Ellucian CEO: Cloud, data can transform higher ed experience

For universities looking to embrace the latest emerging technology, a modern platform is key, the Ellucian’s chief executive says in a video interview with EdScoop.

“I think it’s really important to have that modern platform and [that’s] the best way to get to these new technologies,” Ellucian CEO Laura Ipsen says.

She says universities need to focus on modernizing legacy systems to take advantage of what artificial intelligence and other digital technologies can offer to higher education.

But that doesn’t mean that modernizing and embracing emerging technology is the silver bullet, Ipsen says; higher education technology leaders also need to unite data that often exists in individual silos in order to enable better decision making for CIOs and administrators.

“Because things like AI are meant to enhance the human element with technology, it’s not just about technology alone,” Ipsen says. “AI is truly going to give us new insights about how students [and] about how campuses work, bringing it all together and moving from what is a digital world today … to what we call personalized and predictive learning of the future.”

Once a university is consolidated on a modern platform, CIOs can lean on the computing power of the cloud.

“We’re really excited about this, because as we pull these technologies together, all of us can lead the digital transformation of higher education in the cloud,” Ipsen says. “We can’t wait to get there.”

Ipsen on modernization:

Ipsen on student success:

Ipsen on user experience:

These videos were filmed on April 9, 2019, at the Ellucian Live conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of a partnership between EdScoop and Ellucian.