By popular demand, OrgSync is proud to announce an addition to our card swipe feature: administrators can now track both swipes in AND out!

With the launch of our new enhancements for the Card Swipe module, you will now be able to track not only attendance at events, but also checkin and checkout times for your community members.

When you are ready to begin swiping event participants, you will be prompted to choose if you want to track attendance only, or track the times that a participant arrives and leaves the event. You can also set a minimum time that a user must be in attendance in order to receive "attended" credit for the event.

The participation screen will include the times a user checked into and out of your event. A participant can checkin and checkout multiple times during an event and the total accumulated time is calculated to determine if the participant can be awarded full credit for the event. This feature is ideal if participants must leave in the middle of an event to attend class, eat lunch, or otherwise step away.

We've also added new filtering capabilities so you can view participants based on their status. For example, if at any time during your event you need to quickly calculate the number of attendees currently on site, a quick click on the "status" filter allows you to choose "pending." You'll see who has checked in but not out, and exactly how many attendees are currently pending.

We encourage you to attend our upcoming webinar on Wednesday, May 29th at 2PM to learn more about this new enhancement to the card swipe feature. Register here.

OrgSync can help with your staff retreat! On one hand, the OrgSync platform offers a comprehensive set of tools that cater to group efficacy; on the other, comprehensive data gathered through OrgSync over the course of the year can weigh heavy in strategy discussion and analysis.

When it comes to carrying out the day(s) of strategy planning, staff can employ operational OrgSync tools to help all those involved centralize information and document the exchanges that take place. Creating a private organization within OrgSync for the retreat and inviting the personnel involved will simplify your processes and provide a hub for those folks to interact.

To-Do Lists can provide a reference for the necessary actions needed going in to the retreat; Discussions can be used as “think tank” forums in the exchange of ideas; uploading associated presentations and documents to the Files module is a breeze. It may also befit your day of strat-planning to collect post-event data from attendees with online forms hosted in OrgSync.

Campuses that have been utilizing the OrgSync platform also have the advantage of being able to inform planning discussion with student and organizational data gathered over the course of the past academic year. Analyzing involvement data can give telltale signs as to what efforts culminate in successful programs and which activities might be improved upon or dropped from the agenda.

Data from post-event surveys can provide insight on student learning outcomes and the value certain programs have delivered to students.  Cross-referencing involvement data from OrgSync with core academic data can help staff monitor that correlation and paint a more complete picture of how effectively their campus is engaging their students.

Making informed decisions and operating in the most-efficient manner possible is important throughout the academic year and into the next. OrgSync offers a variety of tools to be used in the collection and review of relevant data—use them! At your retreat! As the realm of student affairs draws increasing weight as it relates to academic curriculum, institutional goals, and the learning experience altogether, OrgSync is there to provide substance to your impending strat-planning retreat discussions.

When assessing the videos, we ranked each one across four categories: content, creativity, quality, and YouTube “Likes”. While every finalist video performed well in each category, CSULB’s outperformed the others across the board.

So, without further ado, we present the winning video!

Not too long ago, we announced the OrgSync Rockstar Video Contest, a competition for our campus partners to create a video showing us how they use OrgSync on their campus. The response was overwhelming and confirmed that we have some pretty talented folks in the OrgSync family.

We narrowed the submissions down to four finalists and have posted their videos on Youtube. They will be open up to voting through May 1, so check them out below and be sure to “Like” your favorite.

The University of Tampa	CSU Long Beach
Loyola University Chicago	Central Michigan University

Happy voting!

An organization’s culture can be defined many ways, but most agree culture is both an outcome and a process. Culture can be an outcome when talking about, “the way we do things around here”. The day-to-day actions within your organization are an outcome of your culture. Culture can also be defined when talking about a process. You are creating your organization’s culture when engaging in informal norms, rituals, or even when interacting with people externally.

When thinking about your department, it is important to think of culture as both an outcome and a process. As a result, your day-to-day interactions and messages become strategic and intentional to reinforce that culture.

