Eric Fortenberry and I (Nicole Andreas) recently returned from a campus visit at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa!  We were warmly welcomed by Dr. Stacy Jones and her team in the Student Involvement and Leadership office.

Nicole and Eric with the Leadership and Involvement Staff

The Division of Student Affairs at the University of Alabama is actively pursuing opportunities to maximize each UA student’s learning experience.  “After searching for a solution to manage students’ co-curricular involvement on the student side, campus side and staff side for about three years, we brought OrgSync to our campus as the “Source” to manage our student involvement.  After conducting focus groups composed of faculty and students, we quickly learned OrgSync was the only choice that fully met our management needs and excited students,” said Dr. Stacy Jones.

UA is creating an entire program and team dedicated to providing their students with the services and tools they need to manage their student organizations and involvement needs.  They are branding the program as the “Source”, as in: the source to go to for all student involvement and student organization management.

To kick off the launch of the Source powered by OrgSync, Stacy Jones and Kristen DuBose planned an exciting Launch Party on the Plaza with games, prizes, food and fun to intrigue students about the new Source program.  Everyone signed up on OrgSync through their “My Bama” accounts(a single-sign-on solution that UA chose to implement to simplify user registration through their current campus sign-on information), and the Launch Party was a brilliant success.

Our visit also included meetings with several campus departments including Bama faculty, advisors and administrators.  Each department was excited about bringing OrgSync to campus for different reasons.  Vice-President of Student Affairs, Dr. Mark Nelson, immediately saw value in getting every campus department at UA on board.  He even asked, “Does OrgSync print money too?  What can’t this [OrgSync] platform do!?”

Signatures for the Children's Miracle Network

In between scheduled meetings, Eric and I were shown around Alabama’s extraordinary campus by Daniel Ware, a student leader from UA’s Residence Hall Association.  It was fascinating to learn the history behind the Tuscaloosa campus, and it was great to meet so many friendly students during our tour.  While traveling through campus, Zeta Beta Theta and Phi Mu were campaigning on the Quad to gain signatures on a giant blow-up ball.  For each signature, a donation would be made to the Children’s Miracle Network.  Of course, Eric and I had to sign the ball.  We are all about giving back to those in need.

Daniel was a great tour guide!  He brought us to see the football stadium and to see the famous “Walk of Champions.”  The Walk of Champions honors Bama football coaches who have lead the school to victory, and it displays the SEC titles and awards the football team has been recognized for.

After our tour, we met in the Student Recreational Center on campus to get all of the club sports team signed up.  We had a great turnout and we met with many different teams who were excited to start using OrgSync in the Fall.  The women’s soccer team was especially excited to be able to manage different user groups and target their specific information to manage and engage their team more efficiently.  Primarily, the players were particularly excited to learn that they could juggle their hectic sports schedules AND their involvement with other campus activities from just one place.

Before we left, Eric and I were asked to share our story with two entrepreneurial classes in the business school.  We really enjoyed talking to the students, and we felt inspired as these future entrepreneurs sat in the same seat I was in not too long ago.  I think a lot of them were inspired too, just to know it really was the same seat, and many of them told us about their dreams of starting their own company some day.  Several students even came up to us after the class to learn how they could get involved, and help spread the word about OrgSync.

Overall, our visit was extremely successful, and I can’t wait to go back to the University of Alabama.  Roll Tide!

The landscape at the University of Alabama is a testament to the concept of “integrative learning,” and the University’s Quad exhibits this quality.  Whereas one half of the area is open, the other half is tree-filled and covered with shade and benches. This is the formula for the perfect student experience, in which, the tree-covered area can be seen as the student’s academic life, and the open side as their extra-curricular endeavors.

Integrative learning is an interdisciplinary process involving student activity both in and outside the classroom. In an academic setting, students are required to attend classes ranging from forty people to over four hundred people; all of whom are watching a powerpoint presentation or listening to an impersonal lecture. However, there must be a manner in which to convey knowledge that is captivating and stimulating to a student that compels them to engage their studies in a fun and informative manner- enter OrgSync.

OrgSync is a new and revolutionary online tool for the total management of student organizations and their members.  OrgSync incorporates integrative learning techniques to continue what academia begins, but further helps student organizations effectively communicate, and especially in the campus residence halls.

As an example, take the Blount Undergraduate Initiative at the University of Alabama,which is a living-learning community that houses its scholars.  Blount is not just a residence hall, it is also an academic building with classrooms on the first floor where Blount scholars go for their foundational courses.  One professor, and all of the Teaching Assistants/Graduate students involved in those classes live in Blount, so at any point in the day, students can go to their instructors and ask questions. Not only are students afforded the ability to have open and personal dialogue with their professors, but the students are also encouraged to socialize and foster discussion among themselves for a fully integrated approach.  Academic or recreational topics are welcome in a large open forum known as the “Lobby,” and this peer-to-peer learning can be observed on a daily basis.

Having an area where everyone in the community can come together and collaborate allows for the furthering of knowledge in an otherwise social setting. Alex Wilson, a resident of Blount, said, “Living in Blount—a living-learning community—has deepened my understanding and furthered my studies of all things academic; in turn, I am made aware of world events, politics, and other activities that exist outside the classroom. This knowledge makes me a better-rounded student.”

Implementing the organizational measures of OrgSync for student interest groups on the campus of UA furthers the communication between these groups and the faculty.   Open communication increases the effectiveness of organizations such as the Blount program, and facilitates an integrative learning experience.

We are excited to welcome the University of Alabama, the University of North Texas and the University of Nevada at Reno to the OrgSync community. Jointly, these three universities will bring over 850 student organizations onto the OrgSync platform. We look forward to building great relationships on each one of these campuses and improving communications campus-wide!

“We are excited about providing all of our students a one-stop-shop for student organization management and a centralized place for students to get involved,” says Stacy Jones, Director of Student Leadership at the University of Alabama. Alabama plans to start the training process ASAP, followed by a full campus roll-out for all 250 student organizations. Stacy Jones has been working rigorously to bring the OrgSync platform to Alabama and is excited to start training and implementation.

The University of North Texas in Denton, TX has over 400 student organizations that will be using OrgSync to improve communication and organization management. “I am excited about everything that OrgSync will offer to our students. The entire program is going to help all aspects of campus, and the student body is ready for this move up in technology,” says Brooke Carter, Student Activities Coordinator at UNT.

Jason Entsming, Director of Organizations for the Student Government at Nevada, is especially excited to bring OrgSync to Nevada’s 200 student organizations. Having been mesmerized by OrgSync’s capabilities since Fall 2008, Jason is looking forward to implementing OrgSync for the Student Government to better communicate with and manage student organization needs. “Our students want and expect to be able to communicate online. OrgSync will allow us to setup an online community for our students and enhance their out of the classroom experience,” says Amy Koeckes, Coordinator of Clubs and Orgs at University of Nevada at Reno.

On behalf of the OrgSync team, I would like to wish all three of these schools a warm welcome to the OrgSync family!