Abstract: What Smaller Institutions Are Learning About Online Learning and Sustainable Growth

Across higher education, many smaller colleges and universities are navigating growing pressure to modernize, diversify revenue streams, respond to evolving learner expectations, and strengthen long-term institutional sustainability while often operating within constrained budgets, lean teams, fragmented systems, and increasing operational complexity.

At the same time, many institutions are revisiting the role online learning may play within their broader institutional future. For some, this means exploring how to expand beyond a handful of isolated online offerings. For others, it means considering how online learning, continuing education, learner flexibility, and new program models may support broader institutional goals around access, enrollment stability, learner continuity, and sustainable growth.

As institutions begin moving beyond isolated online offerings, many are discovering that even early-stage online learning efforts introduce new operational coordination questions across teams, systems, learner support models, governance structures, and institutional decision-making processes.

Increasingly, institutional leaders are asking broader questions:

What would online learning realistically look like for an institution like ours?
How can institutions expand online learning opportunities intentionally and sustainably?
What operational and organizational conditions need to be in place to support growth over time?
How can institutions modernize while preserving academic rigor, institutional identity, and relationship-centered learner experiences?

As institutions begin operationalizing online learning more intentionally, many are discovering that long-term sustainability depends on more than launching programs or implementing platforms. It increasingly requires coordination across academic leadership, enrollment management, student support, finance, technology, operations, and continuing education functions.

This paper explores the operational, organizational, and governance conditions that increasingly shape online learning initiatives and sustainable institutional growth for smaller institutions, including readiness, coordination, sequencing, learner continuity, and long-term institutional capacity. The discussion focuses on the operational layer connecting institutional strategy to day-to-day execution as online learning begins evolving from isolated efforts into a broader institutional capability.

Designed for presidents, provosts, CIOs, CFOs, enrollment leaders, continuing education leaders, and institutional operations teams, this paper contributes a practical, cross-functional perspective grounded in emerging institutional patterns, operational observations, and the evolving realities smaller institutions are increasingly navigating as online learning becomes a more connected part of institutional strategy and sustainability conversations.

Smaller campuses face the same identity challenges as larger universities, but with fewer resources. At Fischer Identity, we help higher education institutions design identity and access management programs that are secure, scalable, and right-sized for their needs.

Learn more about how campuses like yours are simplifying IAM, and check out our blog on Right-Sized Identity Management for Higher Education for practical insights on aligning governance, automation, and scale.

Discover how Fischer Identity can help your institution modernize IAM while keeping it manageable.

Consortium agreements can provide higher education institutions with powerful tools for identity and access management if they are used to their full potential. At Fischer Identity, we help campuses take advantage of these agreements to streamline IAM deployment, automate workflows, and strengthen governance.

Learn practical strategies and insights in our blog, Maximizing Higher Education Consortium Agreements for Identity and Access Management, and discover how your institution can fully leverage consortium benefits for efficient, secure IAM.

First American Education Finance is a financial services company and wholly owned subsidiary of City National Bank and their parent company, Royal Bank of Canada. For over 20 years, we have worked hard to develop a deep understanding of the greatest needs and challenges that higher education institutions are facing. That’s how we are able to provide customized solutions to help more than 800 schools achieve their vision and deliver the best education possible to their students. 
 
First American and its parent, City National Bank, are pleased to extend a Group Rebate Program to the Coalition and the state association members it serves. This program will allow each enrolled member to benefit from higher rebates based on the enrolled Group’s collective annual spend.  Additionally, members can customize their card program including built in expense reporting, reconciliation tools, software integration, receipt uploads and mobile capabilities. 

Explore our digital hub for more information: Coalition Group Rebate Brochure 

In higher education, identity management success depends on seamless integration between ERP and Student Information Systems (SIS). These systems serve as the authoritative sources that drive identity lifecycle events such as hires, admissions, transfers, and terminations, but too often operate in silos, creating data inconsistencies, duplicate accounts, and delayed provisioning. This blog explores how unifying ERP and SIS data through an Identity and Access Management (IAM) platform like Fischer Identity enables accurate, automated lifecycle management for students, faculty, and staff. By aligning HR and student data governance, institutions can eliminate manual processes, improve security, and ensure that access is both timely and compliant, transforming IAM from a reactive IT function into a strategic enabler of institutional efficiency and user experience.

The First American team is looking forward to connecting with HESS members this month at the HESS National Conference. Stop by our table to learn more about our capabilities and expertise in financing software and technology projects.

First American Education Finance is a financial services company dedicated exclusively to serving Higher Education. For over 20 years, we’ve worked to develop custom financing solutions for more than 900 schools nationwide.

Whether you’re looking to refresh your faculty and staff devices, or finance an ERP implementation, we can help customize a program to meet your needs.

See you at the conference!

Struggling with how to manage contractor and vendor access in higher ed IAM? You’re not alone. Non-employee identities often fall outside HR and SIS systems—creating security gaps, compliance risks, and governance blind spots. In this blog, we explore why this issue matters more than ever and how to build sustainable, policy-driven strategies for third-party access. Don’t let unmanaged accounts put your institution at risk.

