ACS News

Situation Critical: Student-Athlete Information Management

Up until recently, many athletics administrators and coaches viewed technology as a means to get a leg up on the recruiting front or improve the monitoring of recruiting information such as telephone calls and text messages.  Certainly, technology has helped a great deal in managing those areas of risk, but what about the nuts and bolts of your program – managing student-athlete information?

Most departments are critically deficient in maintaining, storing, transferring, entering, analyzing and sharing data in an efficient manner.  Usually, one or two staffers are responsible for obtaining important student-athlete information from one system and then entering it into one or more other systems.  Or worse, information is obtained from hard-copy forms and hand-entered into the necessary system.  Sound familiar?  This creates a large margin of error and increases an institution’s risk in areas such as admissions, eligibility certification, financial aid tracking, student-athlete complimentary admissions and even communicating quickly and effectively with student-athletes and parents.

ACS Athletics clients have improved staff performance in a number of areas through integration, monitoring, communication and mobilization.  These solutions are offered at a fraction of the cost of adding just one entry-level staff member, yet benefit dozens of coaches and administrators across the department.  Included below are some recent examples involving ACS clients and the ACS Team Manager solution:

 

Brown University

Partnered with ACS:    2010

Challenge Addressed: Centralizing Student-Athlete Information through Campus Integration

“At Brown, we have over 900 student-athletes, so keeping up with all of that information can be a huge challenge.  ACS’s ability to integrate with our Banner system has made this task much more manageable due to the seamless transfer of student-athlete information from Banner into our ACS system.  This has eliminated the burden and risk of manually entering student-athlete information into multiple systems.  With ACS, I have a central location for all student-athlete information.”  Sarah Fraser, Assistant Athletics Director

 

Texas Christian University

Partnered with ACS:    2006

Challenge Addressed: Student-Athlete Forms

“We now have the ability to identify and analyze information almost immediately, which previously took tons of time and energy.  It has made the difference between simply collecting and storing information, and the ability to analyze and monitor student-athlete responses via the ACS Athletics reporting features.”  -Andrea Nordmann, Associate Athletics Director

 

University of Louisiana

Partnered with ACS:    2009

Challenge Addressed: Student-Athlete Complimentary Admissions

“Monitoring (student-athlete) complimentary admissions lists has always been a challenge, simply as a result of the nature of the process.  We now have a streamlined, online system, capable of being accessed 24 hours/day. The compliance office staff can spend more time monitoring the relationship of student-athletes to their guests and be more proactive in preventing potential violations after reviewing student-athletes’ answers to questions asked by (the) ACS (system) when requesting complimentary admissions. Reports can be generated in a matter of seconds indicating our monitoring efforts.”  –Jessica Clarke, Associate Athletics Director

 

University of Houston

Partnered with ACS:    2006

Challenge Addressed: Roster Management

“The roster management tools ACS provides have been big help to our department.  With ACS, everyone has the same roster and this sharing of information keeps everyone on the same page.  With the roster auto-notification, everyone knows when a student-athlete’s status has changed in real-time, reducing the likelihood that a student-athlete will practice or compete while ineligible.”  -Kevin Klotz, Assistant Athletic Director

 

ACS Athletics is now offering its proven, battle-tested Team Manager solution separate from the full InControl suite.  If you would like to learn more about how this affordable solution might benefit your program, please contact us at sales@acsathletics.com.

Tags: ACS Athletics, Information Management, student-athlete

Fresno Pacific University Partners with ACS Athletics to Improve Staff Performance during Transition to NCAA Division II

AUSTIN, TX – Fresno Pacific University has selected ACS Athletics to improve staff performance and more efficiently manage the student-athlete life-cycle.

 “We are very pleased to be formally working with ACS Athletics especially as we transition into NCAA Division II membership,” said Dennis Janzen, FPU Director of Athletics. “After considerable research, we believe that ACS is simply the best tool available for helping FPU athletics achieve our goals of academic and athletic excellence.  Our coaches and compliance personnel are extremely pleased.”