So, where do you start?

Here are some tips to better define your departmental culture:

1. Gauge employee sentiment about culture.

It is vital to empower your team to reflect on what they think the departmental culture is. This process is where you can find disconnects and sources of frustration, but also positive feedback and new ideas! An engagement survey is able to assess the main aspects of your departmental culture, but here are some questions to help you get started: What behavior is rewarded and how is it recognized? How would you describe your department to a new team member?

2. Make your mission visible.

If you don’t already have your mission or statement of purpose on your website, add it. It is always refreshing to look at a department’s website and see space devoted to a mission or vision statement. This shows that you a.) have a set purpose and goals, and b.) are confident enough to let everyone see them. Your mission is by no means your department’s culture, but it sets the stage for it. For example, are your actions consistent with your mission? Your answer to that question will help you better define your culture. It also helps when it comes to accreditation or supporting initiatives out of your department.

3. Don’t be afraid to look in the mirror.

Many organizations shy away from asking these types of questions about their culture because they fear the answers. What if my staff say negative things about our department, or even worse, my leadership? What if they say we need to change the way we are doing things to address student concerns? The answer is: Do it anyway. It can be difficult to take an honest look at the culture of your organization because you may have to take ownership for some or all of it—good or bad. The good news is listening to your team and stakeholders is half the battle! The other half is taking action.

How would you rate your departmental culture? Have you conducted a benchmark test to compare your actual culture to your perceived culture? Please share your experiences with us.

On Thursday, March 28, OrgSync hit another remarkable milestone: 2 millions users! Our 2 millionth user came from Minnesota State University Mankato.

In April 2012, we reached 1 million users. It took us nearly 5 years to reach this major milestone and less than a year to reach the next million. We are extremely excited about what we have been able to accomplish, but it could not have been done without each of our outstanding campus partners.

Thank you for all of your hard work, dedication, and commitment to making OrgSync successful on your campus. We are happy that you’ve taken this journey with us. Cheers to even more success in the future!

<3 OrgSync!

An Associate Vice President’s Perspective

We developed the Nine Weeks of OrgSync as a progressive incentive for student organizations to transition into the system.  As a former “everything paper” institution, you can imagine how transformative and different OrgSync was to our student leaders and advisors, so what better way to soften the “change” with positive rewards!

Why nine weeks?

Simple. From the date of our initial on-site training in the computer lab, at which we required representatives from every student organization to attend, there were nine full weeks left in the semester. Hence, we sponsored the Nine Weeks of OrgSync – a weekly OrgSync contest for the remainder of the term to correspond with increasing utilization of the system and its features.  Informational handouts were provided to every attendee at the required trainings, not to mention posted on big easels throughout the student center with a blank square next to each contest to write the name of the winning organization. These boards were continually updated each and every week; there was a certain degree of bragging rights for the students to have their organization’s name on the boards.

At first, the weekly contests were simple (update your organization’s profile, have members join, create events, etc), but they got more difficult as the semester progressed (upload photos and videos, create a website, initiate the most communication features, etc).  At the end of each contest, we promptly messaged all of the administrators and organization leaders via OrgSync to share which organization won the contest and remind everyone about the contest and prize the following week. 

Did it work?

Yes! We were surprised how quickly the student organizations transitioned their basic information into OrgSync and even more impressed with those organizations that went all in and took advantage of practically every module available. And best of all, complaining and negativity about having to use a new system were pretty much non-existent throughout the entire transition process.

To make this work, you need a few things:

Attractive Prizes

We used free T-shirts, a pizza party, HD video camera, cash, selection of a campus movie, a propane grill, etc. The prizes should get bigger and better as time passes and the contests require more time and effort on behalf of the students/organizations. Be creative, but you will need to allocate appropriate funds/resources for this promotion.

Training

OrgSync training is not a one and done enterprise. You need to provide continual encouragement and access to support and resources for all of your administrators and users. Training users on OrgSync’s many features requires multiple touches. What good is a contest encouraging the adoption of a brand new platform if you don’t make it easy for people to learn the platform?

