How to Win a Higher Ed Summit Award

The 7th annual Salesforce.org Higher Ed Summit is happening on April 16-18, 2019 in San Diego, CA. Join us, our co-host, the University of San Diego, for an exciting experience full of hands-on workshops and invaluable networking time with hundreds of your colleagues and peers across the globe.

Nominate your school to recognize innovation, success, or efficiency in one of the three award categories. The deadline to submit an award nomination is November 19.

Advice from Past Higher Ed Summit Award Winners

We spoke with a few higher ed Trailblazers who won awards last year. Here is their advice!

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What is the value of the Summit Award?

Chris Tompkins at Indiana University commented:

The awards presented by Salesforce at the annual Higher Ed Summit are a very important acknowledgement for those that have taken the first critical leaps into this new world of comprehensive higher education CRMs. Not only does this validate the efforts, professional and personal, we have invested but also reassures that we are on the right path to our ultimate strategic goals. In the community this has provided even more opportunities for collaboration which is the greatest strength of the higher education landscape. These awards provide a point of guidance for those just starting along with the assurance that success is more than possible.

But the win of this award also hits much closer to home. As most of us know, CRM in higher education is still an emerging concept that is doubted by many and leaves others skeptical. By receiving the Innovation award, those within Indiana University can see tangible validation that we are successful and on the road to great things. But it’s also provided a benchmark. And not simply an award that we can be proud of but a new bar that is set. This is only the beginning and the sign says we’re on the right road to get us where we want to be.

What was the experience of winning this award?

Chris also shared:

Indiana University has been on the long and sometimes painful journey to achieve a university-wide CRM for a number of years. However, only in the last four of those has the journey included Salesforce.org Education Cloud. Within this most recent chapter, IU has finally begun to realize this vision to provide all university constituents the experience they have come to expect in today’s age. As higher education has come to realize, the difficulty in achieving a goal like this is great in the culture of exceedingly siloed data and services that existing throughout the vast organization.

Our first steps have been incredibly successful where three foundational “pillars” or verticals of the university have been established to include student recruitment, human resource employee service management, and departmental communications across all constituent populations. There are many of our peer institutions that have developed into an amazing community at this point who are blazing the trails for us all.

Being nominated for this award was an honor in itself when standing next to such great work and innovation. While sitting in the audience in anticipation of the winner being announced, I think everyone from IU held their breath. When Indiana University was called, the beaming smiles were shared by all and no one could contain the overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

How to Submit a Great Higher Ed Summit Award Nomination

Here’s some advice from higher ed CRM leaders at UMass Lowell. They won the “Overall Excellence in Student Success Award” at Higher Ed Summit in Washington, DC in 2018.

Salesforce.org Education Cloud is a strategic platform for our student success efforts and the UMass Lowell team was thrilled to win this award.

Want to submit a nomination on behalf of your campus? Here are 3 tips for submitting a great award nomination:

1. Be succinct

Think through the key aspects of how Salesforce is positively impacting student success or operational efficiency at your college or university. Think of your submission like an ‘elevator pitch’. It should briefly explain the challenge, explain what you did to meet or exceed the challenge and spark the reader’s interest so they want to learn more.

2. Provide context

What was the problem you were trying to solve? Why is this important to your institution? Give the reader a sense of the current state before you implemented your Salesforce solution. Briefly explain how implementing the solution linked to the goals of what your institution was trying to achieve.

3. Highlight how your Salesforce solution is making a positive impact

Briefly describe the solution and cite a few key metrics or examples to showcase your story. Explain why your solution is a difference-maker and the tangible benefits achieved.

Don’t wait until the November 19 deadline – share the inspiring work your team is doing today!

We look forward to seeing you in person at the 2019 Higher Ed Summit in San Diego.

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