Clark Atlanta University (CAU) had a big goal: open its doors to over 3,000 new online students. They understood a great dream had to have a strong foundation. They had to answer a simple yet challenging question. Was their current infrastructure adapted to such growth? Rather than taking an educated guess, they turned to Hurix Digital to do the research.
The problems weren’t just on a spreadsheet; they were felt by real people. Prospective students were left waiting as their applications got stuck in departmental limbo. University staff were bogged down by manual data entry and systems that simply didn’t talk to each other. The disconnect between their Banner and Admissions Pro CRM was creating information gaps and extra work. The clearest sign of trouble? A new student could wait up to five days just for a university email address—a delay that signaled the system couldn’t keep up.
We knew a quick fix wouldn’t work. The Hurix team sat down with the people on the front lines—the admissions and financial aid staff—to understand their day-to-day reality. By tracing the student journey from their first click to graduation, we uncovered the hidden snags in the process. This work resulted in a clear playbook for how things should run, making it easier to train staff and keep operations consistent.
The core of our recommendation was to create a single, coordinated Online Operations Unit. This would bring the marketing, admissions, financial aid, advising, and registration teams together, ending the fragmented approach that was causing delays. We also suggested moving from a standard semester schedule to more flexible 8-week terms, a change that immediately made CAU more appealing to busy adult learners. Using our experience with universities across the country, we also shared practical ways to create a Prior Learning Assessment program for students, bringing real-world experience.
The change was immediate and clear. That five-day wait for an email? It’s now down to 24 hours. By cleaning up the CRM and Banner systems, we slashed the time staff spent on manual tasks. More importantly, CAU successfully launched its dedicated Online Division with every department on the same page, putting them in a strong position to hit their 2025-2026 launch goals.
This wasn’t just about improving a process. It was about building a resilient digital foundation for Clark Atlanta University’s future. By turning tangled workflows into a smooth, student-focused operation, Hurix helped CAU move from facing operational hurdles to seizing a competitive edge.
