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PLANNING AND
IMPLEMENTING A
“PAPERLESS”
REGISTRAR’S OFFICE
Dr. Steven Reed, University Registrar, Belmont University
Ginger Kuechle, Assistant Registrar, Belmont University
SACRAO Conference 2014
Session M4.2
THE ELECTRONIC
DREAM AND GOING
GREEN
From This:
To This:
BELMONT QUICK FACTS
Belmont University is a student-centered Christian community
providing an academically challenging education that empowers men
and women of diverse backgrounds to engage and transform the world
with disciplined intelligence, compassion, courage and faith.
 Located in Nashville, Tennessee
 Fall 2013 Enrollment: 6,918
 Total undergraduates: 5,518
 Total graduate students: 1,400
Belmont's Vision
To be a leader among teaching universities, bringing
together the best of liberal arts and professional education
in a Christian community of learning and service.
Why is This So Important?
• It fits philosophically with Belmont’s desire and
initiatives to be a “green” campus.
• It puts in practice a global lesson of being
environmentally sensitive… And one of those steps is
being as paperless as possible.
• There is a significant cost savings if you are not
buying and processing paper or paying for printing
and print cartridges.
• Management of documents becomes easier and
faster.
• Documents can be tracked electronically. Who has
them now?
• Time savings. Paper, especially most forms, have to
be passed, signed, touched, scanned (and/or filed) and
often gathered for secure destruction.
• Work productivity and efficiency. Paper documents
are often sorted and shuffled only to be reprinted and
scanned.
• Accountability. Electronic tracks who does what and
when.
• Controlled information access.
• Information security.
How Does the Green
Initiative Fit?
“…in the future students will include the
university’s transparency and record on
sustainability issues as criteria for
choosing where they will enroll for their
undergraduate and graduate studies.”
Newport, D., Chesnes, T., & Lindner, A. (2003). The
“environmental sustainability” problem. International
Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 4, 4, 357-363.
“…two-thirds of university applicants say
that a school's environmental report card
would influence whether they'd enroll.”
Sierra Cool Schools: The Third Annual List (2009).
http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200909/coolschools/
BELMONT GOES GREEN
For more than a decade members of the Belmont University
community have been doing their part to positively impact the
environment and encourage the campus at large to “go green.” From
recycling efforts to educational initiatives, Belmont students, faculty
and staff have shown their commitment to increasing the
university’s environmental sustainability.
The green initiative is for Belmont one of several important drivers
in our commitment to go as “paperless” as possible.
www.belmont.edu/green
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND
STEWARDSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Universities are in a unique position to be leaders in “going green.”
o Rooted locally, networked globally (globally influencing center)
o Connection of intellectual and geographical
o Open public space for those who attend as well as the
surrounding community
o Opportunity to set an example
o Four C’s: Curriculum, culture, campus, and community
o Paper reduction and going paperless is just one part of how
universities can set an example of sustainability
Higher education is “training the
future designers, planners,
scientists, politicians, and
citizens who will be needed to
envision, endorse, and implement
sustainable practices.”
Thompson, R., & Green, W. (2003). When sustainability
is not a priority. International Journal of Sustainability
in Higher Education, 6, 1, 7-17.
“Higher education can be a
participant in the current dialogue
that is taking place about how to
define and achieve sustainability.”
Barlett, P., & Chase, G. (eds.), (2003). Sustainability
on Campus: Stories and Strategy for Change. Boston:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
PROGRESSIVE STEPS TAKEN AT
BELMONT TO BE PAPERLESS
 Primary drivers: Environmental initiatives; Streamlining
in a significant enrollment growth mode; cost savings;
physical space considerations; information protection; work
productivity; work smarter before adding staff.
 Developed as a 10 year plan.
• There was a leadership decision in the fall of 2001 to move
away from paper processes. Authority was given to the
University Registrar for implementation.
• Spring of 2002 course schedule booklets were discontinued
in favor of a homegrown on-line course schedule tracker in
real time (“ClassFinder”).
• In the spring of 2002 all Registrar files and records (back to
1960) were scanned and integrated to Banner’s Web X-tender.
• June 1, 2002 the university catalog was rolled out onto the
web -- 100% electronic / web based. No paper copies were
printed.
PROGRESSIVE STEPS CONTINUED…
• 2003 – 2004 collection and scanning of academic area files;
•Stopped printing all ‘triplicate forms’ since single documents
would be scanned;
•Training for administrative assistants and “new culture”
training for faculty
• 2005 Implementation of on-line degree audit (DARS). Stopped paper
documents printed out of student files (e.g. substitution forms)
• 2006 E-mail and “Portal” communication announced as the primary
communication tool (some exceptions such as suspension letters).
