National study from Collegis Education and UPCEA highlights opportunity for institutions to strengthen student persistence through better alignment of strategy, systems, and support

WASHINGTON, D.C. and CHICAGO, IL – February 4, 2026 — ​​ As adult learners account for a growing share of higher education enrollment, colleges and universities face increasing pressure to sustain persistence in online programs. A new national study, “The Retention Disconnect: What Learners Need and What Institutions Miss,” released by UPCEA and Collegis Education, examines where institutional assumptions about retention diverge from learners’ lived experiences—and how realigning support strategies can improve outcomes, protect revenue, and better meet students where they are.

The study found that 48% of institutional leaders cannot confidently report their online retention rate, indicating a visibility gap that makes it harder to evaluate which approaches are most effective for learners. As institutions face enrollment pressure tied to demographic shifts and slower net-new growth, retention is increasingly viewed as a critical lever for stability. The findings underscore the need not for more activity, but for clearer insight into what actually supports persistence.

Surveying 1,015 online learners and 54 institutional leaders, the research reveals that while 75% of learners say it is “easy” to stay enrolled, nearly one in five has still considered stopping out. The gap suggests that persistence hinges less on online learner motivation and more on how effectively institutions anticipate, support, and align with students’ academic and life realities.

Left unaddressed, these misalignments carry meaningful consequences. Attrition is estimated to cost institutions millions in lost tuition revenue annually, particularly in graduate and online programs where retention is central to long-term growth.

Key Research Findings:

• Many institutions lack a consistent measurement of online retention, limiting informed decision-making.
• Learners prioritize self-service and visibility: 87% rate progress dashboards highly valuable, while institutions tend to emphasize staff-driven interventions.
• Retention risks vary significantly by life stage, reinforcing the limits of one-size-fits-all strategies
• Career advancement is the leading enrollment driver, yet learners frequently report misalignment between coursework and professional goals
• Financial pressure, work demands, and caregiving responsibilities remain the top reasons learners consider stopping out
  

“Retention today is less about adding more touchpoints and more about intentional design,” said Tracy A. Chapman, Chief Academic Officer at Collegis Education. “Institutions seeing progress are those that align their strategies around how learners actually move through education—creating clarity, relevance, and timely support that helps persistence scale.”

The research also found that while many institutions invest heavily in alerts and structured outreach, learners place greater value on flexibility, autonomy, and transparency. When these preferences are not reflected in institutional design, retention efforts can miss critical moments that influence whether students persist.

“Adult learners are reshaping expectations across higher education, and institutions are under increasing pressure to demonstrate outcomes,” said  Emily West, Senior Market Research Analyst at UPCEA. “This research shows that improving retention isn’t about doing more—it’s about understanding professional learners better and meeting their needs.”

Implications for University Leaders

The findings highlight an opportunity for institutions to strengthen persistence by improving visibility into retention outcomes and aligning support with different learner profiles and life stages. Programs that provide clearer pathways, relevant coursework, and timely guidance are better positioned to sustain momentum. In a competitive environment, retention increasingly reflects institutional design as much as student effort.

UPCEA will host a webinar on February 11 at 1 pm EST to explore the research findings and actionable strategies. Registration details are available at: https://collegiseducation.com/insights/the-retention-disconnect-webinar/

About UPCEA

UPCEA is the online and professional education association. Our members continuously reinvent higher education, positively impacting millions of lives. We proudly lead and support them through cutting-edge research, professional development, networking and mentorship, conferences and seminars, and stakeholder advocacy. Our collaborative, entrepreneurial community brings together decision-makers and influencers in education, industry, research, and policy interested in improving educational access and outcomes. Learn more at upcea.edu.

About Collegis Education

As a mission-oriented, tech-enabled services provider, Collegis Education partners with higher education institutions to help align operations to drive transformative impact across the entire student lifecycle. With over 25 years as an industry pioneer, Collegis has proven how to leverage insights, systems, and expertise to optimize institutions’ business processes that enhance the student experience. With the strategic capabilities that rival the leading consultancies, a full suite of proven service lines, including marketing, enrollment, retention, IT, and its world-class Connected Core® platform, Collegis helps its partners enable impact and drive revenue, growth, and innovation. Learn more at CollegisEducation.com.

