NEGAP 2012 Annual Conference16 November 2012

Going Paperless: Our Journey to a Clean DesktopVincent James

Director of Admissions

Topics• A little bit about HSPH• The phases of going paperless:• Paper, Paper, Paper!• Switch to online application (entry year 2001)• Switch to SOPHAS (2007)• Switch to trial Reviewer’s portal (2009)• Switch to Banner (2010)• Switch to full Reviewers’ Portal (2010)• Switch to Paperless processing (2012)• Switch to ImageSilo (2012)

• Q & A

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)powerful ideas for a healthier world

• What is public health?• It improves the shared conditions and behaviors that affect the

health of all of us. (www.whatispublichealth.org)• The mission of HSPH is to advance the public’s health through

learning, discovery, and communication.• We offer master and doctoral programs and have an

enrollment of over 1100 students.• 2013: Centennial celebration

The Numbers: 1988-2012

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Paper, Paper, Paper!

• Develop application in spring/summer• Mail to prospects in August/September• Buckets of mail would arrive in December• Color-coded folders; labels• Lots of temp assistance (opening mail, data entry)• What else???

Online Application (2001)

• ApplyYourself• Selected by Assistant Dean• Len Methany• Paper Apps were still mailed to prospects (a catalyst to get the

process started)• About 80% applied online• Buckets of mail for transcripts and LORs• A little pricey ~$26K

SOPHAS (2007)

• Liaison International• Robert Ruiz/ Boss and me, “We’re sold!”• Allison Foster• No paper application option• Transcripts and LORs handled by SOPHAS• Hardcopy of applications were shipped to us each week• No buckets of mail!!!!• Concerns about int’l application unfounded• Making the case (join SOPHAS/discontinue app fee)

• Dean/senior management team• CFO• Faculty (self-report grades; uniform appearance)

Trial Reviewers’ Portal (2009)• New feature of SOPHAS• Faculty were requesting this for a long time.• We still had folders:• To hold review sheets/decision letters/I-20s/confirmations etc.• To pass to registrar’s office

• Started with a couple of departments, but word caught on!

Banner/Full Reviewers Portal (2010)

• One h*ll of a installation!• Full reviewers portal to get data entry outside of critical path• Still created folders of applications for:• Registrar• Archiving

Paperless processing (2012)• No colored folders• We used SOPHAS admission portal features and PDFs of

applications• We used spreadsheets as trackers• Processed applications• Transcripts• I-20s

ImageSilo (2012)• The Last Step – buy in from the registrar• Why SourceCorp?• School contract• Already used by HR, Payroll, External Relations• Inexpensive (no hardware expense)• Good demos

• Implementation? Well…..• …but no going back!!!!

Questions?

• Vincent James• vjames@hsph.harvard.edu• 617.432.1031 – voice• www.hsph.harvard.edu

• Hope your journey is a good one!