Broward Community College is using software from SAS, the leader in business intelligence, to better manage finances and increase enrollment. With eight campuses in one of South Florida’s most heavily populated counties, BCC must collect, analyze and report on financial and student data to justify state funding and compete with other educational institutions.
BCC used to struggle with a time-consuming financial reporting that was prone to inaccuracies. With SAS® Financial Management, staff monitor financial reports, analyze operational effectiveness and generate ad hoc reports, reporting data at the college level, by campus and even individual department and cost center.
“It used to take us four to six weeks to pull our financial data together into a spreadsheet and another three to four weeks to put the financial report together,” said Patti Barney, BCC Vice President of Information Technology. “Now, using SAS, we can produce multiple reports in a single day with all of the required information right on our desktop.”
With annual enrollment of 60,000, BCC must efficiently and proactively gain information about programs for current and future students. Using SAS business intelligence for enrollment management, BCC not only successfully markets the college; it also ensures the success of Achieving the Dream, (ATD), making higher education a reality for underserved populations.
With SAS, the college looks beyond grades to understand why some students succeed more than others. Holding several jobs, stressful family issues, English as a second language or being academically challenged, for example, may pose obstacles, Barney says.
To support the nationwide ATD student-success initiative, BCC trusts SAS to fuel decisions that help students at risk of dropping out or bypassing college get adequate education for the 21st-century work force.
BCC’s Achieving the Dream program comprises 136 students. Drawing intelligence from a variety of systems, such as student information, financial aid, course management, faculty reports, human resources and budgeting, BCC tracks their success. The insights gleaned helps the college know when to intervene to help students stay on track, earn degrees and ultimately transition to four-year institutions or the work force.
At BCC, the Achieving the Dream students boast a 92 percent retention rate, says Matthew Seeman, BCC Information Analyst. “Four out of the seven learning communities had 100 percent retention,” he adds. “Out of 136 students, only seven withdrew.”
With more than 2,000 college, university and business-school customers in 109 countries and education specialists on every continent, SAS serves the education industry by delivering software solutions, strategic services and academic programs that spark innovation and expand educational opportunities.
The announcement was made today at the Chronicle Technology Forum, where Barney will speak on “Student and Institutional Information: How Analytics Change Higher Education.”
About SAS
SAS is the leader in business intelligence and analytical software and services. Customers at more than 44,000 sites use SAS software to improve performance through insight from data, resulting in faster, more accurate business decisions; more profitable relationships with customers and suppliers; compliance with governmental regulations; research breakthroughs; and better products and processes. Only SAS offers leading data integration, storage, analytics and business intelligence applications within a comprehensive enterprise intelligence platform. Since 1976, SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW®. www.sas.com