SPEEDE Server Will Continue to Provide Free and Open Access, Says National Student Clearinghouse®

Clearinghouse Will Also Maintain Server's Compliance with Industry Standards

HERNDON, Va., Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following the October 31 announcement that the National Student Clearinghouse® will assume operation of the SPEEDE Server from the University of Texas at Austin, the Clearinghouse announced its commitment to continue to make the SPEEDE Server available for free in an open-access environment. It will also ensure that the SPEEDE Server continues to meet the electronic data exchange standards recommended by the Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (PESC) as well as nationally and internationally recognized standard-setting bodies. The Clearinghouse is a long-time PESC member; its CIO, Doug Falk, serves on PESC's board of directors.

The SPEEDE Server, which was started in 1996, processed more than 4.3 million documents in 2011, including electronic transcripts, for nearly 300 institutions. SPEEDE stands for Standardization of Postsecondary Education Electronic Data Exchange, which is a national effort coordinated by the SPEEDE Committee of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) to enable institutions to efficiently and securely exchange student and other data electronically in adherence with industry standards. The AACRAO SPEEDE Committee, which was formed in 1988, released the first SPEEDE format for electronic transcripts in 1990 and continues to develop and promote student electronic data standards.

"The Clearinghouse believes and supports the fundamental principles upon which the University of Texas has developed and supported the SPEEDE Server for the last 16 years. We are committed to continuing to operate the SPEEDE Server as a free and open platform serving all educational institutions and their solution providers," said President and CEO of the Clearinghouse, Rick Torres. "The Clearinghouse's commitment to and investment in the SPEEDE Server will enable us to take the platform to the next level, in step with emerging technologies and standards. We look forward to collaborating closely with University of Texas at Austin during the transition as well as with our long-time partner, AACRAO, the AACRAO SPEEDE Committee, and PESC to ensure that the SPEEDE Server meets the evolving technological needs of the education community and their students."

"We are excited about this transition and are pleased that the founding principles of the SPEEDE Server will be maintained by a trusted entity such as the Clearinghouse, one that has served higher education for nearly 20 years," said University of Texas at Austin Vice Provost and Registrar, Shelby Stanfield.

About the National Student Clearinghouse

The National Student Clearinghouse (a nonprofit formed in 1993) is the unique and trusted source for higher education enrollment and degree verifications. The Clearinghouse serves as a single point of contact for the collection and timely exchange of accurate and comprehensive enrollment, degree, and certificate records on behalf of its more than 3,300 participating higher education institutions, which represent 96 percent of all students in public and private U.S. institutions.

The Clearinghouse also provides thousands of high schools and districts with continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics on their alumni.

Through its verification and reporting services, the Clearinghouse saves the education community cumulatively nearly four hundred million dollars annually. Most Clearinghouse services are provided to colleges and universities at little or no charge, including enhanced transcript and research services, enabling institutions to redistribute limited staff and budget resources to more important student service efforts. Clearinghouse services are designed to facilitate an institution's compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, The Higher Education Act, and other applicable laws.

In addition, the Clearinghouse provides accurate, timely enrollment and degree verifications to student loan providers, employers, student credit issuers, the U.S. Department of Education, and others who access its registry more than half a billion times annually.

For more information, visit www.studentclearinghouse.org.

SOURCE National Student Clearinghouse