused on creating
environments for engagement and improved
outcomes. Each institution will have
requirements that are specific to the
institution, the existing application
infrastructure and the technology vision.
“Creativity and innovation seeks to
find a solution that synchronizes
all data within a framework for
success.”

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When selecting a vended solution, questions such as the availability and type of APIs should be
considered. Is the vendor open to a two-way exchange of data with existing applications? How
will your constituents use the solution and have single-sign-on?
More than likely, the solution will be a combination of applications that are enabled by web
services. With limited resources, institutions should focus on finding solutions which are
functionally rich and on working with vendors that will become partners in innovation.
Perceived Risk
Two years ago a higher education leader could ignore the reality of a digital or social mediated
learning and communications environment. However, this reality can no longer be ignored.
Higher education must address and plan for ‘Where do we go from here’ as it continually
adjusts to technology and innovation demands that are accelerated by its primary audience:
students. Ineffective communications with constituents and poor user experiences with systems,
ultimately creates an inefficient environment for delivering outcomes. Thousands of institutions
are at a strategic and innovation crossroads relating to systems of record including their SIS and
LMS. The decisional risk taking at this crossroads includes:
 How long will the current SIS/ERP
system of record be supported?
 How long will the solution(s) your
institution is using/considering be
available from the current supplier?
Many vended solutions for higher
education are provided by companies
that are owned or controlled by private
equity firms. How might ownership
affect your institution?
 How many changes or transformations
can your institution afford?
 Which 1-2 transformations can your
institution afford not to take?
 Are students really knowledgeable
enough to determine what digital or
social mediated technology platforms
are best for their own success?
 What architecture is truly going to
allow full inter-operability with proven

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standards?
 Which innovations will allow your
institution to make a leap of faith and
avoid a ‘crash-and-burn’ mindset?
As you will concur, these are simple, yet major decisions that are critical. Whether you are a CIO,
a President, Provost, or CFO these risks all have varying consequences. However, three things
are clear:
Doing nothing and staying on
the same course while
believing the current
ERP/SIS/LMS systems will be
around forever is unwise.
Students and employers are
the real consumers of
education, learning, and
training; and therefore their
input is critical.
Engaging with students,
faculty, staff and constituents
has always been important,
but the modes and
expectations have changed.
There is an urgent need for thought leadership outside of the technology vendors for higher
education. Going forward, collaboration, partnerships, and though leadership will be the key to
minimizing the known risks.
1 2 3

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Summary
The 2014 Global CIO Survey by Harvey Nash conveys that the number one challenge for CIO’s is
around the area of digital strategy. In fact 72% of CIOs feel they are not spending enough time
innovating.
Education may be slow to change, but the educational crisis in the U.S. and abroad is forcing us
to become creative and innovative. Technology, larger systems, and big data stand little chance
to improve the success of students. In fact, all logic and trends show that the more technology
that gets added to a campus, the worse it becomes. Looking back over the last 15 years, student
success is not increased proportionate to the amount of technology sold in to higher education.
It behooves every leader to take a serious look at what the future of integrating a digital
learning environment looks like for their institutions, students, and constituents. We must move
well beyond the MOOCs, flipping classrooms, mobile technologies and provide a seamless
environment for success. In essence we need to accomplish what Amazon did by providing one
comprehensive shopping site that looks seamless to the consumer, but actually includes 100s if
not 1,000s of inter-connected microsystems of power behind each link. In essence, the
Amazon’s of the world have constructively deconstructed the massive ERP or ecommerce
systems from a user’s perspective.
If education were to constructively deconstruct the student experience from a technology
perspective, what would it look like? We believe it would be far removed from everyone thinking
(or knowing) that they are logging into a SIS, Portal or LMS system. Ideally, the context of each
of these systems would be intuitively laid across a digital learning environment that allows the
students to be engaged in learning vs. technology.

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CIO’s and executives are challenged to decide if the add-ons in the area of mobile or web
should be added to the LMS system, SIS, system, ePortfolio systems or be started from scratch.
No matter what choice is made, it must be decided with the reality that students success be
embraced in a manner that moves with digital innovation vs. just technology. Students desire
to navigate through the landscape of both education and career planning if given the right
applications through social and mobile technology. Dr. Bill Graves and the authors of this Guide
all recognize that the future is about personalizing education and data analytics through mobile
and social enterprise system. The 2013 EDUCAUSE article called “Turning Personal Analytics
through the Education and Career Positioning System ” is a great overview of the direction that
students desire.
Innovation at a digital, social, and open manner is what separates the digital leaders from just
technologists. A recent article by the Huffington Post entitled “Strategic Higher Education CIOs
Invest In Technology to Improve Student Success,’ points to the case that strategic leaders invest
in technology to ensure student success.
Institutions will have many options to consider as technology continues to evolve at a pace that
is often faster than institution budgets and resources can accommodate. Innovators and
visionary leaders are already evolving to use technology to support enterprise engagement to
reach institutional goals.

