It’s going to shave hours off our processing time,” he said. “And it’s going to reduce errors. That’s a huge win.”
Delta College set out to modernize its reporting infrastructure as it prepared to move from on-premises Colleague to Ellucian Student SaaS (Software as a Service). At the same time, the college’s heavy reliance on SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) reports created inefficiencies and limited visibility across departments. Leaders saw an opportunity to provide campuswide access to timely, actionable data that could support strategic planning, student success, and financial aid operations.
- Migrated more than 300 SSRS reports to Insights, with full migration planned before the 2026 SaaS go-live.
- Providing dashboards that support executive decision-making and student-level interventions.
- Enabling data democratization, with broader access to reports across departments.
- Streamlining reporting to save hours of manual data processing.
- Supporting integrations with third-party platforms, including scholarship systems and employee directories.
Delta College’s journey to institution-wide insights
Delta College is a public community college recognized for its forward-thinking approach to student success and technology adoption. As one of Ellucian’s 2025 Experience Idol winners, a prize celebrating innovators transforming higher education, the college has demonstrated a clear focus on delivering modern, student-centered solutions across campus. Delta’s commitment means modernization isn’t just a future goal, it’s happening right now.
Delta is actively migrating to Ellucian Student powered by Colleague. But even before the transition is complete, the college has begun transforming how data is accessed, visualized, and used to drive decisions. “We didn’t want to sit back and wait,” said Josh Berry, Chief Information Officer through Ellucian Manage Services (EMS). “We wanted to connect Insights and begin migrating reports before SaaS was live.”
That proactive mindset led to early implementation of Ellucian Insights, a decision that’s already paying off. With over 300 reports converted from SSRS in 5 months, Delta is well ahead of schedule and building a foundation for campuswide data access and strategic planning.
Laying the foundation for modernization
Modernization starts with a crucial task: securing stakeholder buy-in. From executive leadership to department heads, implementing new technology requires education on why student-centered, future-ready solutions are imperative to institutional success, and how leaders across campus can all benefit from these tools.
Delta College took to an innovative approach to stakeholder engagement, hosting “SaaS Roadshows” and meeting with departments across their four Michigan campuses to explain the modernization process, communicate the value of SaaS-enabled capabilities and generate excitement for the institution’s future.
After the roadshow, people started asking great questions like, ‘What will democratization of our data look like?’” Berry said. “That’s when we knew we were on the right track.”
Insights is already helping answer those questions. Unlike legacy reporting tools that required technical expertise, Insights’ intuitive UX allows broader access to data to non-technical users across the institution. Without the need for additional licensing, staff from departments such as financial aid have the ability to explore data independently and generate insights tailored to their needs.
Insights in action: financial aid efficiency and impact
The Financial Aid Office at Delta College is using Insights to streamline operations and improve proactive student support. From tracking Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standing to visualizing award breakdowns, the team is reducing manual efforts and gaining faster access to the data that matters most.
One of the most impactful features has been Insights’ point-in-time capability, which allows staff to recreate snapshots of student records for trend analysis and compliance reporting. What once required multiple reports and manual data consolidation is now available in a single snapshot view of institutional performance.
For Ryan Goodrow, a financial aid office technologist, Insights has been a game-changer. “I used to run multiple SSRS reports and manually combine the data just to get what I needed,” he said. “Now, with Insights, I can access that granular level of information and create reports myself.”
By building dashboards that serve both operational and leadership needs, Delta College is bridging the gap between day-to-day data and high-level decision-making. “We’re excited to start building visualized reports that leadership can use to monitor student health and financial aid status,” Goodrow said.
Delta’s future vision for student success
Delta College is laying the groundwork to turn connected data into strategy exploring ways leaders can leverage Insights’ powerful analytics to inform decisions, track progress, and drive student success. For example, a new student milestone project, led by the dean of student success, aims to develop dashboards to support targeted interventions and boost retention. These dashboards will visualize key milestones such as fall-to-fall retention, advisor engagement, and early credit accumulation.
At the same time, the college is using Data Connect to integrate data from third-party platforms, monitor initiatives such as the student mentorship program, and better understand student engagement. By centralizing these data sources, Delta is building a foundation for more holistic, cross-functional decision-making.
We’ve been asked for years to slice and dice this data,” said Meghan Sadler, director of application services. “Now we can actually do it.”
This centralized access is more than a technical upgrade—it’s a cultural shift. As Delta continues its modernization journey, Ellucian Insights is helping turn vision into action, empowering departments to make more informed decisions and accelerate student success.