 FPU is currently in its first year of reclassifying from the NAIA to NCAA Division II and will join the Pacific West Conference in 2012-13.  FPU will complete a two year candidacy period followed by a provisional period of no less than one year.  During FPU’s reclassification, the institution will be required to meet certain benchmarks in order to become an active NCAA Division II member.

FPU’s Associate Athletics Director, Chris Moore, believes ACS will assist FPU in meeting these benchmarks.  “I am extremely excited to be working with ACS,” said Moore. “As an institution transitioning into the Division II membership, the InControl Product Suite will assist our staff by improving performance and automating many of the paper-driven processes we currently have in place.  This will allow our coaches and staff more time to focus on meeting transitional benchmarks and improving the overall student-athlete experience.”

“ACS Athletics is excited to assist Fresno Pacific during this important time in its institutional history,” said Phillip Engle, ACS Athletics President and CEO.  “We’re committed to helping the FPU staff and coaches achieve their goals through the use of our proven technology solutions.”

 About ACS Athletics

ACS Athletics (ACS) is the leading provider of integrated web and mobile solutions for increasing operational performance and reducing risk in collegiate athletics departments.  ACS gives customers a competitive advantage by providing an integrated, holistic approach to managing athletic department operational, compliance, student-athlete information and communications on one platform.  ACS customers are more efficient, organized and compliant, and are better positioned to communicate and develop relationships that are vital to their success.  ACS proudly services athletic departments in the top conferences including the Atlantic 10 Conference, Atlantic Sun Conference, Big 12 Conference, Big East Conference, Big Sky Conference, Big South Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big West Conference, California Collegiate Athletic Association, Capital Athletic Conference, Centennial Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference Carolinas, Conference USA, Empire 8, Great Lakes Valley Conference, Ivy Group, Mid-American Conference, Missouri Valley Conference, Mountain West Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Athletic Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Pacific-12 Conference, Southeastern Conference, Southern Conference, Southland Conference, Sun Belt Conference, Sunshine State Conference, The Summit League, West Coast Conference, and Western Athletic Conference.  ACS Athletics was founded in 1999 and is a privately held company headquartered in Austin, Texas.

About Fresno Pacific University

Intercollegiate athletics at Fresno Pacific University has been an important part of the campus and community life for over five decades. As the only accredited Christian university in central California, Fresno Pacific University has emerged as a leading west coast university known for academic excellence, innovative programming and spiritual vitality. Fresno Pacific offers outstanding academic programs integrated with ethical and spiritual development through traditional bachelor’s and master’s degrees, adult degree completion degrees, certificate and credential programs. Founded on Christ, FPU strives for excellence in all areas of students’ lives including intercollegiate athletics.  FPU fields 16 teams in total (8 men’s and 8 women’s) including: men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and water polo, women’s volleyball and men’s baseball.

ACS Athletics and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Partner to Benefit Institutions

AUSTIN, TX – ACS Athletics and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference have partnered to afford institutions in the 16-member NCAA Division II conference a unique opportunity to access the ACS InControl system. The collaboration provides institutions that elect to implement the ACS InControl software suite incentive opportunities to significantly improve staff performance and efficiency.

“Ethical student recruitment, a wholesome and healthy student-athlete experience and strong competition based on good sportsmanship describes the NSIC, and ACS Athletics, with their battle tested technology software, gives our 16 schools an opportunity for improvement in all areas,” Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference commissioner Butch Raymond said.

ACS athletics is the first company to provide technology solutions of this caliber.  ACS InControl integrates with on-campus student information systems, eliminating duplicate and time consuming data entry.  Further, ACS InControl automates many of the antiquated, paper-drive processes that plague today’s athletics department.

“We’ve learned that while many Division II institutions have worked to develop effective processes over the years, those processes are typically not very efficient,” ACS CEO Phillip Engle said. “We look forward to exploring ways to appropriately and responsibly apply technology at NSIC institutions to assist in improving efficiencies in day-to-day operations.”

