University of West Alabama | Events Scheduling

Serving a diverse and largely first-generation student population, the University of West Alabama (UWA), Livingston, has a mission to help its students find a spot in the workplace and contribute to economic growth at large. This mission also encourages students to get involved outside the classroom in a range of campus activities and events to create a stronger connection and a feeling of inclusion while at the university.

With engagement in events being a key element of connection and belonging, the university wanted to enhance the process of booking events and activities on campus. Because the current system was limited to simple room assignments in Ad Astra’s legacy software (Astra Schedule), the institution sought an updated solution that analyzed space across events and academics. By becoming more purposeful with its space, the university could improve its scheduling processes, provide more effective services, and enhance its focus on student needs.

To make these goals a reality, UWA turned to Ad Astra’s Essential Scheduling suite of solutions. “Student involvement and student events hold the potential to be a classroom outside of the classroom,” said Leslie White, Coordinator of Student Involvement and Communication. “Events can help students feel more connected to the university and they can also be a way to communicate real-world ideas that speak to our mission of getting students into the workplace and contributing to the economic growth of our state.”

The Solution:

Adopting action-oriented processes with a streamlined platform to improve events scheduling

A wide range of campus events and activities such as Homecoming and Welcome Back, concerts, dances, student events and event promotions meant a lot of moving pieces on the UWA campus. Process change accompanied by the migration from Astra Schedule to the Essential Scheduling suite would offer UWA more robust event tools to streamline the events scheduling process. The initiative would also offer a central point for students, faculty, and staff to connect through events and campus activities with greater ease.

Ad Astra’s Essential Scheduling suite offers an Events Scheduling process that is easy to use and visually engaging. The platform allows users to select different room configurations based on specific needs, with smart space management between academics and events. Smart event request forms streamline the information gathering process with easy dropdown features, space photos, custom questions, and legal acknowledgments. In addition to making the management process easier, these features enhance activity and event awareness with the ability to request flyers or social media posts – all within the same platform.

While communication between campus programming and events was always good, the Public Calendar option within the Event Scheduling solution has further streamlined the process by placing all calendars in a centralized location, helping students discover and learn about events. Alternative views and filters allow a user to view the calendar in different ways visually, and to make changes, even from a mobile device. The calendaring system also offers a degree of privacy, if desired, while simultaneously offering leadership a measure of security regarding where people are on campus at any given time.

“The Ad Astra platform has enabled us to meet the strategic scheduling initiatives outlined by leadership and the institutional plan,” said Dr. Melissa Haab, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. “With Essential Scheduling, we’re able to make real-time informed decisions about strategic use of our space for events and activities on campus for our students.”

Public Calendars:

Categorize and publish events on an intuitive calendar where students can learn about activities.

Room Configurations:

Define different seating and room set-up options for spaces across campus.

Conflict-free Space Management:

Schedule events with clear visibility into academic sections and space availability.

Smart Request Forms:

Build dynamic forms for space and event requests with custom questions and automated steps.

Mobile-friendly Interface:

Access, edit, and update events from any location for on-the-go updates.

School Background

The University of West Alabama, Livingston, Alabama, was founded in 1835 as the Livingston Female Academy. The school was the first Southern state to fund the education of women as future teachers. Today, the co-educational school offers associates, bachelors, educational specialist, and educational doctorate degrees
The University of West Alabama is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

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CASE STUDY | UNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAMA

Creating Campus Community through Events

The Challenge

Enhance collaboration and community on campus with more effective Event Scheduling

Results

Percent increase in scheduled events

From 0 to 27 events in a public-facing events calendar