Why Ball State University Made the Switch to Parchment Award – Transcript Services

Before partnering with Parchment, Ball State University was fulfilling transcript requests using a combination of a home-grown student information system and The National Student Clearinghouse. The maintenance of the home-grown system was not sustainable and the process for fulfilling each request was tedious and manual. Ball State University began the search for a better process for the benefit of staff and students.

Choosing a Partner

Amanda Lee, Assistant Registrar at Ball State University, and the rest of the Ball State team knew exactly what they wanted in a potential partner: Efficiency. Amanda recalls, “We wanted to make the Registrar’s Office more modern and contemporary. We needed automation and it became clear that Parchment was the partner who could provide that.”

In addition, they wanted a solution that made sense for students. Turning around transcript requests in a timely fashion was critical, but Ball State also understood that students had a familiarity with Parchment already. Amanda says, “A lot of our partner institutions were using Parchment, a lot of the high schools in the region use Parchment. When students hear ‘Parchment’, they know what it is. We would have students reaching out to us asking if this was an official transcript because they were used to using Parchment. We don’t have that issue anymore. There is a greater comfort level and trust with Parchment.”

And of course, cost savings was a factor as well. “Ultimately, it was a better option in terms of cost and that always helps.”

Ease of Implementation

But of course, choosing a partner can be the easy part. Implementing the technology is where the real work begins and often where the stress can set in. Amanda describes how she felt heading into implementation, “Initially, we were a little apprehensive regarding implementation. We had an aggressive goal to complete implementation before the year came to a close. However, we had a phenomenal implementation team. They gave us clear, actionable steps to get us from one stage of the timeline to the next. As long as we followed the plan, we didn’t have any issues. We really didn’t have any speed bumps at all.”

A Win for Staff

It became apparent very quickly that moving to Parchment was the right move. Ball State set out to free up staff time and eliminate manual processes and within just a few weeks, the results were staggering for staff. Amanda describes the stark contrast between Parchment and their previous process, “In December, we had 4,000 transcript requests when we came back from our Winter break. It was an unbelievable amount of work. We were folding transcripts during other meetings. Now, with Parchment, we had only 100 transcript requests that needed any kind of manual action and it was really just double-checking birthdates. It was a matter of hours instead of a matter of weeks.”

With the additional time savings, the Registrar’s Office was able to prioritize more important items. Amanda says, “Before, transcripts were a very clerical task. Now, we can give our staff more strategic tasks. It’s obviously a great win for our students but it’s allowing our staff to grow in other ways by not being over-burdened with these administrative tasks.”

A Valuable Platform for Students

Like any Registrar’s Office, meeting the needs of students is at the center of their mission. Amanda describes how valuable Parchment has been for Ball State students, “Our students are not waiting for transcripts anymore. Previously, it was a standard 24-48 hours before we could even get their transcript in the mail, which took an additional 3-5 business days. Now, it’s a matter of minutes. We are seeing more students requesting electronic transcripts as well. Students need their transcript for employment and education and using Parchment allows them to move to their next educational or professional opportunity with ease.”

There’s always more to learn.