Media Contacts:

Collegis Education

Alyssa Miller

alyssa@ammediaworks.com

973-615-1292

Multi-year collaboration to strengthen cybersecurity, streamline systems, and drive operational innovation across campus.

DENVER, Colo. — [November 11, 2025] — Regis University today announced a new five-year partnership with Collegis Education, a nationally recognized provider of higher education technology and data solutions, to modernize and strengthen the university’s IT infrastructure. The collaboration marks a major step in Regis’ ongoing digital transformation strategy, designed to enhance cybersecurity, improve data integration, and deliver more efficient, 24/7 technology services across campus.

In the fall of 2023, Regis launched a comprehensive assessment of its IT infrastructure. The results made clear that gaps in existing systems limited the university’s ability to serve students, faculty, and staff efficiently. Addressing these challenges required reimagining how technology services are delivered to ensure systems are reliable, responsive, and aligned with the needs of a modern learning environment.

“Technology is foundational to how we teach, learn, and work, and this partnership represents a major investment in Regis University’s future,” said Stephanie Morris, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Regis University. “Partnering with Collegis allows us to modernize our IT operations, strengthen security, and provide a more unified and responsive experience for our community, all while maintaining our commitment to operational excellence and fiscal responsibility.”

Regis selected Collegis through a competitive RFP process, following staff recommendations based on prior positive experiences with the company at other institutions. Throughout the evaluation, Collegis distinguished itself by demonstrating a deep understanding of universities’ operational complexities and by recognizing the central role technology plays in supporting teaching, learning, and student success. 

As part of the partnership, Collegis will help Regis integrate core systems, including Colleague, Salesforce, and Workday, to create a more seamless experience for students, faculty, and staff.  This will allow Regis to improve efficiencies, access diverse levels of expertise, provide 24/7 service availability, and improve system integrations. 

The collaboration will provide Regis with access to a broad range of higher education IT expertise and scalable resources. Collegis’ team will collaborate closely with Regis leadership to deliver high-performing systems, improved uptime and reliability, and integrated data systems that strengthen university operations and inform decision-making.

“We are proud to partner with Regis University, an institution with a deep commitment to innovation and service,” said Kim Fahey, CEO of Collegis Education. “Our role is to help Regis leverage technology to empower its mission to support a secure, connected, and efficient digital ecosystem that enhances the student experience and strengthens institutional resilience.”

Under the agreement, Collegis will assume management of day-to-day IT infrastructure operations, while Regis will continue to oversee technology strategy and governance. Faculty, staff, and students will continue to access support through familiar channels—including the online self-service portal and ITS help desk—with the added benefit of 24/7 availability and expanded system monitoring.

The transition will take place over the coming year, with listening sessions and open forums held throughout the process to ensure transparency, collaboration, and feedback from the Regis community.

“Partnership success is realized when operational excellence, trust, and shared purpose combine to deliver reliable technology services; improved faculty, staff, and student experiences; and measurable value to the university’s mission,” said Morris. “With Collegis as a strategic partner, we will be able to evolve to meet changing institutional needs and empower our faculty to teach, our students to learn, and our community to thrive.”

About Regis University

Established in 1877, Regis University is a premier, globally engaged institution of higher learning in the Jesuit tradition that prepares leaders to live productive lives of faith, meaning and service. Regis University, one of 27 Jesuit universities in the nation, has two campus locations in the Denver metro area and extensive online program offerings with more than 6,000 enrolled students. It is a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution. For more information, visit www.regis.edu.

About Collegis Education

As a mission-oriented, tech-enabled services provider, Collegis Education partners with higher education institutions to help align operations to drive transformative impact across the entire student lifecycle. With over 25 years as an industry pioneer, Collegis has proven how to leverage data, technology, and talent to optimize institutions’ business processes that enhance the student experience. With strategic expertise that rivals the leading consultancies, a full suite of proven service lines —including marketing, enrollment, retention, IT —and its world-class Connected Core® data platform, Collegis helps its partners drive impact and generate revenue, growth, and innovation. Learn more at CollegisEducation.com or via LinkedIn.

Media Contacts:

Collegis Education

Alyssa Miller

alyssa@ammediaworks.com

973-615-1292

Regis University

Sheryl Tirol

stirol@regis.edu

Collegis empowers data-driven admissions and streamlines prospective student support.

