Digital transformation is cultural

Key Takeaways

• Institutions need reliable data for decision making
• Digital record keeping is key to using that data effectively
• Evaluating business processes regularly helps improve decisions

Kevin Quinn, President, Aquinas College

It wasn't always true that small colleges were primarily data driven and sometimes, not even data informed. And so, I want to make sure that as we go forward that numbers—and the right numbers—have a seat at the table during the discussion.

I don't think you can have an intelligent conversation without reliable data, systematic data.

And the only way to do that is to make sure that you're taking full advantage of the record keeping that you have, your digital record keeping. So, for me, an important part of our future is making sure that our information technology is deeply blended with everything that we do.

Why a culture change is essential

Every four or five years, you probably have to have a serious look at your business processes, for any business. For colleges, I think it's essential that we change the culture around the way we make decisions to be leaner and more informed.