Back to School Lessons on the Importance of Student Experiences

By Laura Ipsen

After two decades of winding through life with three amazing kids, my last one flew the coop, leaping into his college future hundreds of miles away in Upstate New York. For the first time, Back to School meant joining the millions-strong empty-nester club. And, while the experience was bittersweet for me as a mom, it also reinforced for me as an EdTech CEO the importance of architecting a vibrant, digital future where institutions can meet the evolving needs of faculty and administration and most importantly students — so they can thrive!

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Dropoff! Let me just say, it was a breeze with smiles and waves all around! We were met curbside by a well-orchestrated team of student volunteers. They eagerly swooped in to empty our car, pack his belongings into large grey bins, and whisk them into his dorm room — all within 20 minutes of our arrival! It was a great first impression. It also set a high bar for excellence for the myriad systems and services he will encounter — from course enrollment to advising to dining to campus recreation to career planning — during his college years.

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After helping my daughter back to school much earlier in August — D-1 volleyball already in full swing — I reflected on both trips, comparing the expectations of a wide-eyed freshman to a returning junior with high expectations and lots of opinions! It gave me an even greater appreciation for how important it is for colleges and universities to double down on their students’ experiences — not just in the “falling in love” stage of recruiting or move-in, but at every touchpoint along the way. Putting students first is at the center of all we do and is core to Ellucian’s mission: To power higher education so institutions can empower student success.

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As I’ve learned from my two older children and from Ellucian’s higher education partners, students’ expectations rise every year as they advance through their institutions. While my son begins “acclimating” to his new school, his sister is already back from her first tournament and already landed a research opportunity on campus studying three “cute” white rats as part of her pursuit as a neuroscience major. Move-in joy for her was seeing the washer and dryer right outside her door! Apparently, it’s a big deal to know when the machines are free on every campus! While my kids may be at different points in their journeys, they share the same sense of excitement and urgency with a dash of anxiety.

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More broadly, we know that students’ academic, financial, and cultural backgrounds and other factors affect their expectations and experiences. Institutions know some students will leave if a school doesn’t feel like a good fit in terms of financial and academic support, course loads, social life, or internship and career opportunities, to name a few. The heightened competition to attract and retain students raises the stakes for colleges and universities to create more meaningful experiences — and to do so quickly and comprehensively.

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Technology solutions like Ellucian’s provide campus leaders with data and analytics capabilities that help them understand how improving experiences can drive students’ success, satisfaction, and attachment to the institutions from college acceptance to graduation and beyond. Ellucian powers institutions with deep insights we have gained over more than 50 years focused exclusively on serving higher education. Today, our innovation team is leveraging powerful tools around data and analytics supercharged by AI to help institutions streamline their admissions processes, improve financial systems, address financial aid, and enhance course registration and degree planning. We are also creating new solutions to help students access basic needs ?improving overall well-being — from food and housing to exercise and community engagement. Hey, we think we can even address the laundry room dilemma!

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Ultimately, we know students are most likely to thrive when they feel genuine connections to the peers, faculty, and staff members they engage with every day. Through our deep experience in working closely with higher education professionals, we believe technology is critical to helping people who represent the soul of an institution create welcoming and supportive environments where students can shape their individual journeys and their future.

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In my now-quieter home, minus our silver lab — acquired during COVID by, of course, our youngest — I think often about whether my kids are happy and growing on their campuses. I am lucky as they often check in on text and FaceTime, but I often wonder if we ever really know how ALL our students are doing. Recent studies show that more than 70% of students say they are suffering from either anxiety or depression. What is the state of their physical and mental health? Are they feeling overwhelmed or isolated?

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These are just some of the questions that are on the minds of fellow parents, educators, administrators, and EdTech enthusiasts. I’d love to hear from my LinkedIn community: What types of student experiences do you think are becoming most important for colleges and university to address? What are the biggest challenges and opportunities for using technology to help institutions support student success? I am also seeking any great tips from my fellow empty-nesters!

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