Buffalo, NY (May 20, 2025) — Trocaire College, a private, career-oriented Catholic college, today announced a multi-year partnership with Collegis Education to advance its enrollment strategy and elevate the student experience. Through this collaboration, Trocaire will leverage Collegis’ Enrollment Support Services and its Connected Core® platform to guide prospective students from inquiry to enrollment.

The partnership comes as Trocaire begins implementing its new three-year strategic plan, with a sharpened focus on increasing enrollment and creating a seamless, student-centered admissions process. 

“Trocaire College is looking forward to working with Collegis to help grow our enrollment in alignment with our mission.  Collegis has a proven track record of achieving results in higher education including revenue-growth, enrollment expertise and optimization of student experiences while having an ‘edu-preneurial’ mindset,” stated Jason Konesco, executive vice president at Trocaire. “We chose Collegis for their ability to be a true partner working collaboratively with our team to create a tailored solution that will best reflect the needs of our institution.”

Collegis will serve as an extension of the Trocaire admissions team, providing personalized support and helping prospective students navigate their journey from initial inquiry to first contact to the first day of class. With just over 1,000 students across its South Buffalo location and Transit Achievement Center in Lancaster, Trocaire empowers students to achieve personal enrichment, dignity, and self-worth through education in various career-focused degree programs including healthcare, business, technology, veterinary sciences and the liberal arts. 

Earlier this year, Trocaire first connected with Collegis at the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) Annual Meeting. Additional follow-up meetings, including a site visit from the Collegis team, solidified a shared vision for a collaborative, student-first approach.

At the core of this partnership is Connected Core, Collegis’ integrated technology and analytics platform that empowers institutions to make data-informed decisions while extending operational capacity. Recently named a “cool tool” by EdTech Digest, with Connected Core, Trocaire College will gain actionable insights into prospective student behavior, streamlined admissions workflows, and access to enrollment specialists trained to deliver high-quality student engagement.

“This partnership reflects what we do best: supporting institutions like Trocaire to help them grow in ways that honor their mission,” said Pat Green, vice president of enrollment solutions at Collegis Education. “We’re proud to bring data, tech, and talent to Trocaire’s team and we are passionate about supporting the next generation of students preparing for careers of purpose and lives of service.”

About Trocaire College

Founded in 1958 in Buffalo, NY by the Sisters of Mercy, Trocaire College is a private, career-oriented Catholic college that empowers students with the resources and supportive environment needed to achieve their academic goals. The core mission is to allow each person to be a valuable contributor to the workforce needs of the community. Trocaire offers bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, certificates and workforce development programs in healthcare, veterinary sciences, business, and technology. Trocaire ranks in the top one-quarter of colleges and universities for return on investment by Georgetown University and is designated as an Opportunity College and University by the Carnegie Classifications with a Higher Access, Higher Earnings classification. Visit trocaire.edu for more information and follow Trocaire on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About Collegis Education

As a mission-oriented, tech-enabled services provider, Collegis Education partners with higher education institutions to help align operations to drive transformative impact across the entire student lifecycle. With over 25 years as an industry pioneer, Collegis has proven how to leverage data, technology, and talent to optimize institutions’ business processes that enhance the student experience. With the strategic expertise that rivals the leading consultancies, a full suite of proven service lines, including marketing, enrollment, retention, IT, and its world-class Connected Core® data platform, Collegis helps its partners enable impact and drive revenue, growth, and innovation. Learn more at CollegisEducation.com or via LinkedIn.

Media Contacts:

Collegis Education

Alyssa Miller

alyssa@ammediaworks.com

973-615-1292

Trocaire College

Laura Jacobs

ljacobs@e3communications.com

716-807-5922

The strategic partnership will strengthen the University’s student-centered mission through agile technology, operational innovation, and a shared commitment to community.

St. Paul, Minn. – (May 5, 2025) — St. Catherine University (St. Kate’s) and Collegis Education announced today that they have entered into a strategic partnership to enhance the University’s delivery of IT services.

The decision to seek external IT support was driven by the University’s growing need to accelerate progress on strategic technology initiatives that had slowed within the existing tech infrastructure. The University recognized the need for a partner with the expertise, agility, and shared mission to help build a more responsive, future-ready infrastructure.