• 2007 Begin to experiment with E-mailing forms from faculty
(security side is use through their Belmont account with unique ID
number)
• 2008 “Retain” (Hobson’s Product) rolled out -- used to target groups
via E-mail.
• All outside vendor printing of forms discontinued. -- Either
electronic communication or can still use on-line PDF is the
accepted method.
PROGRESSIVE STEPS CONTINUED…
• 2009 New Degree Audit software (DegreeWorks) adopted [roll out
March 15, 2010] --- Advisor files all online.
• 2010 All forms available on line and adapted to be tracked and
validated through Microsoft Outlook. --- No paper forms and drag and
drop features
• 2012 Online Transcript Ordering through National Student
Clearinghouse.
• 2013
• Banner Graduation Application
• Concurrent Enrollment Submissions online through student
portal
• All graduation related communication sent by email
• All notifications sent by email: Dean’s List,
Probation/Suspension, Registration Dates and Deadlines.
• Upgrade room scheduling software to EMS; scheduling, room
requests all done electronically.
• 2014 Mobile app in testing phase
WHAT’S GONE?
• Printed academic catalog
• Course schedule books
• Mass mailing of letters and notifications
CLASS
FINDER
ONLINE CATALOG
BENEFITS OF THE ONLINE CATALOG
• Direct entry for update and changes (html)
• Instant changes can be published to the web
• Tracks changes – person and timestamp
• No prohibition by state, federal or accrediting agencies on having
an on-line only catalog.
• Bi-annual updates. (January for editorial and non-substantive;
June for all substantive changes)
• Cost saving out of the Registrar’s budget is approximately $1.2
million since 2002 - (does not factor in any cost increase over the past
8 years)
• Track usage and movement by end users. Average monthly hits on
the catalog: 1,725
• All archived catalog years available for viewing
• Stepping stone for online degree audits (DARS to Degree Works)
BENEFITS OF CLASS FINDER
• Publishes approximately 2-3 months prior to the start of a term
(for fall about 5 months in advance)
• Refreshes new information every 5 seconds
• Cost savings of just under $100,000 since 2002 - (does not factor
in any cost increase over the past 8 years)
• Average monthly hits in Class Finder: 622,000 (average of 90
hits per student).
OTHER WEBSITE HITS
JAN 3 – FEB 2
• Transcript page: 1402 page views
• Exam-Schedules: 1017 page views
• Transfer information: 391 page views
• Registrar Forms: 339 page views
• Graduation information: 216 page views
DOCUMENT IMAGING AND
SCANNING
Benefits of Document Management:
• Banner Web X-Tender
• Free up physical space.
• Placing staff in positions where they can add
value.
• Drag and Drop capabilities.
• Immediate access to student files from any office
with security parameters.
• Greatly reduces (eliminates) misplacement of
confidential documents.
• Documents are safe on a dedicated server.
• FERPA requests processed quickly.
• Eliminates the “how long do you keep it”
policies, since everything is saved.
SCANNING PROCESS
Transcript
Received by
Admissions
Transcript
Received by
Registrar’s Office
Scanned and
stored in
Document
Imaging
Academic
Department
Admissions
Registrar’s
Office
Advisor
Prospective
student web link
STUDENT
COMMUNICATION TOOLS
Information and notifications previously sent by regular mail are now
distributed to student email addresses.
Benefits:
 Build a strong communication plan with proven content built to
drive students to graduation.
 Streamlined communication with students
 Increased staff availability to personally interact with students
 Increase efficiency and track results
 Maximize budget by doing more with less
 Target unique populations in unique ways
 Postage cost savings in what would normally be direct mailings
STUDENT
COMMUNICATION TOOLS
 Graduation Communication
 Notification to apply for graduation
 Notification of drop, add, and withdrawal dates
 In Progress: Targeting specific groups such as VA and Athletes
 Dean’s List notification with link to press release
 Text Alert System
 Mobile App
DEGREE WORKS AUDIT SOFTWARE
DEGREE WORKS AUDIT SOFTWARE
DEGREE WORKS
Benefits of Degree Works:
 One page graduation audit as well as progressive
audits can be saved in PDF format.
 PDF files can be emailed to students and advisors as
well as “dropped” into student’s document imaging file.
 Secure online access to degree audits for students and
advisors.
 Real time information.
 Less paper audits means more security with student
academic records.
 Creates electronic advising file with notes and
academic planner.
 Shared information between all advisors.
THE NEXT STEPS:
2014 AND BEYOND
Electronic
Transcripts
Banner Workflow
QUESTIONS?
Dr. Steven Reed, University Registrar, Belmont University
(steven.reed@belmont.edu)
Ginger Kuechle, Assistant Registrar, Belmont University
(ginger.kuechle@belmont.edu)
SACRAO Conference 2014
Session M4.2
Use Mobile Guidebook to Evaluate this
Session