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Authors
Vicki Tambellini is the President and CEO of
The Tambellini Group and Enterprise Hive
She has over 30 years of experience in
executive management, consulting, business
operations, and technology leadership in
higher education, and in the commercial
sector. Her distinguished career includes
creating the Education Institution Technology
Profile DatabaseTM
, the world’s most
comprehensive catalog of education
technology selections by institutions.
Enterprise Hive delivers award-winning
solutions to help improve communications,
collaboration and outcomes for institutions.
Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Ms.
Tambellini was VP and GM of PeopleSoft’s
higher education business unit from 1995-
1999. Under her direction, the higher
education business unit grew to more than
500 million in revenue and 400 plus customers
in four years. Ms. Tambellini also held
management positions with Oracle from 1990
to 1995. For her commitment to education, Ms.
Tambellini was awarded an honorary, lifetime,
Platinum Learning! Professional Certification
by the Elearning! Institute in December 2012.
The award was given in recognition of the
portfolio of achievements and contributions to
the field of learning, as well as for continued
commitment to evolve and shape the industry.
Ms. Tambellini received a B.S. in Business
from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Michael Mathews is the Chief Information
Officer at Oral Roberts University
Michael L. Mathews (Mike), CIO at Oral
Roberts University has over 24-years of
experience as a senior-level IT executive
bringing creative solutions that value the end-
users of technology and business process
management. These solutions have benefited
the end-users of higher education,
manufacturing, and high technology company
products. Mike has held positions as a chief

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information officer, general manager of CIOs,
chief strategist for innovation, business
development officer, trainer, teacher, and vice
president of academic services for leading
corporations and higher education. Mike has
been a CIO within higher education for over 12
years.
Mike has a deep and rich work history
including 12-years at Cray Research as an
instructor and global training manager; as well
as 10-years at SunGard Higher Education
where he served as chief information officer,
and vice president of academic services. In
2012-2013 Mike led a major national initiative
that earned him two invitations to the White
House, speaker at national educational
conferences, and a national summit on U.S.
academic policy as part of his innovation in
education. The innovation called the
Educational and Career Positioning System is
under U.S. Patent, and has won two national
education awards in 2012/13, including the
2013 Innovator of the Year by Campus
Technology. The innovation has been
published by EDUCAUSE (August, 2013) as a
leading disruptive technology for U.S. and
global education.
Shah S. Ardalan - President, LSC-University
Park
Mr. Shah Ardalan is the first president of
Lone Star College-University Park. Prior to
becoming president in September 2012, he
had served as vice chancellor and Chief
Information Officer (CIO) of Lone Star College
System and CEO of LSC-University Park. Shah
has over 20 years of experience in educational
and executive roles within the best and the
largest community college and university
systems in the United States.
Shah started his higher education career as
an instructor in 1989 and advanced to research
associate, director of business development,
special assistant to president, associate vice
president, vice president, and chief information
officer. He joined Lone Star College System as
the vice chancellor and CIO in 2008. In his
various roles, Shah set many national
benchmarks and standards for process and
educational improvements and became a
sought after speaker at national educational
conferences such as League of Innovation,
EDUCAUSE, IMS, and American Association of
Community Colleges. In 2011 alone, Mr.
Ardalan was named a Top Innovator in
American Education by the Center for Digital
Education, and was the recipient of The Carl

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Nelson Administrative Leadership Award, by
the Texas Association of Community Colleges.
Through Shah’s reputation, leadership, and
visionary accomplishments, he and his teams
have been featured in over 80 national and
international publications including the
Chronicle of Higher Education, Campus
Technology, Community College Weekly, and
University Business.
Shah’s comprehensive and proven academic
and management track-record made him the
perfect candidate to lead an exciting new
chapter in the history of Lone Star College
System: building a world-class innovative
campus for the 21st century. This new chapter
includes the design of an eco-system that
emphasizes excellence through innovation in
the following key areas: education delivery,
student services, workforce development,
industry partnerships, and community
enrichment. In addition to a fully accredited
college, this large (1.2 million sf on 71 acres)
campus is home to Corporate College, a full-
service conference center, four universities, a
charter school, and first-class commercial
leasing space. This unique corporate-look-
college-feel College of the 21st Century enrolls
over 6,000 students and has already won the
2012 National Student Innovative Business
Start-up Challenge.
Shah earned a Master’s degree in Electrical
Engineering from North Carolina A&T State
University and a Bachelor’s degree in Physics
from the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro, NC. He also holds academic
diplomas and certificates from the University
of Lausanne (Switzerland) and Harvard
University.
Trent Grundmeyer, Associate professor,
Drake University
Trent was named Secondary Principal of the
Year in 2013 by SAI. He was also awarded the
2007 Character Counts! Administrator of the
Year by the School Administrators of Iowa
Leadership Partnership Committee.
His research interests range from
technology adoption, teaching and learning
and education reform to school safety and
school leadership.
His teaching experience spans across topics
like Leadership and the Profession,
Applications of School Law, Mandates, and
Policies; Policy, Influence and Legal Issues as
well as Supervising Instruction.
Trent Grundmeyer holds a BA from Visita
University, a Master’s Degree from Drake
University and a PhD from Iowa State Univ.

