According to the American Association of Community Colleges, more than 1,000 community colleges in the United States enroll more than 12 million students. This serves almost half of all undergraduate students in the United States. Community colleges play a critical role in the fabric of higher education, providing affordable education to diverse student populations.

However, as we look closer at the landscape of higher education today, it’s marred by a series of challenges that demand attention. From tight budgets to challenging enrollment and adapting to technological advancements, how can community colleges uphold their commitment to providing accessible education?

The answer starts with having the right enterprise ERP + SIS solution. What better option than a student information system (SIS) built to meet the unique needs of community colleges? The fundamental purpose of Anthology® Student has always been student success and reporting. We built a system to easily track students as they progress towards graduation and to help students stay focused and on track towards completion.

Here is why Anthology Student is essential for community colleges who are looking for a strategic solution to maximize resources:

1. Student Success

Anthology recognizes that institutions are recruiting and building programs with successful graduation in mind. This means it’s not just courses that are offered semester-over-semester that will lead to a degree, it’s the complete student journey to graduation. This is why we designed Anthology Student to be flexible in a way that promotes student success. Anthology Student is built to help students understand exactly what they need to complete from the first day that they start to the day they graduate. We provide tools to support the advising process, both in the planning of classes leading to graduation and through the degree progress audit that reflects completions and pathway progress towards that degree.

2. Data-Driven Decision-Making

Analytic tools offer valuable insights into student performance, enrollment trends, and overall institutional effectiveness. Having access to data has never been easier than with Anthology Student. Data Views empowers users to pull their own data—in a way that they can report on their own department, their own business, their own operations—all without needing special technological skills or permissions.

Anthology’s unique ability to push data through Microsoft’s Power BI is a key differentiator when it comes to data analysis. This powerful reporting tool provides community colleges with insights on how their community is changing over time and helps them look at their overall performance. This is critical in today's world, where increased scrutiny is placed on the completion and the transferring of students from community colleges to higher levels of learning.

By embracing a data-driven approach, community colleges can make informed decisions that contribute to their strategic goals and long-term success.

3. Flexible Model

Flexible enrollment models enable institutions to package their existing curriculum in a variety of ways, which makes it easier for both traditional and non-traditional students to reach their goals. Whether it’s offering courses fully online or in a hybrid setting, delivering micro and stackable credentials, competency-based programs, weekend executive editions, or ad-hoc course delivery, Anthology Student provides these flexible academic models. This allows an institution to configure academic year lengths, borrower-based and scheduled academic year financial aid, parent/child terms, and varying tuition models for differing academic deliveries—all of which make the solution highly flexible.

In case you missed it, check out this paper on responding to the dynamic needs of emerging programs: Beyond the Term: How to Adapt and Respond to New Expectations for Postsecondary Education.

4. Centralized Data Management

Community colleges are more resource constrained than ever before, and as such they need centralized access to data that can guide and direct them on how to be as efficient as possible. Anthology offers a holistic set of EdTech solutions and enables a more personalized experience by connecting data across your institution. The unified platform provided by Anthology Student allows community colleges to centralize their data and incorporate data across solutions. This centralized hub ensures that information is consistent, up-to-date, and easily accessible across various departments. Whether it's student records, enrollment data, or financial information, having a single source of data enables informed decision-making.

5. Streamlining Administrative Processes

Community colleges deal with a multitude of administrative tasks, from enrollment management, faculty workload management, scheduling, and beyond. Anthology Student automates and streamlines these processes to drive efficiency. This not only reduces the burden on staff, but also enhances the efficiency of day-to-day operations.

“We can now work closely together by building out a system that has helped both financial aid and student services come together and automate our processes. It allows our students to have a better learning environment,” said Veronica Duran, Registrar at Central Arizona College.

Anthology Student is not just a tool; it's a strategic asset that empowers community colleges to overcome challenges and thrive in a competitive educational landscape. From optimizing administrative processes to enhancing the learning experience, the benefits of Anthology Student are far-reaching. As community colleges continue to play a crucial role in shaping the future of education, investing in the right enterprise software is key to ensuring their long-term success and sustainability. Connect with us and see how we can partner with you!