Jenzabar SONIS Update Enables Institutions to Improve Student Engagement and Retention

BOSTON, Sept. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jenzabar, Inc., a leading technology innovator in higher education serving the new student, today announced an upgrade to Jenzabar SONIS, a student information system (SIS) designed specifically for smaller or specialized institutions. The new release incorporates additional functionality to enable better student communications and engagement. With the latest Jenzabar SONIS release, higher education institutions, including career and technical colleges serving non-traditional students, can implement a new, tailored at-risk alert system that allows staff to establish unique parameters for their institution and measure and track students who are at risk of dropping out due to grades, attendance, notes, or activities. The system includes notification functionality that will alert users if a student's risk levels change based on predetermined metrics and thresholds.

"Retention of students is a high priority for all institutions, but more so for smaller colleges like us," said Timothy Ring, Director of Financial Aid & Enrollment Technology at The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences. "It is much easier and more cost-effective to retain a student than it is to recruit a new student. Tracking and alerting staff to at-risk students will allow colleges to reach out to these students and offer services that could put them on the right track to succeed before it's too late. I am looking forward to this new enhancement of Jenzabar SONIS."

In addition to bringing in more retention functionality, the new Jenzabar SONIS release includes enhanced digital engagement capabilities by allowing students who are applying online to share a secure link for third parties to fill out reference forms. This new capability is meant to ease the online application process while empowering prospective students with more control.

Jenzabar SONIS also includes integrations with Twilio, a communications company, and Duo, an online security company. The integration with Twilio allows institutions to send mass text messages to students and faculty through a user-friendly platform. By integrating Jenzabar SONIS with Duo, institutions can add two-factor authentication and can bolster the authentication setup process.

Amid the ongoing pandemic, which is disrupting and influencing radical changes across the higher education industry, Jenzabar remains committed to addressing the pain points of all institutions by continuously delivering product enhancements. The regular improvements made to Jenzabar SONIS has supported the offering's momentum among institutions that are finding it increasingly important to enable stronger digital engagement capabilities.

In the past quarter, several unique organizations have partnered with Jenzabar for Jenzabar SONIS, including the Prison University Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that supports the college program at San Quentin State Prison, and the Design Institute of San Diego, a specialized school which only offers a single program in interior design.

Because of its multi-language functionality, Jenzabar SONIS is also attractive to international schools. Recently, Jenzabar SONIS was selected by Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, a newly established university in Morocco, as well as The American University of Armenia, a private, independent university in Yerevan, Armenia.

"While COVID-19 has drastically impacted how institutions operate and engage with students, higher education leaders have been looking for solutions that can support their digital transformation and meet the needs of modern students well before the pandemic," said Les Zimmerman, Vice President of Product Development at Jenzabar. "The key to attracting, engaging, and retaining students is to support communications and transparency across all channels. Jenzabar SONIS has evolved to meet these needs. We are excited and will continue to help schools of all types and sizes enable better experiences for students and staff."

About Jenzabar

Created out of a passion for education and a vision for technology, Jenzabar offers disruptive, innovative software solutions and services that empower students' success and help higher education institutions meet the demands of the modern student. Over 1,350 higher educational campuses harness Jenzabar solutions for improved performance across campus and a more personalized and connected experience for the student. For further information, please visit www.jenzabar.com or on Twitter @Jenzabar or LinkedIn.

SOURCE Jenzabar, Inc.

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