New Student Communication Platform To Launch This Summer
May 28, 2025
The University of Texas at Dallas is launching a new, streamlined way to communicate with prospective, current and former students.
The new system, the first phase of which will launch Aug. 1, will utilize a communication and record-keeping platform developed by Salesforce that will enhance every stage of the student journey, from recruitment to alumni engagement.
An all-campus webinar on the new platform will be held Thursday, June 12, from 10 to 11 a.m.
“This investment in students and the new software system will help the University better coordinate its enrollment efforts while ensuring that current students receive the support they need to be successful,” said Rafael Martín PhD’20, vice president for administration and chief of staff.
Streamlined & Strategic
Faculty and staff who work directly with students will benefit from having student information in one place. Employees also will be able to refer students to other departments/units across campus for support.
As enrollment and educational milestones are reached, for example, students will receive timely emails to ensure they understand next steps and which staff members are available to help them.
There currently are more than 100 different recruitment, communication, admissions and student success technology solutions that are used across campus. The goal has been to consolidate and integrate many of these into the Salesforce Education Cloud and Marketing Cloud systems to provide a 360-degree view of student success throughout their enrollment lifecycle.
For example, students will be able see the faculty and staff who are assigned to support their student journey, and they also will be able to schedule appointments with their success team members in the new student portal.
The new software is known as a constituent relationship management (CRM) system, versions of which are used by universities and corporations around the world to manage information about their various audiences.
Strengthening Relationships
The Office of Admission and Enrollment will begin using the new system Aug. 1 as they track new student enrollments. Various functions will be rolled out after that to staff and faculty, with student visibility available after Oct. 1.
“With real-time data insights, personalized communication and streamlined processes, this new system will help UT Dallas build stronger, more meaningful relationships with students,” said Dr. Inga Musselman, provost, vice president for academic affairs and the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair of Academic Leadership. “The goal is to ensure that each Comet feels valued, supported, and set up for success.”
The work to update the University’s student relationship system began approximately three years ago when bids were sought for the best software platform and for an outside team to assist in implementing the program.
The implementation project was dubbed Project Europa and has involved more than a hundred individuals from all over the UT Dallas campus.
“This has been transformational to improve the maturation of our student success infrastructure, and the collective commitment of campus-wide staff, students and faculty representatives to improve our students’ experience has been on display since the first phase,” said Serenity King MA’06 PhD’19, who spearheaded the project from its beginning in her role as associate vice president for institutional success and decision support.
“The return on investment, both financially and with our time given to build a solid technical foundation, will be significant,” she said. “This new system will allow UTD to support our students better with timely information and academic support, which will enhance overall learning, and to support our student-facing staff and faculty better with contemporary technical tools.”
More information about the new CRM system can be found on the Project Europa website.
Download the Recruitment & Admissions Tools (pdf) or visit the accessible Recruitment & Admissions Tools page.
Download the Student Success Tools (pdf) or visit the accessible Student Success Tools page.