“We realized that the pace of change in technology—and the expectations of our students—were outpacing what our internal systems and structures could support,” said Latisha Dawson, Vice President of Human Resources and Project Lead. “Our institution is centered around student connection and academic excellence. But to uphold that mission, we needed a partner with the technical expertise and scalability to move faster, innovate more nimbly, and help us deliver a modern student experience. Collegis allows us to do just that, so we can spend less time managing systems and more time serving our students.”

In this partnership, Collegis will provide day-to-day IT operational support, a dedicated Chief Information Officer (CIO), and technological infrastructure that supports the university’s forward progress on strategic projects, while upholding strong data governance and enabling real-time responsiveness.

As part of the deal, St. Kate will gain access to Collegis Education’s Connected Core®, a secure, composable data platform powered by Google Cloud. As a tech-agnostic solution, Connected Core unifies siloed systems and data sets, enables real-time and actionable institutional intelligence, produces AI-powered data strategies, and delivers proven solutions that enhance recruitment, retention, operations, and student experiences — driving measurable impact across the entire student lifecycle.

St. Kate’s selected Collegis following a thorough evaluation of potential partners. “A lot of vendors can fill a gap, but that’s not what we were looking for,” said Dawson. “We were looking for someone to meet us where we are, grow with us, and truly enable us to excel. The real differentiator with Collegis was the spirit of partnership, and beyond that, community. From the beginning, they didn’t feel like an outsider. The team has become part of our community, and  a part of helping us advance our mission.”

“Collegis is honored to join the St. Kate’s community in a shared commitment to the future of higher education,” said Kim Fahey, President and CEO of Collegis Education. “We see technology not as an end but as an enabler, an extension of the institution’s mission to educate women to lead and influence. This partnership is about building agile systems that empower faculty, enrich the student experience, and keep the University ahead of what’s next.”

The partnership also reflects St. Kate’s strategic priority to build a more nimble technology foundation that shortens the timeline between priority-setting and implementation. The transition enables the university to move away from legacy systems and toward a model that supports real-time innovation, strategic flexibility, and long-term sustainability.

“Our partnership with Collegis is rooted in our values,” said Marcheta Evans, PhD, President of St. Catherine University. “It allows us to remain focused on our mission while bringing in trusted expertise to support the evolving needs of our students, faculty, and staff.”

Dawson concludes, “We’ve always been guided by the principle of meeting the needs of the time. Embracing this next level of technology ensures we can continue nurturing the powerful, personal connection between our faculty and students, which is what makes us uniquely St. Kate’s.”

About Collegis Education

As a mission-oriented, tech-enabled services provider, Collegis Education partners with higher education institutions to help align operations to drive transformative impact across the entire student lifecycle. With over 25 years as an industry pioneer, Collegis has proven how to leverage data, technology, and talent to optimize institutions’ business processes that enhance the student experience. With the strategic expertise that rivals the leading consultancies, a full suite of proven service lines, including marketing, enrollment, retention, IT, and its world-class Connected Core® data platform, Collegis helps its partners enable impact and drive revenue, growth, and innovation. Learn more at CollegisEducation.com or via LinkedIn.

About St. Catherine University

Sustained by a legacy of visionary women, St. Catherine University educates women to lead and influence. We are a diverse community of learners dedicated to academic rigor, core Catholic values, and a heartfelt commitment to social justice. St. Kate’s offers degrees at all levels in the humanities, arts, sciences, healthcare, and business fields that engage women in uncovering positive ways of transforming the world. St. Kate’s students learn and discern wisely, and live and lead justly — all to power lives of meaning. Discover more at stkate.edu. 

Media Contacts:

Collegis Education

Alyssa Miller

alyssa@ammediaworks.com

973-615-1292

St. Catherine University

Sarah Voigt

smvoigt133@stkate.edu

651-690-8756

Tuition reimbursement and partner discount programs provide Collegis’s employees with more options to advance their education, grow as professionals

OAK BROOK, IL (July 1, 2024) — Every year, millions of adults aged 25 and over choose to enroll in college either to complete a degree they previously started or pursue advanced learning to further their careers. To help employees who wish to pursue higher education, Collegis Education announced an updated tuition reimbursement program and new partner tuition benefits.

