Clark Atlanta University (CAU) had a big goal: open its doors to over 3,000 new online students. They understood that 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 extended beyond spreadsheets; real people felt their impact every day. 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 didn’t communicate with 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. That delay sent a clear message: the system couldn’t keep up.
We knew a quick fix wouldn’t work. The Hurix Digital team sat down with the people working the front lines. They talked directly with 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 maintain consistent operations.
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 went beyond improving a process. The work focused on building a resilient digital foundation for Clark Atlanta University’s future. By transforming tangled workflows into a streamlined, student-focused operation, Hurix helped CAU shift from facing operational hurdles to seizing a competitive edge.
