Berklee College of Music and Carroll Community CollegeWin 2009 Datatel Partners in Excellence Award

Business Wire, April 06, 2009

Institutions Recognized for Exemplary Collaboration and Excellence

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Datatel®, Inc. today announced that Berklee College of Music and Carroll Community College have each received the 2009 Datatel Partners in Excellence Award. Datatel President and Chief Executive Officer John F. Speer recognized the two institutions today at the opening general session of the 2009 Datatel Users’ Group (DUG) Conference and Expo being held outside of Washington, D.C.

The Datatel Partners in Excellence Award is presented annually to client institutions that demonstrate exemplary collaboration with Datatel and a commitment to excellence in higher education. Award criteria include: innovative information technology practices; active participation in the Datatel client community; and leadership in developing quality services for faculty, staff, and students.

Datatel presents the award each year to one two-year institution and one four-year institution. Recipients receive an unrestricted monetary gift and a special commemorative plaque presented by Datatel’s president.

“Datatel congratulates and thanks these two institutions for their outstanding leadership and strong collaboration with Datatel,” said Mr. Speer. “Achieving the Strategic Academic Enterprise™ and long-term sustainability for higher education institutions, especially during these challenging times, requires the type of relationship that Berklee College of Music and Carroll Community College have forged with Datatel. We look forward to continuously working with them, and all our clients, to ensure they remain effective in providing successful student outcomes.”

Carroll Community College, located in Westminster, Md., and a Datatel client for 13 years, was recognized for its active participation in, and sharing best practices with, the Datatel client community. The College has also innovated using Datatel products to support their strategic infrastructure transformation to a learning-centric and outcome, performance-oriented institution. Virtually all of Carroll Community College’s strategic initiatives are dependent upon or supported by current Datatel, and Datatel-partner products and services. In 2008, The Center for Digital Education and Converge magazine identified the College as one of the “Most Tech-Advanced Community Colleges” in the Mid-sized Category.

“We are honored to receive this award from an exemplary partner such as Datatel,” said Dr. Faye Pappalardo, president of Carroll Community College. “Both our internal and external constituents benefit from Datatel services.”

Berklee College of Music was recognized for their active involvement in the national and regional Datatel Users’ Group organizations and strong working association with Datatel. The College hosted seven Datatel Regional Training Classes in 2008 and is now designated as a Preferred Region Host for 2009. Berklee College of Music has also collaborated with Datatel’s Center for Institutional Effectiveness to use technology to support and augment the Berklee Music City Network—the College’s national network of institutions offering the Berklee PULSE™ music method to under-served teens at no cost to them.

"We're pleased to be recognized with the Partners in Excellence Award,” said Debbie Bieri, Berklee's Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement. “It's a tribute to our Institutional Advancement and Information Technology groups, and their ability and willingness to work closely with the Datatel support team. We're pleased with the results, and are looking forward to working with Datatel to enhance our growing domestic and international projects.”

Datatel’s Strategic Academic Enterprise is a holistic approach that focuses on and supports five cross-functional domains essential for achieving institutional and student success: Strategic Enrollment Management, Strategic Planning, Institutional Advancement and Marketing, Teaching and Learning, and Performance and Operational Management. The Strategic Academic Enterprise extends traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) models by viewing administrative and academic functions as vital interdependent business processes across the higher education enterprise.

About Datatel, Inc.

Datatel is a leading provider of technology solutions and professional business services to higher education institutions throughout North America and overseas. Colleges, universities, and technical schools of various sizes leverage Datatel’s comprehensive expertise to construct Strategic Academic Enterprises that ensure student and institutional success. Serving five million students at more than 770 institutions, the company has focused exclusively on higher education for more than 30 years. Datatel is headquartered in Fairfax, Va. For more information, visit http://www.datatel.com.