| | November - 202219CXO INSIGHTSLeveling Up With Bobcat ExperienceBy Kimberly A. Conner, IT Communications Associate, VP, Division of Information Technology, Texas State UniversityTexas State University's Division of Information Technology has implemented the Ellucian Experience platform as part of its ongoing commitment to providing students with seamless digital resources. Promoted to the campus community as "Bobcat Experience," this customizable, user-friendly portal makes it easier than ever to access campus services.A New ExperienceTexas State's Division of Information Technology, led by Vice President and CIO Ken Pierce, constantly strives to streamline student access to campus services. As platforms become almost exclusively cloud-based, the IT Division's Technology Resources ("TR") unit continues to unify digital resources. The Ellucian Experience product serves as a hub for student data and information. Unveiled to the campus community as "Bobcat Experience," the Ellucian product offers a dashboard environment, giving students immediate access to services like dining, housing, academic calendars, learning management systems, financial aid, and academic counseling. The Experience environment also allows students to log in just once and access multiple resources, reducing the need for duplicate credential entries. Mark Hughes, Associate Vice President for Technology Resources, explains what drives this service: "Bobcat Experience provides an easier interface, more information dissemination, and [a] customizable dashboard. [It] is a steppingstone in the Division of Information Technology's continuing commitment to student success." A Transformational ExperienceStudents are bombarded by information. Alerts for texts, chats, and social media compete with university notifications for attention. Sorting through extraneous information to reach important notices can be challenging. Nevertheless, universities expect prompt responses to time-sensitive information. To better capture and engage students' attention to campus notifications, Bobcat Experience transforms digital interactions with university resources. With its customizable dashboard, Experience aggregates and centralizes information relevant to students. Hughes says, "[Ellucian's] `Bobcat' Experience offers a modern interface more in tune with students." Jodi Steen, who spearheaded the planning phase as Hughes' special assistant, elaborates, "It is a portal-like environment that pulls data from different systems and displays that information on `cards' for the user." Kimberly A. Conner
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