 About ACS Athletics:

ACS Athletics is a web and mobile technology company that improves operational performance and reduces risk for collegiate athletic programs. Through the InControl™ software, ACS provides a structure that gives programs a competitive advantage by simplifying, integrating and automating processes.  InControl™ delivers the flexibility and security athletic administrators, coaches and campus stakeholders need to stay organized, decrease risk of non-compliance and stay focused on winning and developing relationships.  The expertise ACS possesses in athletic department process helps meet clients’ needs by enabling better communication, improving the all-around efficiency of their program and ensuring student athlete welfare.

 About the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference:

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference was created in 1932 as a six-team conference comprising mostly of schools from Minnesota.  Now, the league consists of 14-members and two expansion institutions that will join in 2012.  The conference now consists of institutions from the states of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North and South Dakota.  Members include; Augustana College(SD), Bemidji State(MN), Concordia University, Saint Paul, University of Mary(ND), University of Minnesota-Crookston, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State University-Mankato, Minnesota State University-Moorhead, Northern State University(SD), St. Cloud State University(MN), Southwest Minnesota State University, Upper Iowa University, Wayne State College(NE), Winona State University (Minnesota). Future members include Minot State University (ND) and the University of Sioux Falls (SD).

 The conference has achieved great success in recent years, winning nine team Division II national championships since 2006. This includes four in volleyball (Concordia), two in football (Minnesota-Duluth), one in women’s basketball (Minnesota State), and two in men’s basketball (Winona State).

 The conference competes in eight men’s sports and nine women’s sports. Those sports include; football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, wrestling, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, and women’s soccer. All compete an the NCAA Division II level.

Northern Kentucky University Goes Automated – Implements ACS InControl

When Northern Kentucky University Athletics Director Scott Eaton agreed to be an ACS Athletics NCAA Division II Flagship institution at the 2011 NCAA Convention in January, he expected not only a great product, but exemplary service.  Eaton got more than he bargained for, as did the NKU athletics department, which sponsors 13 varsity sports and competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

“The NKU coaches and staff have been receiving nothing short of outstanding, excellent, superb, and fantastic customer service and treatment from ACS,” Eaton said.

In addition to receiving this type of service, NKU will automate many paper-driven and time-consuming processes in the areas of recruiting, compliance monitoring and student-athlete information management, resulting in improved in staff performance and productivity.  With ACS InControl, NKU coaches will have access to the latest in mobile technology, allowing them to recruit smarter and stay ahead of the game.

Eaton has also been impressed with the ACS staff’s ability to rally the troops and get coaches excited about using this type of technology.

“The ACS staff has taken a group of reluctant and hesitant coaches and turned them into believers and (ACS) now has them excited about the capabilities of this system,” Eaton said.

ACS Athletics is a web and mobile technology company that improves operational performance and reduces risk for collegiate athletic programs. Through the InControl™ software, ACS provides a structure that gives programs a competitive advantage by simplifying, integrating and automating processes.  InControl™ delivers the flexibility and security athletic administrators, coaches and campus stakeholders need to stay organized, decrease risk of non-compliance and stay focused on winning and developing relationships.  The expertise ACS possesses in athletic department process helps meet clients’ needs by enabling better communication, improving the all-around efficiency of their program and ensuring student athlete welfare.

 If you would like more information, please contact sales@acsathletics.com or at (512) 343-8811.

Lynn University Gets Cutting Edge with ACS InControl Technology

This past spring, Lynn University implemented ACS InControl^TM to better manage athletics department operations, and the Fighting Knights are already seeing results.  The ACS InControl^TM software will benefit Lynn by improving staff performance in recruiting, compliance monitoring, roster management, eligibility certification, administration of student-athlete forms, and much, much more.

 One of the driving forces behind Lynn’s purchase of this technology was to streamline the administration of student-athlete forms, a critical component in Student-Athlete Life-Cycle management.