At Collegis Education, we recognize that our talented, experienced team is the key to providing higher education partners with the counsel and tools they need to succeed in today’s environment. These newly updated tuition reimbursement and partner tuition discounts are a part of our broader employee training and development program, offering competency-based, on-demand learning and targeted internal training sessions aligned to organizational objectives. This well-rounded program provides employees with additional opportunities to expand their knowledge and grow as professionals to support both their work with partners and their overall career goals.

“Collegis strives to offer its employees a work environment where they can thrive and grow. We offer hybrid work schedules, competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and now, more choices for our employees pursuing higher education,” said Katie Ingvalson, Collegis Vice President, Human Capital. “We know that our employees are fundamental to our success.”

Collegis offers eligible employees annual funds through the tuition reimbursement program to pursue a degree program of their choosing. Employees are welcome to pursue any approved program, whether it aligns to their existing role at Collegis or takes them down a new career path.

Through the partner discounts program, employees are offered tuition discounts by Collegis partner institutions, including Arizona State University (ASU), University of North Alabama (UNA), and Saint Louis University (SLU). For the biggest savings, employees can take advantage of both the tuition reimbursement program and tuition discounts by choosing a degree program from one of these partner institutions.

About Collegis Education

Collegis Education is higher ed’s innovation enabler, empowering schools with a better vision of how they fit into learners’ lives and what’s possible when they do. With more than 10 years’ experience as industry pioneers, we’ve proven how leveraging data, tech and talent can transform everything from student experiences to business processes. As higher ed evolves, you’ll need a thought partner and tactical pro, not a pre-packaged product or platform. Our strategic services allow institutions to leapfrog from wondering to doing, implement long-term growth plans and build in-house capabilities to thrive in a complex market. Learn more at CollegisEducation.com.

CHICAGO, Ill. (February 4, 2014)—Collegis Education today announced the appointment of Kimberly Fahey as its new chief information officer. Fahey, who joins the company effective immediately, will oversee all technology and information systems at Collegis Education, a technology-based education services company that prides itself in helping schools navigate the changing landscape of education through integrated technology.

“We are very excited and fortunate to have Kimberly join the Collegis Education team,” said Michael Locke, Collegis Education president and chief executive officer. “Kimberly brings nearly 20 years of industry experience working at premier companies such as RR Donnelley & Sons, Nexus Consulting Group and James Martin & Co. She is a very effective leader and has specific expertise and knowledge around the software and services Collegis Education uses to help educational institutions around the country improve student outcomes, attract and retain new students, as well as manage operating expenses. We know she will help us empower other colleges and universities to increase efficiencies in their technology infrastructure, and we look forward to her sharing her experience with us.”

Prior to joining Collegis Education, Fahey served as vice president of IT at RR Donnelley & Sons, a global provider of integrated communications. In this position, she oversaw more than 80 employees and 90 on-shore/off-shore consultants working in project management, architecture, quality assistance, master data management and customer relationship management (CRM). Fahey also worked at Project Leadership Associates (PLA), formerly Nexus Consulting Group as director of the company’s Business Intelligence practice.

Fahey earned a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Distribution Management from University of Illinois. She is a Dale Carnegie Leadership Course graduate and was one of only thirty-two (32) executives chosen for RR Donnelley’s comprehensive Executive Mentoring Program.

To learn more about Collegis Education, visit www.CollegisEducation.com or follow Collegis Education on Twitter: @CollegisEdu.

About Collegis Education

Collegis Education is an enrollment growth management and technology services company that offers industry-leading solutions for colleges and universities of every size in every sector. Using a proactive and analytical approach, Collegis Education empowers education institutions to make a broader impact by providing insights that help grow enrollments, improve student outcomes and optimize expenses. With several decades of experience working within the higher education industry, the team at Collegis Education was founded within the walls of a college and expanded to help change more lives through education. Currently, the infrastructures established by Collegis Education support more than 30,000 students nationwide. For more information about Collegis Education, please visit www.CollegisEducation.com.

Over 130 years ago, Illinois Institute of Technology was founded with a focus on providing affordable technological education to students from all walks of life. Since then, many institutions have talked about the importance of accessible and affordable education, but few have been willing to rethink business models, operational processes and historic approaches to break the iron triangle of quality, cost and access.

