Image and Integrate

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Document Management

Image and Integrate

11/1/2007

By Neal Starkman

There are financial considerations, too, says Wagner. After the system was initially rolled out, U of M President Robert Bruininks announced that the paperless student financial aid system was saving the institution 700,000 pieces of paper each year and approximately $250,000 in related costs, including savings of $2,244 each week, or $116,688 per year, on financial aid staff. Prior to the rollout, the Office of Student Finance employed 25 part-time students at $3,120 per week; afterward, only two part-time students and one full-time student were required, at a cost of only $876 per week. Dollar savings attributed to reclamation of floor space (due to removal of filing cabinets) amounted to $2,200 per year. In addition, there were substantial savings on the cost of the paper itself.

At The City University of New York, a new policy documents site now allows users to search for documents whether they're PDFs or XHTML pages, and the program returns only relevant sections from documents. A university board member recently saved the institution from a malfeasance lawsuit by locating and routing a pertinent document to a council member within five minutes.

Similar figures were obtained for the Office of the Registrar. But of course, it's not all about savings; it's about payback. As CSM's Harrison says, "We immediately saw our return on investment. It made our office so much more efficient."

Overcoming Resistance

Not too long ago, in Nashville, TN, administrators at 5,000-student Belmont University faced not only the challenge of incorporating a new document management system (Banner Xtender), but also that of getting people—notably, the university's 200 faculty members—to go along with the initiative.

Kathy Baugher, the institution's dean of enrollment services, points out, "There's always the fear that things are going to be different. Faculty members uncomfortable with technology simply are not going to use it. So we tried really hard to put processes in place to make it easier to use." One important part of the approach: "We've tried to involve the faculty every step of the way."

One way the project team did that was to ask faculty members to identify the first step of reviewing an application online. Then the team created a pencil-and-paper form to calculate GPA, check ACT scores, etc., after which they showed the resisters how to scan the form. Eventually, the team created an electronic version of the same form and carefully weaned the apprehensive away from the pencil-and-paper version. Soon, most of the faculty agreed with Baugher: "The system is not as intimidating as people are afraid it's going to be. It's relatively easy: It scans in the image, and you label what that document is and work with what are essentially virtual inboxes." So, Baugher receives electronic applications, sends them on to various departments such as Arts and Sciences, and even attaches electronic rubber stamps and sticky notes. "It's a virtual filing cabinet," she explains; "a storage and retrieval system."