4 Key Takeaways from COMTEC 2024

Thankful. In a word, we are thankful.

Maybe it’s because we’re entering the holiday season. Maybe it’s because we just finished the best COMTEC yet. Regardless of the reason, we are returning from COMTEC rejuvenated with gratitude for our clients, our partners, and our team.

You always show up, but it’s bigger in Texas!

It was hard to narrow down, but here are the top 4 key takeaways from COMTEC 2024.

The fight to eliminate silos is not over

From enrollment to stepping across the stage with a degree, a student's journey is filled with a complex, intertwined mix of activities and milestones ranging from mundane administrative checkpoints to campus engagement and performance in the classroom. During several sessions, we heard from institutions about initiatives to bring academic and administrative services closer together to support student success.

Enrollment and billing practices are being evaluated as more research comes to light that administrative hurdles may be negatively impacting students’ experience and contributing to their decision to either not enroll at all or stop out. In an effort to reduce summer melt, California College of the Arts implemented a process to monitor incoming students' activity leading up to enrollment. As a student fails to complete a key milestone, such as financial aid paperwork after indicating they would qualify for assistance, CCA staff is able to engage with the student to offer guidance through the enrollment process.

Another trend we’re seeing is the development of cross-functional committees dedicated to student success and retention. These teams include representatives from all areas of an institution to bridge academic and administrative services and develop new initiatives to better support students. For example, Canisius University has one such committee and they recently implemented a dashboard that gives approved faculty and staff a comprehensive view of a student’s account and engagement. So as an advisor is consulting with a student on academic matters, they can also see if the student may have extenuating circumstances from the administrative side, such as a hold for a past due balance.

Compliance is expanding

We know. We talk about compliance a lot.

But that’s because governing bodies continue to expand or evolve regulations that impact universities and colleges. This year we diversified the purview of our pre-conference workshop beyond payments compliance to include insights on privacy and data management laws, the legal responsibilities that higher education institutions have as financial entities, and requirements for accessibility policies.

Workshop speakers answered questions during an open Q&A session.

(L to R: Troy Leach, Jenn Webb Harris, Anne Cartwright, and Kandyce Young)

Additionally, as AI becomes ubiquitous, colleges and universities are faced with determining their own policies for how staff and students take advantage of this innovative technology. It is inevitable that regulations will evolve and institutions will have an additional burden of compliance around how AI is used on campus.

What’s the word from Washington, DC?

Liz Clark, vice president of policy and research for the National Association of College and University Business Offices (NACUBO), gave an outlook of what we can expect in the foreseeable future as it relates to federal policy in the United States within a few key areas.

Liz Clark, NACUBO, delivered an update from Washington DC on federal policy.

First, the only constant is change. While we don’t have a crystal ball to tell the future, the reality is that policies and regulations will continue to evolve. However, the Department of Education did not publish any new rules by the November 1 deadline. Therefore institutions can rest assured that there are no new regulations to comply with by July 2025.

Second, regardless of the party that holds the majority in the United States congress, gridlock is likely to continue. The margins between the parties in the House and the Senate are close enough that not one party can realistically push through sweeping legislation without working across the aisle.

Lastly, NACUBO is here to help with toolkits and an online community through the NACUBO Student Success Hub. Their team is out advocating on behalf of higher education for smart public policies as well as providing support for business officers. Visit NACUBO’s website for access to additional resources on all things impacting the business office.

It takes a village

The higher ed community is stronger when we work together. The Birds of a Feather and Ask the Expert sessions are always among the most popular at COMTEC. Even more, our strategic partners and clients also showcased the power of integrated solutions.

The University of Alabama and Satisfi Labs gave a peek into how they are using conversational AI to improve online student support. The newly implemented chatbot has drastically reduced the amount of inbound calls the student accounts office receives.

Kristy Pritchett, The University of Alabama, presented with Donny White, Satisfi Labs,

and John McElroy, TouchNet, about their use case with conversational AI.

Fordham University and Niagara University shared their experiences working with ECSI for managing past-due student accounts. By taking a student-friendly approach with technology and services, both institutions have seen a positive impact on recouping account receivable balances and student retention goals.

Last but not least, our closing keynote speaker, Amelia Rose Earhart, hit home with a message of riding life's turbulence and when you have the opportunity – be someone else’s tailwind. We can all get to our destination faster and smoother when we support each other and find the right airspace to fly.