Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Project Exploring Shared ERP Services Model for Private Colleges and Universities

A new initiative out of the Higher Education Systems and Services (HESS) Consortium is researching whether a shared ERP services model is attainable and sustainable for private, nonprofit colleges and universities. The HESS Consortium Higher Education Technology Collective project, or HESS Collective, brings together 29 institutions to address "crucial foundational issues around ERP and cloud technology operations," according to a news announcement.  

With the overall goal of helping institutions get through operational and financial challenges, the group will explore the feasibility of four main areas:

  • Adopting a single "cloud-native" ERP platform;
  • Negotiating pricing, terms and conditions as a group;
  • Creating a shared staffing and support model; and
  • Ensuring a 10-year return-on-investment.

The collective expects to select a common ERP platform and develop a shared organizational and data governance model by early 2021, with the first institutions moving to the new platform by mid-2021.

"This has been a concept for our member institutions since the HESS Consortium was founded," noted Keith Fowlkes, co-founder and executive director for the HESS Consortium, in a statement. "Private colleges and universities know that they must innovate to survive the coming decade and this group is leading the charge to change the paradigm of traditional ERP operations."

"Small institutions across the country should be engaging in discussions around how to partner with other institutions for shared systems and services," said Trey Arrington, vice president for operations at Spartanburg Methodist College and HESS Board member. "This includes ERP, CRM, financial and fundraising systems, just to name a few. When you look at other industries, such as healthcare and the reform that it has gone through, partnerships in private higher education are necessary for the survival and continuation of our institutions."

For more information, visit the HESS Consortium site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • digital lock with circuit patterns

    IBM Announces New AI-Powered Cybersecurity Tools

    IBM has announced an expanded portfolio of AI-powered cybersecurity products, positioning the company to compete more aggressively in a rapidly evolving market where enterprises are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to defend against automated cyber threats.

  • large group of college students sitting on an academic quad

    Student Readiness: Learning to Learn

    Melissa Loble, Instructure's chief academic officer, recommends a focus on 'readiness' as a broader concept as we try to understand how to build meaningful education experiences that can form a bridge from the university to the workplace. Here, we ask Loble what readiness is and how to offer students the ability to 'learn to learn'.

  • Educational path and career development growth with neon icons for study, idea, graduation, and success

    How to Embrace Lifelong Learning as a Non-negotiable for Career Growth

    In a world shaped by rapid technological change and shifting economic forces, staying curious and committed to learning is the most powerful way to stay prepared.

  • glowing brain above stacked coins

    The Higher Ed Playbook for AI Affordability

    Fulfilling the promise of AI in higher education does not require massive budgets or radical reinvention. By leveraging existing infrastructure, embracing edge and localized AI, collaborating across institutions, and embedding AI thoughtfully across the enterprise, universities can move from experimentation to impact.