With that commitment in mind, Illinois Tech has collaborated with Coursera to embed industry-recognized credentials into degree programs and begin delivering contemporary, relevant and affordable online education with clear pathways for achieving career goals. As a proud Illinois Tech partner, Collegis is playing a role by facilitating more inclusive pathways to admission that allow students to demonstrate readiness through experience and prior education.

This innovative partnership ecosystem has positioned Illinois Tech to rethink solutions to the iron triangle. With new ways to deliver exceptional learning experiences, the university is offering affordable and accessible programs — without sacrificing educational quality or straying from its core values.

Read Inside Higher Ed’s recent interview with Illinois Tech leaders to learn more about their innovative new online programs.

Explore additional resources on microcredentials and employer partnerships

Collegis Education has appointed Kenneth (Ken) L. Ender, Ph.D., to its board of directors and chair of its executive committee. With a career dedicated to higher education, Ender brings decades of knowledge and experience from the community college and university sectors. He currently serves as Professor of Practice in the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at North Carolina State University and President Emeritus of William Rainey Harper College in Illinois. Prior to that he served as New Jersey’s Cumberland County College President.

Under Ender’s leadership, Harper College increased graduation, transfer, and certificate completion rates, so we sat down with him to get his expert take on key strategies for college leaders in today’s changing landscape.

I’m driven by the belief that universal post-secondary education is essential for all Americans if we wish to assure economic and social mobility for all. Higher education is in the midst of a great disruption or “upheaval” to borrow from the work of Levin and Van Pelt. Ultimately, it’s our job to ensure everyone has the experience of living the American Dream. Our job, through higher education, is to provide multiple pathways to that dream.

My work there is to provide North Carolina community college presidents with strategic planning tools and support their leadership initiatives. I support two doctoral classes in the community college leadership program and co-chair several dissertation and advisory committees. Today’s leaders need a strong set of management skills, including being able to adopt and scale technology enhancements, bring innovations to their campuses and their partners, and rapidly respond to challenges and trends despite scarce funding.

Our community colleges have built their reputations on access for all students. Now they must double down on providing pathways for student completion, transfer, and successful job attainment. The student bodies on their campuses are increasingly populated by first-generation, adult, and marginalized students. And these students are also becoming more the norm for private and regional colleges and universities. These are the students we need to design and tailor our programs and services for.

Collegis Education surveyed 1,000 adult learners interested in pursuing degrees, and their responses revealed four distinct personas. Get the infographic: The Adult Learners You’re Ignoring

Larger community colleges typically have the resources and can anticipate and plan for future challenges. If needed, they can align their resources accordingly to partner with third-party experts to help solve the challenges they face. But it’s a question of affordability.

State systems where community colleges share centralized support services and standardized service delivery are one way that smaller colleges can take advantage of outside expertise in areas of enrollment management and growth, technology management, and data enablement. It’s becoming more common for these systems to turn to service providers for technical support and managed services. Midsized and small institutions with autonomous boards have a greater degree of difficulty affording and leveraging those external resources.

Yes, but they must be of sufficient size to be able to do that. The challenge is scalability. The locus of authority to make those decisions is different for each college. If it’s at the state level, then the focus is on the system to make the decision and perhaps benefit from centralized support. If it’s at the institution level, then presidents and boards can make those decisions by determining if they can scale for a sufficient return. In some cases, this scale may only be developed through consortium arrangements with other likeminded institutions and service providers.

Most don’t have sufficient resources to do much more with data than compliance. Data enablement would be a tremendous boon to mid-level and small community colleges if someone can help them put their data together to tell a story — like Collegis can — so they can get buy-in to make the changes most needed. Most community colleges are not getting their data in a form that they can use. I saw this through my own experience leading a small, rural community college and then through the lens of a well-resourced, large, suburban community college.

We are excited to have Ender on the Collegis board and look forward to how his expertise will help drive Collegis and our partners even farther. Sign up for the Collegis newsletter to keep up to date on the latest developments!