Use it

Don’t expect your student organizations and their members to transition into OrgSync if you don’t model the way. Populate the system with as much engaging content as possible before you start, and update regularly (news, videos, photos, polls, events, forms, files, promotes, etc).

Remember, the nine weeks is arbitrary; it’s about providing the incentives and information for students and organizations to progressively use the system in an increasingly advanced capacity as time progresses. As a bonus, a promotion like the Nine Weeks boosts your ability to use OrgSync for the public promotion of your student organizations, especially to showcase their information to prospective members and students.

EXCELLENCE AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING PROGRAMS

Grand Gold

• Kennesaw State University
  Helping Students Thrive: A Student and Academic Affairs Program Dedicated to Supporting Students Receiving the HOPE Scholarship

Housing, Residence Life, Contracted Services, Judicial and Related

• New York University- Silver
  Residential International Student Engagement (RISE) at New York University
• Minnesota State University-Mankato-Bronze
  ‘Nobody Told Me I Couldn’t Do That’ – New Ways of Familiarizing International Students with the Student Conduct Code 

Student Union, Student Activities, Greek Life, Leadership and Related

• University of Central Florida-Gold
  Study Union: Promoting Excellence at the Heart of Campus

Enrollment Management, Financial Aid, Orientation, Parents, First-Year, Other-Year and Related

• Wake Forest University-Silver
  Connecting with the Community: SPARC Extended Orientation  

Student Health, Wellness, Counseling, and Related

• North Dakota State University-Bronze
  NDSU CARES 

Careers, Academic Support, Service-Learning, Community Service and Related

• Kennesaw State University-Gold
  Helping Students Thrive: A Student and Academic Affairs Program Dedicated to Supporting Students Receiving the HOPE Scholarship

Off-Campus, Commuter, Non-traditional, Graduate, Professional and Related

• Bowling Green State University-Bronze
  Defining Graduate Education: Strategic Planning Committee for Graduate Education and Research 

Athletics, Recreation, Physical Fitness, Non-Varsity Sports, and Related

• New York University-Silver
  NYU’s Education, Service and Sport 

Violence Education and Prevention, Crisis Management, Campus Security, and Related

• New York University-Silver
  Stop It: A Comprehensive Anti-Bullying Awareness and Education Campaign at New York University 

ANNUAL AWARDS

• Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Service as a Dean
  Patricia A. Whitely, Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Miami
• Fred Turner Award for Outstanding Service to NASPA
  Elizabeth Griego, Vice President for Student Life, University of the Pacific
• Mid-Level Student Affairs Professional Award
  Juan Guardia, Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs, Northeastern Illinois University
• Zenobia Hikes Award
  Elizabeth Griego, Vice President for Student Life, University of the Pacific

REGIONAL AWARDS

REGION II

• Outstanding Contribution to Student Leadership Programs
  Rick Brown, Director for Center of Student Involvement, Ramapo College
• Scott Goodnight Award
  Kevin Schollenberger, Dean of Students / Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Student Life, Columbia University

REGION III

• The John Jones Award for Outstanding Performance as a Senior Student Affairs Officer
  Dr. Patricia Whitely, Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Miami
• The John Koldus Award for Distinguished Service to NASPA Region III
  Dr. James F. Conneely, Associate Vice Provost & Vice President for Student Affairs, Eastern Kentucky University
• The Bob E. Leach Award for Outstanding Service to Students
  Paul Goebel, Senior Director, University of North Texas

REGION IV-East

• Outstanding Performance as a Senior Student Affairs Officer
  Beth Hellwig, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
• Innovative Program Award
  Blugold Beginnings, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
• President’s Award
  David Maxwell, Drake University
• Outstanding Contribution to Student Affairs Through Teaching
  Eric Buschlen, Central Michigan University
• Community College Professional
  John Laws, Ivy Tech Community College
• Undergraduate Rising Star Award
  Michael Allensworth, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Graduate Student Rising Star Award
  Symone Simmons, Loyola University