“Lynn University experienced the initial significant impact the ACS program makes by providing a paperless option for processing student-athlete pre-participation forms,” said Lynn Director of Athletics, Kristen Migliano. “Students prefer to operate through full utilization of technology; the ACS system allows Lynn University to connect with our students to provide this service in advance of them even arriving on campus,” Migliano said.

With ACS InControl^TM Lynn will have a centralized student-athlete database that integrates with the campus information system, providing senior administrators unfettered access to critical information used to certify student-athlete eligibility and the awarding of financial aid.

In addition to automating processes that were previously paper-driven on the academic and administrative side, ACS is providing coaches with cutting-edge tools to assist in managing the recruiting process.

“ACS has helped to both streamline and organize our everyday operations,” said Lynze Roos, Head Women’s Volleyball coach. “Not only do we have access to our recruiting information at our fingertips with the mobile application, but our team and academic information is now all in the same hub.”

With a comprehensive system such as ACS InControl^TM, some might think that the implementation of such a system and the training that is involved could be challenging.  The staff at Lynn has experienced quite the opposite, however, using the experience of the ACS staff to their full advantage.

“Upon entering into a partnership with ACS, Lynn University has been completely satisfied with the level of service and availability the ACS team has provided our campus administrators,” said Migliano.  “The on-campus visit from our appointed Account Representative proved to be more than just a program orientation.  She assisted athletics administrators in bringing together coaches and university personnel with compliance-related responsibilities to showcase firsthand how the ACS program will add value to their daily processes. Whenever we have had a question arise on our campus, the ACS team has gladly provided the necessary support to ensure a successful client relationship.”

If you would like to learn more, please contact ACS Athletics at (800) 343-6220 or via email at sales@acsathletics.com.

 

 

The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletics Association Inks Deal with ACS Athletics

ACS Athletics and the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (WVIAC) have formed an exclusive partnership to benefit conference institutions by providing incentive opportunities for those institutions that elect to implement the ACS InControl software suite.

“I was very impressed with the product that ACS offers and especially noted the applications that will link existing campus computer data bases to athletics data bases to avoid the process of “double entry” for athletics compliance reporting and monitoring,” noted Barry Blizzard, Commissioner of the WVIAC.

ACS Athletics is the first and only company to provide integration services of this nature, providing significant benefit to those athletics departments that regularly interact with institutional admissions offices, financial aid and the registrar.

“ACS could not be more excited to partner with the WVIAC and continue our support of NCAA Division II at the conference level,” said ACS President and CEO, Phillip Engle.  “With Commissioner Blizzard’s outstanding leadership, we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

About ACS Athletics

ACS Athletics is a web and mobile technology company that improves operational performance and reduces risk for collegiate athletic programs. Through the InControl™ software, ACS provides a structure that gives programs a competitive advantage by simplifying, integrating and automating processes.  InControl™ delivers the flexibility and security athletic administrators, coaches and campus stakeholders need to stay organized, decrease risk of non-compliance and stay focused on winning and developing relationships.  The expertise ACS possesses in athletic department process helps meet clients’ needs by enabling better communication, improving the all-around efficiency of their program and ensuring student athlete welfare.

About the WVIAC

Founded in 1924, the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) rates as one of the oldest leagues at the small-college level.  The league’s 15 member schools include: Alderson- Broaddus College, Bluefield State College, University of Charleston, Concord University, Davis & Elkins College, Fairmont State University, Glenville State College, Ohio Valley University, Shepherd University, West Liberty University, West Virginia State University, West Virginia Wesleyan College and Wheeling Jesuit University. The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and Seton Hill University joined the WVIAC for the 2006-07 season. Pitt Johnstown and Seton Hill are the WVIAC’s first out-of-state members since 1932.  Women’s sports were incorporated into the WVIAC during the 1981-82 academic year as the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association was absorbed. Currently, women’s championships are offered in softball, golf, tennis, track, basketball, volleyball, cross country and soccer.  Men’s championships are conducted in football, cross country, soccer, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis and track.  The league was recognized by the State Journal as one of “55 Great Things About West Virginia” in the magazine’s April 2007 edition. The WVIAC is headquartered in Princeton, W.Va.
 