To achieve the ambitious goal of ensuring that 2 million North Carolinians complete a postsecondary degree or credential by 2030, the North Carolina legislature funded Project Kitty Hawk, a nonprofit ed-tech startup aligned with the University of North Carolina (UNC) System to serve adult learners. Project Kitty Hawk will offer a range of services to develop online programs and to attract, support and retain adult learners.

Collegis Education has partnered with Project Kitty Hawk to lead the development of the data and business strategy for its platforms. Collegis brings its deep knowledge of the higher ed enterprise to the initial technology platform strategy and build-out and will provide on-going support for activities such as data enablement, platform operations, learning technology, cybersecurity and strategy, program design, and student and faculty technology support.

As a startup, Project Kitty Hawk is partnering with Collegis to drive their platform design, implementation, and ongoing operations through a build/buy/partner model. This includes:

• Leading a team of other technology partners, such as AWS and Accenture, to plan the technology for Project Kitty Hawk’s ecosystem.
• Playing an important role in the design and implementation of their critical technology systems and long-term data strategy.
• Providing the leadership for defining Project Kitty Hawk’s data governance – essentially acting as a shared data officer or CIO for the initiative.
• Defining and implementing key cyber security controls in partnership with AWS to drive towards SOC 2 Type 2 compliance.

Collegis Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Kim Fahey and her team are working with Project Kitty Hawk leaders to think carefully about data governance and the onboarding of data, use of learning content and the systems where this information will reside, and support for the development and deployment of programs.

“We are creating a scalable and agile environment for Project Kitty Hawk to serve new student populations with degree and credential programs,” said Fahey. “Collegis’ deep expertise across all higher education technologies allow us to bring the best-in-class solutions to Project Kitty Hawk and we are working side-by-side with their other technology partners to build a scalable, flexible and secure platform. As the project moves forward, our collaboration with Project Kitty Hawk will continue to evolve.”

CHICAGO (August 24, 2021)—Collegis Education, a leader in technology-enabled higher education services to help universities grow enrollments, deliver quality learning and strategically manage technology, is pleased to announce the appointment of Sunny P. Chico to its board of directors. Chico brings a robust background in education solutions, advocacy and policy to Collegis. Chico’s appointment is effective immediately.

Chico is the president of SPC Educational Solutions, LLC, a mission-driven organization that delivers innovative education programs designed to help schools meet their improvement goals so that students, parents and communities can succeed. In addition, she has held distinguished positions at the federal and state government levels, serving as Regional Secretary for the U.S. Department of Education and serving in the State of Illinois Lieutenant Governor’s Office as lead on education matters.

“We are delighted that Sunny is joining our Board of Directors. At Collegis, we have had the privilege of attracting and working with outstanding members of the corporate, education and legal communities. Sunny will add a wealth of experience to our Board as she brings her passion for education to the solutions that Collegis provides to the marketplace,” said Robert E. King, chairman of Collegis Education. “Sunny’s commitment to innovation in education will guide us as we continue to refine our technology-enabled solutions in response to the digital transformation demands of the education marketplace.”

“I have spent more than thirty-five years in education as a special education teacher, principal and collegiate executive director. The demands on the education marketplace to adapt and transform have never been greater,” said Chico. “Collegis provides the innovative transformative solutions that institutions need to deliver quality education and ensure long-term student success.  I am very excited to be working with Bob King and his team to help build Collegis into a leader providing technology-enabled education solutions.”

Chico has served on various boards of prominent nonprofit organizations, such as the Goodman Theatre, the Harris Theater and Teach for America. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Vitalant, the nation’s largest independent, nonprofit blood service organization. She also serves on the Blood Science Foundation and is a member of its Finance Committee. She is active at the University Club of Chicago and serves on its Admission Committee.

To learn more about Collegis Education, visit www.CollegisEducation.com or follow Collegis on Twitter @CollegisEdu or on LinkedIn.

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ABOUT COLLEGIS EDUCATION:

Collegis Education® is a leader in technology-enabled higher education services that accelerate digital transformation in marketing, operations and student experience. Collegis partners with institutions to grow enrollments, deliver high-quality learning experiences and strategically manage their entire technology ecosystem. For over 20 years, Collegis has built a reputation for success and quality through a combination of services, including online program enablement, online and hybrid course delivery, IT managed services and data enablement. For more information about Collegis Education, visit CollegisEducation.com.