Improved Student Experience is Central to the HUB

New York Tech students were feeling the love this year with the launch of the new Student Service HUB (Your Home for University Business) on February 14—Valentine’s Day.

“Our strategic plans this year and in the future focus on significant upgrades to the student experience through reinvigorated facilities, enhanced programming, academic support services, and technology advancements. The HUB is a major step in our efforts to revitalize our students’ digital experience here at New York Tech,” says President Hank Foley, Ph.D., about the significance of the new platform.

The HUB initiative, led by the Offices of Information Technology Services and Enrollment Management, involved retiring the university’s NYITConnect interface and introducing an improved, streamlined digital experience for students to conduct day-to-day tasks such as viewing class schedules, checking grades, registering for classes, confirming financial aid, and paying bills. Sleekly designed tiles with intuitive icons replace difficult-to-use menus and lists, while the HUB’s new functionality and navigation improve students’ user experiences.

“Our students are digital natives who come to us expecting to experience mobile-first, accessible, meaningful, and relevant self-service technology,” emphasizes Pennie Turgeon, chief information officer and vice president for information technology services. “By partnering with Sierra-Cedar, an Oracle consulting partner, we were able to implement this best-in-class, tech-forward digital interface for our students while also improving our operational efficiency and effectiveness.”

A desktop view of the HUB.

The HUB is optimized to run on any device (desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone) and offers improved search capabilities for finding classes and sections, new activity guides displayed in a “To-Do” tile, and a “My Messages” tile that displays past, current, and pending messages from administrative offices.

“This one-stop shop delivers a high-quality mobile experience for our students, and we’ve also been able to improve workflows via technology enhancements and the reengineering of some business processes,” says Joseph Posillico, Ed.D., vice president for enrollment management. “Important input and feedback from students every step of the way during the HUB’s development helped ensure we are meeting their needs for a seamless, frictionless experience.”

Becky Frieden, senior director of enterprise application and decision support systems, served as project manager for the seven-month HUB initiative, overseeing a 13-member team that comprised technology experts and representatives from student accounts, financial aid, and the registrar’s office. She recently spoke to The Box about the new HUB and other digital technology projects on the horizon.

“Innovation during the pandemic revealed possibilities at New York Tech for how digital solutions can enable new approaches to teaching, learning, research, student services, and administrative operations,” notes Frieden.