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Organizations
About The Tambellini Group, LLC.
The Tambellini Group (TTG) is the world’s
leading research and advisory firm for higher
education executives. TTG delivers detailed
quantitative and qualitative technology
research, insight and analysis specifically for
education. TTG enables informed decisions
based on data. Executive level skills and
services include: strategic advice for
executives, market research, contract
negotiations with administrative systems
technology vendors and service providers, and
published thought leadership on business and
technology issues. TTG specializes in the
education technology sector.
The Tambellini Group is headquartered in
Irvington, Virginia, and provides the world’s
largest and most complete database on the
software, hardware, SaaS, and services selected
by education institutions and schools. Clients
include institutions, organizations and
businesses seeking a deeper understanding of
market trends and issues based on verifiable
data.
About Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University, based in Tulsa
Oklahoma is a comprehensive university
dedicated to student outcomes. ORU offers
more than 60 undergraduate majors, as well as
13 master's-level programs and two doctoral
degrees. Faculty members educated at the
nation's top graduate schools serve as
academic, professional and spiritual mentors
to students.
ORU continues to redefine what it means to be
a leading Christian university by embracing a
globalized format at home and abroad. The
Tulsa campus is home to students from all 50
U.S. states and more than 70 nations. ORU and
its students also deliver the Whole Person
distinctive to all inhabited regions through
distance learning, study abroad, educational

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partnerships, missions and outreach work, all
anchored in a Christian worldview.
Founded to educate the whole person - mind,
body and spirit - Oral Roberts University
promises a thorough education in the context
of a vibrant Christ-centered community. ORU
is a place for advancing knowledge, pursuing
intellectual discovery and building life-long
friendships in a vibrant campus community.
Oral Roberts University uses the Ellucian
Banner system, D2L, Chalk & Wire, and
numerous other enterprise software to meet
the needs of students, faculty, and staff.
About Lone Star
Lone Star College System, the largest
institution of higher education in the Houston
area, is nationally recognized, globally
connected and locally focused. Known for its
innovative and visionary thinking, Lone Star
College System is the fastest-growing
community college in the nation and a major
contributor to the local and regional economy.
SCS offers associate degrees and certification
in many areas of study at a fraction of the cost
of a four-year university like UT. Through its
progressive partnerships with many four-year
universities, LSCS also offers seamless
opportunities to obtain bachelor's and
master's degrees at one of its two University
Centers.
Throughout its 40 year history, Lone Star
College has been steadfast in its commitment
to student success and credential completion.
Currently leading the charge to improve
completion rates, LSCS is one of the only
colleges in the nation to establish a formal
Office of Completion and is the managing
partner of Texas Completes, the statewide
initiative that brings together five Texas
college systems to advance deep student
success reform.
The vision of LSC-University Park is two-fold:
to serve as a two-year accredited college and a
conduit for innovative partnerships between
education, business and industry, and the
community. Whether you seek a degree, skill
refresher, or training certification, LSC-
University Park is ready to meet your needs.
Our exceptional faculty have the academic
credentials, business savvy, and student-
centered focus to engage students' critical and
creative thinking through interactive teaching
and learning.

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About Drake University
Drake University is recognized as one of the
finest institutions of higher learning in the
Midwest. A midsized, private university in Des
Moines, Iowa, we offer the benefits and
resources of a larger institution along with the
advantages of intimate class sizes and close
personal relationships. Under the guidance of
an experienced leadership team, we provide an
exceptional learning environment that
prepares students for meaningful personal
lives, professional accomplishments, and
responsible global citizenship. We do this by
fostering collaborative learning among
students, faculty, and staff and by integrating
the liberal arts and sciences with professional
preparation.
Drake enrolls more than 3,300 undergraduates
and 1,700 graduate students from 40 states
and more than 40 countries. These students
choose from more than 70 majors, minors, and
concentrations and 20 graduate
degrees offered through six colleges and
schools. In addition, we offer a range of
continuing education programs serving
working professionals, community members,
and area businesses.
The University sponsors an active program of
research and outreach. Influential centers and
institutes range from The Constitutional Law
Center to The National Rehabilitation Institute,
and the investigations of individual faculty
span an equally broad spectrum.

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Notes:

2014 essential guide social enterprise software for higher education

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2014 essential guide social enterprise software for higher education