Earlier this month, 1,131 freshman students arrived on Butler University’s campus for “Butler Welcome Week,” a vital period for universities and students as they begin their college careers. Indiana’s leading higher education institutions continue to push the envelope in how they think about student engagement and building lifelong relationships with their students — our work at ClearScholar has been just one component to that strategy for Indianapolis-based Butler.

We often advise universities that technologies like ClearScholar’s app can (and should) be utilized throughout the entire student lifecycle, from prospective student through alumni. The unique personalization capabilities that are included in our ClearScholar Align product allow seamless and natural student transitions. Consequently, content and information can be tailored to each individual depending upon where she or he may be in the student lifecycle.

Looking to have a greater impact on the entire student lifecycle this year, Butler welcomed new students to begin their digital relationship with the university and download the Butler App even earlier than before — during enrollment. By allowing first-year students to download the app over the summer as opposed to when they began classes, students had the ability to familiarize themselves with campus resources, updates, and processes in preparation for the start of school.

Butler Welcome Week leaned on the Butler App’s communication tools to send notifications, publicize the event schedule, share personalized data regarding location and group, and more. Students were able to immediately understand and utilize this campus resource, while improving communication lines and saving paper trails.

Through this targeted use and strategic launch plan, Butler was able to achieve 95% app adoption with first year students. This is truly an unprecedented adoption rate in comparison to industry benchmarks. We’re excited to see how this strategic adoption plan continues to impact the first year students’ utilization of the app, of campus resources, and consequently their ultimate success.

Connect with ClearScholar to learn more about how your institution can better engage with your students.

About the Author

Chloe Morrical is director of content strategy at ClearScholar, the student engagement platform that connects students and institutions to build, retain, and grow lifelong relationships. Chloe is responsible for working with all university partners to effectively leverage the ClearScholar platform and drive positive student outcomes.