Higher Ed
Course Sharing Conversations: Joe Thiel, The Montana University System
Discover how Montana University System is using course sharing to increase access and help students achieve their academic goals.
Discover how TCU streamlined its transcript and diploma processing with Parchment to improve efficiency, service quality, and student satisfaction.
To address long-standing process inefficiencies and improve the experience for both students and staff, Dr. Nichole Mancone Fisher, University Registrar at Texas Christian University (TCU), led the decision to partner with Parchment. Learn how this collaboration transformed TCU’s transcript and diploma services.
“We close for two full weeks in the winter, so right after grades are posted we generally can’t mail out transcripts in a timely manner. With Parchment, we can still provide services to students so they can get their transcripts quickly. This capability during institutional closings has been a real benefit for students.”
Dr. Nichole Mancone Fisher
University Registrar, Texas Christian University
After years of handling complex, manual workflows, TCU turned to Parchment for a streamlined solution to bring their transcript and diploma processing into the modern era. Dr. Mancone Fisher explained, “Seeing the level of service we had and the experience we were dealing with, my immediate thought was, we’re not getting any traction with our current provider — let’s look at Parchment.”
The platform’s all-in-one setup promised TCU a huge step forward, combining digital and print options, automating transcript fulfillment, and simplifying the process of managing legacy records. Fisher tells us “After we demoed Parchment for stakeholders — showing the platform, the behind-the-scenes setup, and how everything worked — they were immediately on board, saying, ‘Oh my gosh, yes!’” This meant freeing up valuable staff time, giving students faster access to their credentials, and ditching the patchwork of “band-aid” fixes that had become the norm.
“Our permanent student records can now be sent electronically instead of having to wait for mail. We still offer mailing if students prefer it, but now we have the option to send transcripts digitally. This means that all our students, no matter when they attended, have the same level of service capability in Parchment — which has improved the process for everyone.”
Dr. Nichole Mancone Fisher
University Registrar, Texas Christian University
The platform implementation process was smooth and well-supported, with Dr. Mancone Fisher explaining the Parchment team “provided detailed documentation outlining the implementation timeline and what would be required on our end. Parchment also handled the transcript imaging and worked with us to ensure everything looked exactly how we wanted it to.”
Dr. Mancone Fisher also highlighted the ease of the technology lift, noting, “My IT people were like, ‘Oh, this is easy; we can knock this out.’” Every step was covered, from setting up automated transcript workflows to seamlessly integrating with their PeopleSoft system. Regular check-ins and responsive support kept the process on track, quickly addressing any questions that came up along the way.
Since teaming up with Parchment, TCU has experienced a significant boost in efficiency and service quality, benefiting both staff and students. Thanks to Parchment’s automated workflows, staff can now focus on higher-priority tasks instead of being bogged down by the daily grind of manual processes and in-house mailing. “Even saving a few minutes here and there every day has made things so much easier for us,” Dr. Mancone Fisher shared. She also noted that transcript requests, which once required an 80-page procedural document, “is really set it and forget it now. We have full automation.”
Students are also seeing these benefits, with faster, 24/7 access to their transcripts — even during peak times and holiday closures. The faster turnaround has relieved the pressure around application deadlines, creating a better overall experience for current students and alumni. With these streamlined processes, TCU has transformed the quality of its services, delivering a better experience across the board.