ACS Athletics and the Sunshine State Conference Form Exclusive Partnership

ACS Athletics, the industry-leading provider of operational software and technology consulting services for collegiate athletics departments, and the Sunshine State Conference have announced an exclusive partnership allowing ACS to market their services through branding and promotional opportunities involving the conference office.

“I am very pleased to enter into a more formal working relationship with ACS Athletics,” said Jay Jones, Sunshine State Conference commissioner.  “Their product is something that I was already proud to recommend to our conference schools, because I believe it is simply the best tool of its type on the market today.  I believe that the ACS software is a proven tool that SSC schools can use as they work to maintain their goals of academic and athletic excellence. I wish I’d had this system when I was on campus.”

“ACS Athletics is extremely excited to be partnering with one of the leading NCAA Division II conferences,” said ACS Athletics President/CEO and co-founder, Phillip Engle.  “Jay and his staff have a great vision for Sunshine State Conference institutions and ACS is very fortunate to be a part of that vision moving forward.  We look forward to serving the Sunshine State membership.”

About ACS Athletics

ACS Athletics is a web and mobile technology company that improves operational performance and reduces risk for collegiate athletic programs. Through the InControl™ software, ACS provides a structure that gives programs a competitive advantage by simplifying, integrating and automating processes.  InControl™ delivers the flexibility and security athletic administrators, coaches and campus stakeholders need to stay organized, decrease risk of non-compliance and stay focused on winning and developing relationships.  The expertise ACS possesses in athletic department process helps meet clients’ needs by enabling better communication, improving the all-around efficiency of their program and ensuring student athlete welfare.

About Sunshine State Conference

The Sunshine State conference membership is comprised of nine private colleges and universities located throughout the state of Florida with over 2,000 student-athletes, 70,000 students and an alumni base of almost 400,000.  Its members have won 76 NCAA Division II National Titles in 10 different sports and it is the No. 1 ranked conference in Division II Academic Success Rate.  Former Sunshine State Conference student-athletes include Lou Piniella, Rocco Mediate, Tim Wakefield, Matt Joyce, Brett Tomko, Lee Janzen, Jeff Leonard, and Tino Martinez.

ACS and CCAA Join Forces

ACS Athletics is proud to announce an exclusive partnership with the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).  ACS is the industry leader in providing technology solutions for intercollegiate athletics departments, while the CCAA has been the nation’s most successful intercollegiate athletic conference since its establishment in December 1938.

The CCAA is a 12-member NCAA Division II conference.  It is home to some of the nation’s finest D-II athletic programs in Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State East Bay, Cal State L.A., Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Stanislaus, Chico State, CSU, Monterey Bay, Humboldt State, UC San Diego, San Francisco State and Sonoma State.   CCAA members have won 149 NCAA Championships (101 men, 48 women) all time, far and away the most of any Division II conference.  On the men’s side, CCAA members have brought home at least 10 titles in swimming & diving (25), wrestling (16), track & field (13), tennis (11) and baseball (10).  CCAA institutions have been very successful in the history of NCAA women’s athletics, having won 10 cross country, nine softball, six track & field, five volleyball and five basketball national championships as well as 13 more in four other sports.

ACS Athletics is a web and mobile technology company that improves operational performance and reduces risk for collegiate athletic programs. Through the InControl™ software, ACS provides a structure that gives programs a competitive advantage by simplifying, integrating and automating processes.  InControl™ delivers the flexibility and security athletic administrators, coaches and campus stakeholders need to stay organized, decrease risk of non-compliance and stay focused on winning and developing relationships.  The expertise ACS possesses in athletic department process helps meet clients’ needs by enabling better communication, improving the all-around efficiency of their program and ensuring student athlete welfare.With ACS, coaches and staff reduce their administrative and paper-process issues exponentially.  Whether it is managing the recruiting process more effectively, staying on top of critical monitoring functions, increasing communication or just clearing the path for innovative thinking, the ACS system helps you stay ahead of the game and be successful in all phases of departmental operations.

