Lone Star College System Saves Time and Money Using Transcript Ordering with SIS Integration

Lone Star College System (LSCS) is the largest institution of higher learning in the Houston area and one of the fastest- growing community college system in the nation. Founded in 1972, with a 16-member staff and 613 students, LSCS has grown to a current total enrollment of 90,000 students across its six colleges, Centers, online courses, and a campus in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Right Tool for the Job

Each month roughly 5,000 transcripts pass through LSCS’s registrar’s office. During peak months, the volume spikes to between 8,000 and 10,000.

Each of the six LSCS campuses used to house student information and process transcript orders individually. In 2011, LSCS consolidated the data and centralized the processing with PeopleSoft. While student information was now centralized electronically, completing transcript orders was still a largely manual process.

Through Transcript Ordering℠, the LSCS registrar’s office is able to handle the large volume of orders efficiently because many of the ordering processes are automated and integrated with their PeopleSoft system.

Automation and SIS Integration Relieves Pressure on Registrars

A key component to time reduction and improved efficiency for transcript ordering at LSCS was Transcript Ordering’s SIS integration with their PeopleSoft network. LSCS students could submit a request for their transcript through the college’s SIS but LSCS registrars had to manually enter the student data for the order.

As Connie Garrick, Director of Student Records/Registrar, recounts, “Consolidating our student information into one system cut down the time of processing orders, but it still took days.” This was due largely to the time spent manually completing the order by LSCS’s eight full-time and three part-time registrar office employees. “Everyone in the office was printing transcripts, stuffing envelopes, and getting them in the mail. If [students] got their transcript by the third business day, they were lucky,” said Garrick.

After implementing Transcript Ordering and its SIS integration option, transcript processing/fulfillment dropped from three days or more to 24 hours or less, allowing Garrick and her team to spend less time on “busy work” and provide a quicker turnaround of orders. “Now, the next day, first thing in the morning we’re ready to produce a batch,” said Garrick. Besides a reduction in time spent by personnel, the LSCS registrar’s office noted Transcript Ordering’s electronic delivery was a more cost-effective option, saving money on paper, envelopes, and postage.

Simplified Process Benefits Current and Former Students

The implementation of Transcript Ordering and SIS integration also benefited LSCS’s students and alumni. Before SIS integration, students had to request transcripts through Lone Star’s system. Alumni had an especially hard time ordering transcripts prior to Lone Star’s implementation of National Student Clearinghouse services. Before when alumni requested a transcript, the registrar’s office had to manually create an account for the former student in the system; a time-consuming and costly process.

“Students with an older record couldn’t order a transcript within the student center website,” said Garrick. “When we moved to the Clearinghouse, it didn’t matter. Alumni didn’t need to have an account within the Lone Star system. The Clearinghouse made it a lot easier for them to order a transcript.”

The Clearinghouse’s Transcript Ordering with SIS integration made the process quick and efficient for students, giving them the ability to order a transcript 24/7. Once a student or alumni submits an order, Transcript Ordering sends it directly to the SIS Integration Services at the school. Students are automatically notified and able to track every step of their transcript through the ordering process.

More Time for the Registrar’s Office

Transcript Ordering with SIS integration gave LSCS’s registrars time to pursue other important functions. It also helped them complete the second phase of their 18-month effort to centralize their 90,000 student records in PeopleSoft.

“We had a lot of ongoing projects because we were new to PeopleSoft,” recounts Garrick. “We had to do a second conversion because weren’t able to bring all of our records in. Some of the reason we didn’t do the second conversion sooner was because we didn’t have the people to do it. Switching to the Clearinghouse allowed us to bring over the complete second conversion.”

Now, the Lone Star Registrar’s Office has only three employees dedicated to completing nearly 5,000 transcript orders a month, over half of which are delivered electronically by the Clearinghouse. Transcript Ordering has allowed others in the registrar’s office to focus on more critical work. “It’s a great service. It’s simple to remember, simple to complete the order online, and easy for our students to use and track,” said Garrick.