The University of Hertfordshire has selected CampusIT’s Quercus system to support its business activities related to the management and administration of student participation in academic courses.

An ambitious and entrepreneurial university with a student community of over 24,000 and a global network of over 165,000 alumni, the University of Hertfordshire is also one of its region’s largest employers with some 2,400 staff and a turnover of more than £235 million. The University has fourteen schools of study, responsible for over 500 undergraduate and more than 300 postgraduate courses. Like many leading universities, Hertfordshire is finding that demand is increasing for more flexible study patterns at home and internationally, including short courses, continuing professional development in the workplace and multi-centre study.

The University of Hertfordshire states in its strategic plan 2010-2015 that it will “shape the next generation of business facing universities, continue to be an exemplar in the sector and will play a leading role in addressing the economic and social challenges facing the UK in increasingly competitive global markets.”

Part of this commitment involves providing students with an efficient, rapid, integrated service to meet all needs relating to admissions, registration, enrolment, course coordination, assessment, work placement, pastoral support and graduation.

To fulfil this commitment into the future, Hertfordshire has turned to CampusIT, specialists for over a decade in providing student services systems to Higher Education. CampusIT’s clients include the University of Glamorgan, University of Portsmouth, Southampton Solent University, Edge Hill University, University of Wales Newport, The National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services, NUI Galway, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the National College of Ireland.

The University of Hertfordshire will be using CampusIT’s Quercus system to support all its administrative and management activities across the full student lifecycle from enquiry to alumni.

The new system will make extensive use of student self-service options and be used by staff across the University with a variety of roles involving recruitment, admissions, teaching, assessment, quality assurance, student support, as well as for the central academic registry function.

Professor Di Martin, the University’s CIO commented: “The supply and implementation of the Quercus Student Management and Administration System forms an integral and major part of the University’s ‘best of breed’ enterprise systems and services strategy.”

And Tony Sheridan, CEO of Campus IT noted: “Working in partnership with a large ‘business-facing’ University to enable it to improve its operational excellence is a very exciting project for CampusIT. It’s projects like this that really motivate our people and bring out the best in terms of innovation and commitment.”