REGION V

• Undergraduate Rising Star Award
  Jimmy Hsu, Portland State University
• Knowledge Community Achievement Award
  Charlie Varland, Associate Director, Student Involvement and Leadership Center, Boise State University

REGION VI

• Community College Professional Award
  Dyrell Foster, Dean, Student Affairs, Rio Hondo College

KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITIES

• Outstanding Service to the Student Leadership Programs Knowledge Community Award
  Kin Kushner, Interim Coordinator for Student Development and Leadership, University of Colorado Boulder
• Veterans Knowledge Community “Supra et Extra” Award
  Brett Morris, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Eastern Kentucky University

Read more about the NASPA awards.

I always wished my graduate program offered a marketing class. As higher education professionals, we are constantly charged with “selling” programs and services to various stakeholders within the institution. As one of OrgSync’s Campus Consultants, I’m often asked how our Campus Partners can market the platform to their students and organizations to get them involved. One of our campus partners, Midwestern State University, came up with a brilliant idea called “The 9 Weeks of OrgSync.”

“The 9 Weeks of OrgSync” has been a huge success, not only at Midwestern State, but also at a ton of other campuses. We’ve seen so many replications and variations on this concept–from community colleges to large state institutions–all with great results. Some of those institutions were launching OrgSync for the first time; others wanted to provide a training platform that was also fun and exciting for current users.

So what is ”The 9 Weeks of OrgSync”?

Essentially, the program is an incentive-based initiative for students and organizations to use the different tools in OrgSync. Not only does this program help organizations get accustomed to the tools and navigation, but it also helps student leaders become more active with their membership.

How does it work?

Each week a module or feature within OrgSync is highlighted. Pick ones you’d like your organizations to focus on or that are relevant to things going on across the institution. Set up a nomination form in your OrgSync community so that organizations can nominate themselves to “win” as the organization best using that tool. Many campuses also incorporate short 10-20 minute training sessions on the particular tools they’re highlighting to bring in a training and educational component. The final week should focus on an overall “best” use of OrgSync.

What tools or achievements should I highlight?

You should highlight whatever tools you want your students to focus on, but we do have a few recommendations:

• Photos and Videos: These are an easy way to make your orgs and community more exciting and graphic. Example prize: a cheap digital camera.
• Most hours logged: Maybe you have card swipe or are working to push your CCT initiative. Not only does it encourage orgs to create events in OrgSync, but it also populates their member’s involvement records when they’re checked into events. Example prize: Early room booking or a card swipe machine.
• Best Website: So often we encourage students to think about their web presence – the same can be said for organizations. Encourage them to populate their websites or to design their own. Example prize: a spotlight on your institution or department website

How do we choose the winners?

Whatever tools you pick, make sure you have clear expectations for the use of each tool. You don’t want your orgs to create mass pointless content just to win a prize. Create rubrics or guidelines for the tools so everyone understands the parameters. Try to have a committee or student representative in the group that selects each week’s winner. Often it is easier to pick tools that have reports attached to them like hours logged or size of organization because winners can be quickly chosen.

Some common questions:

Does it have to be 9 weeks?

No! Your program can be any time frame you think would work best. We’ve seen it done as a month or an entire semester. Just as the platform scales to the size of your campus, the 9 Weeks program can scale to match your needs.

How do we provide incentives if we have no budget for this program?

Many of our schools have been very creative in providing incentives that are low to no-cost. Is there prime parking lot on campus that you can get a spot in? Maybe you have some way to highlight the organization in a newsletter or email blast or could offer a prime spot in the student org fair the next semester?  Be creative!

Whether you are running this program on your own or incorporating it into student organization awards, it’s almost as fun to plan as it is for students to participate. We’d love to work with you to implement “The 9 Weeks of OrgSync” on your campus and hear about your success!

Has your campus used a marketing program like “The 9 Weeks of OrgSync”?