First American Education Finance recently hosted a webinar, Optimizing ERP Investments: Key Trends & Financial Strategies for Higher Ed. The session explored how institutions can align ERP expenses with useful life, mitigate overlapping costs during implementation, and leverage flexible financing strategies to support long-term IT goals.

We also shared real-world examples of how Higher Ed leaders are managing digital transformation amid competing priorities.

If you’re planning an ERP implementation or have other IT projects on your radar, our team would love to share how we’ve helped your peers with custom financing solutions. View the full webinar recording below. 

In a world of growing cyber threats and tightening regulations, basic identity tools just aren’t enough. Your organization needs a smarter approach to securing access, proving compliance, and streamlining operations.

This blog explores how Fischer Identity delivers a fully configurable IAM/IGA solution designed for real-world challenges, helping you reduce risk, simplify audits, and scale with confidence.

In today’s fast-paced, technology driven Higher Education environment, investing in software is a necessity. However, ERP upgrades and implementations can be challenging for schools due to the large, upfront costs and constant maintenance required. Evaluating financing options can help address the short-term budget constraints caused by a long and costly implementation process, allowing software (i.e. ERP systems, licensing fees, etc) to be an affordable investment.  

Whether you are in the early planning stages of a software project, in the middle of updating your existing software and systems, or recently completed an ERP implementation—consider how financing with First American is a smart way to spread out your costs and maximize your investment. 

For mid-sized higher education institutions facing resource constraints, implementing an Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution can feel overwhelming. With the Fischer Identity team, you don’t have to tackle it alone. This guide highlights a practical, phased approach to IAM tailored to the unique needs of colleges and universities with limited staffing and budgets.

From setting realistic objectives and engaging stakeholders to choosing a cost-efficient, scalable solution, Fischer Identity simplifies IAM projects. Key features include automated governance, seamless integration, and user-friendly interfaces. Fischer’s phased implementation process ensures manageable steps, minimizing risks and reducing complexity.

With Fischer Identity’s expertise, institutions can confidently streamline access, enhance security, and achieve long-term IAM success—all while staying within budget. Contact Fischer Identity to start your journey today.

In December 2023, GreyCastle Security was acquired by DeepSeas. The experience GreyCastle had with universities and colleges was a natural complement to the integrated portfolio of cyber defense services that DeepSeas brings to its nearly 1,000 clients. In addition to a full suite of advisory, compliance, and testing services tailored to the unique needs of higher education, DeepSeas is recognized as a top 40 MDR provider by Gartner and a top 5 leader in the 2024 Frost Radar™: Global Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Market. DeepSeas is also the highest-ranked overall security services company.

Known for its programmatic approach to continuously transforming cyber defense programs, DeepSeas combines the data, scale, and automation from the DeepSeas Cyber Defense Platform with world-class analysts, engineers, and incident responders to ensure timely, relevant, and validated threat notifications. DeepSeas MDR+ is the first and only MDR solution that covers the entire converged attack surface, including OT, IT, cloud, and mobile environments for both midmarket organizations and enterprises. 

Start transforming your higher education cybersecurity program with DeepSeas.

• Get a quote for DeepSeas Managed Detection &Response: https://engage.deepseas.com/managed-detection-and-response
• Get an offensive security testing quote: https://engage.deepseas.com/deepseas-red
• Get a quote for DeepSeas CISO Advisory: https://engage.deepseas.com/ciso-advisory

Determining the investment needed for Fischer Identity’s Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution involves a thorough assessment of organizational requirements, infrastructure compatibility, and potential security risks. Start by outlining critical IAM needs, such as user access controls, lifecycle management, and scalability, which Fischer Identity is known to streamline. Evaluate factors like user volume, projected growth, and any integration with existing systems. With Fischer Identity’s advanced features, budgeting should also include the cost of ongoing support, training, and maintenance to maximize solution effectiveness. Finally, conducting a cost-benefit analysis and consulting Fischer Identity’s expert team ensures a tailored, efficient, and sustainable IAM investment, allowing organizations to strengthen their security and compliance stance.

First American Education Finance 

Specialty Financing for Higher Education 

The First American team is looking forward to connecting with HESS members this month at the HESS National Conference. Stop by our table to learn more about our capabilities and expertise in financing software and technology projects. 

First American Education Finance is a financial services company dedicated exclusively to serving Higher Education. For over 20 years, we’ve worked to develop custom financing solutions for more than 900 schools nationwide. 

Whether you’re looking to refresh your faculty and staff devices, or finance an ERP implementation, we can help customize a program to meet your needs. 

See you at the conference!

Vendors thrive when they can count on timely payments and clear communication. AP automation makes this possible, giving them the transparency and speed they need to feel valued and supported. With fewer delays and easier tracking, vendors are happier and more willing to strengthen their partnership. Want to know how AP automation can transform your vendor relationships? Read more on the Paymerang blog.