Each month, IT Spotlight highlights the projects and initiatives that UMass Amherst team members are working on.
Our spotlight this month focuses on the Journey UMass initiative featuring a Q&A with Rachel Shipman, Product Manager for the Salesforce Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform at UMass Amherst.
Q: Tell us a little about you and your current role in UMass IT?
A: I have worked in various technical roles for almost 25 years doing a little bit of everything from coding to user research. I was thrilled to make the move from private sector tech to public higher education when I joined UMass IT in 2017. My current role is Product Manager for the Salesforce Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform at UMass Amherst. In this role I collaborate with CRM stakeholders, IT leadership, and my (simply amazing) Salesforce team in IT to plan our roadmap and resource allocation so that we can best leverage the Salesforce platform to meet the needs of our campus community. I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity and to have such a wonderful team of UMass IT colleagues to work with every day.
Q: What is the current project you’re working on? Tell us about it.
A: While my team and I are always juggling multiple projects, my main and most exciting focus these days is the Journey UMass initiative. Technology is just one aspect of the initiative. Journey UMass is a program (encompassing people, process, and technology) that will help UMass Amherst undergraduate students bring their academic and cocurricular experience into alignment to take advantage of all the opportunities the University offers that are directly associated with their educational interests and goals. We are working on a multi-year Journey UMass roadmap and there will be numerous technology projects associated with the program over the coming years. At the forefront is the development of a student hub (mobile app and web portal) that will serve as a personalized system of interaction for students to engage with UMass staff and systems to support them on their student journey.
Q: How do you see Journey UMass impacting the University and/or the broader community?
A: It might sound cheesy, but our students are the north star of this program. Journey UMass goals are intentionally aligned with the 2024-2034 campus strategic plan and are centered squarely on fostering a sense of belonging and community for our undergraduate students. We aim to bridge the gap between the expectations of our digital native student body and the current technology offerings of our institution. If we are successful, this initiative will result in a lasting shift in perspective on how we approach everything related to the student experience. Our student body is accustomed to doing all manner of personal, educational, social, and financial transactions on-line and accessing 24/7 customer service, support, and guidance. They do not expect to spend time conducting in-depth research about the services, programs, and opportunities available to them within their school or college or elsewhere on campus. After conducting multiple rounds of student research, we know that they want—and expect—curated, personalized just-in-time communication about key programs and initiatives that are of interest. Journey UMass aims to deliver that kind of student experience in the future.
Q: How do you collaborate with other departments or teams on this project?
A: Given our goals, this initiative has to be very collaborative across campus to succeed. Members of our executive and steering committees span most vice chancellor (VC) areas, namely Student Affairs and Campus Life, Academic Affairs, Information Technology, University Relations, and Administration & Finance. We have a big charge ahead of us and we will not be successful without open dialogue and collaboration across our respective areas. As a team we realize that UMass Amherst needs to shift from a siloed, departmental focus to a connected service model that puts the student at the center of every interaction.
Q: What’s next for Journey UMass? Are there any upcoming milestones or developments you’re particularly excited about?
A: In the late March/early April timeframe, we will be wrapping up a proof-of-concept app and portal (student hub) built on the latest and greatest offerings from Salesforce. These new product offerings are specifically designed for higher education. We're very excited to see how our proof-of-concept is received by Journey UMass stakeholders. We will follow up that proof-of-concept with planning and creation of a minimum viable product app/portal that can be released to our students.