Having served the industry since 1999, ACS can offer your institution experience garnered from serving more than 90 schools.  ACS technology solutions are tried and true with the tangible know-how to get the job done for you.  ACS understands that you are in the ‘winning business’ and that results matter!

 

Please contact us directly at (800) 343-6220 or sales@acsathletics.com.

 

 

Kevin Price is the Newest Expert on the ACS Team!

Kevin Price, who has spent the last five years as the Associate Athletics Director for Compliance at Baylor University, will join the ACS Athletics team as Regional Director of Sales on January 1, 2011. Price will oversee the development of new business in the western region, provide input on product functionality and updates, and create educational and promotional materials.

Price began his career in college athletics by serving on the compliance staffs at the University of California, Berkeley (1992-1998) and the University of Texas (1998-99).  He then moved on to lead the compliance operations at Texas Christian University (1999-2000), Santa Clara (2000-2002) and Oregon State (2002-2005) before being named to the Associate Athletics Director post at Baylor.

While overseeing compliance efforts at Baylor, Price was instrumental in implementing the ACS InControl^TM operational software suite and has an extensive knowledge of the product. He has experienced first-hand the details that go into purchasing, implementing and supporting software solutions within a collegiate athletic department.

“ACS Athletics is extremely excited to add Kevin Price and his 18 years of industry experience to our team of experts,” said Phillip Engle, CEO. “We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Kevin as a customer and advocate, and his addition to the ACS team will have a profound impact on our business and attention to customers’ needs.”

Price is a 1992 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.  Kevin and his wife, Jennifer, have three children – Savannah (8), Kameron (5) and Kolton (1).

University of Texas-San Antonio Selects ACS InControl to Streamline Operations

The University of Texas-San Antonio is laying the foundation for its growing athletics program by partnering with ACS Athletics, a technology company that improves the performance of college athletics departments.  ACS InControl™ software provides a structure that will give UTSA a competitive advantage by simplifying and automating processes.  UTSA will have the ability to develop branded email campaigns targeting prospective student-athletes which will allow existing sports and the new football program to attract the best and brightest prospects.

With the addition of football and 100+ student-athletes joining the program in the near future, UTSA sought ways in which to operate more efficiently and reduce the administrative burden on coaches and student-athletes.  Coaches will no longer be required to submit recruiting logs or administer playing and practice season hourly limitation verification (CARA logs).  Student-athlete meetings will be more interactive and focused now that required participation forms are completed and submitted online.

“ACS Athletics offers the most complete software solution available,” said Elizabeth Dalton, Deputy Athletic Director/Internal Affairs/Senior Woman Administrator.  “The highly configurable nature of the system (InControl^TM) allows maximum flexibility for our coaches, which will result in more efficient and productive recruiting and operational functions.”

In addition to streamlining many of the paper-driven processes involving coaches and student-athletes, institutional staff members, both within and outside of the athletics department, now have a central database of student-athlete information that may be accessed at any time.

“In the past, accessing critical student-athlete information was very challenging,” said Lynn Hickey, Director of Athletics.  “Depending on the specific information needed, one might have to contact several different individuals or access stand-alone systems which became cumbersome and inefficient.  With ACS InControl^TM, staff members have one access point and can locate student-athlete information with just a few mouse clicks.”

Finally, the compliance staff will now have the ability to monitor recruiting activity in real time, eliminating the burdensome process of collecting recruiting logs from coaches and spot-checking records.  The verification of CARA logs is being converted into an electronic submission process that includes student-athlete review and approval.  Further, UTSA will now have the ability to manage the student-athlete complimentary admission process by actively monitoring recipients through pre-approval of student-athlete guests.

If you would like more information on how ACS InControl^TM can improve your athletics department, please contact us at (800) 343-6220 or via email at sales@acsathletics.com.