ACS News

ACS Athletics and GradesFirst Collaborate To Better Service the Athletics Community

ACS Athletics and GradesFirst are excited to announce the companies are collaborating to better service their mutual customers and provide an enhanced experience to collegiate athletics staff, coaches and academic advisors.   Details of the agreement are being finalized, but this partnership will provide additional value to institutions currently using the ACS Athletics InControl^TM software to manage the student-athlete life-cycle, as well as GradesFirst technology to manage and track student-athlete academic progress.  The partnership will allow systems integration of these two innovative software systems and give users greater control and access to critical student-athlete information.

“ACS Athletics has been fortunate to become the premier system within collegiate athletics to centralize student-athlete records and enhance communication among coaches and administrators with our department-wide notification tools,” said Kevin Bresser, VP Sales at ACS Athletics.  “We have also encouraged campuses to consider our product integration options to better connect InControl^TM with key administrative systems such as campus student information systems and CAi. We are pleased to respond to our customers’ requests to collaborate with GradesFirst to further consolidate information and increase access to critical student-athlete data.  GradesFirst is an exciting addition to our partnership channel due to the high-level of respect and customer satisfaction they have earned in the industry. This collaboration is a big win for coaches and athletics staff around the country.”

“As our partnership with ACS progresses, we look forward to providing even greater efficiencies to our customers,” said Mario Moore, CEO at GradesFirst.  “Making more student information available in GradesFirst enables us to continue our mission of improving the lives of academic advisors. Having integration with the ACS InControl system makes it easier for advisors to share information and communicate more easily with students, coaches and other athletic staff.”

To learn more about this groundbreaking relationship, please find representatives from ACS Athletics and GradesFirst at the NAAC Convention in Anaheim (June 21-22).   Questions may also be emailed to ACS Athletics at info@acsathletics.com or GradesFirst at sales@gradesfirst.com .

About ACS Athletics

ACS Athletics flagship product, ACS InControl™, centralizes document and information management in one system for the key operational areas that drive the Student-Athlete Lifecycle™, allowing stakeholders across an organization to see a holistic view of student-athlete records, recruiting, compliance monitoring, student-athlete forms, CARA logs, complimentary admissions, and much more.

About GradesFirst

GradesFirst is a leading web-based student support system that provides athletic advising departments an easy and efficient way to automate progress reports, study hall management, tutor management, attendance tracking, and reporting.  GradesFirst also improves communications between advisors, students, coaches, and faculty with tools like text messaging and automated email.  The school-branded Facebook application provides integration with the most popular social networking site; facilitating yet another method of student-athlete communication.  GradesFirst  works with athletic departments across the country to help advisors and coaches monitor the academic performance of their student-athletes so they can stay on the team and remain competitive.

The Compliance Group Conducts Review of Industry-Leading ACS Athletics InControl Compliance and Student-Athlete Information Management Software

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

To better service their customers and the athletics compliance community, ACS Athletics has contracted with The Compliance Group (TCG) – a leader in the NCAA compliance consulting business – to conduct a thorough review of the InControl^TM product suite.  InControl™ is a comprehensive student-athlete life cycle management software system comprised of integrated modules for managing student-athlete records, compliance monitoring, recruiting, equipment management, complimentary tickets, CARA logs, athletic forms and other key processes.

TCG’s review of the ACS InControl^TM software was intended to determine the likelihood that implementation of this system would assist in reducing both secondary and major violations of NCAA legislation on an institution’s campus.  The basis for this report was information provided to TCG staff by ACS during in-person presentations and interviews with experienced ACS Athletics customers.

“As a company, we have a responsibility to make sure our customers have the best solutions and services possible, and that they’re proactively positioned to meet compliance related challenges head on,” said Phillip Engle, CEO of ACS Athletics. “Due to its extensive experience in conducting on-campus compliance reviews and inquiries, we chose TCG to provide an independent and objective analysis of our product.  Contracting with TCG helps us maintain high performance standards and continue to deliver the types of proven solutions our collegiate customers have come to expect over the last seven years.”

To learn more about this extensive product review and how ACS Athletics can improve an athletics department’s compliance operations, you can find a member of the ACS Athletics team at the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar in Dallas (June 14-17) and the NAAC Convention in Anaheim (June 21-22).   A copy of this review may also be requested by emailing ACS Athletics at info@acsathletics.com or by calling (800) 343-6220 x302.

About ACS Athletics

ACS Athletics flagship product, ACS InControl™, centralizes document and information management in one system for the key operational areas that drive the Student-Athlete Lifecycle™, allowing stakeholders across an organization to see a holistic view of student-athlete records, recruiting, compliance monitoring, student-athlete forms, CARA logs, complimentary admissions, and much more.

About The Compliance Group

The Compliance Group, founded by former NCAA  Major Case Coordinator in 1999 Chuck Smrt, provides an array of quality and cost effective compliance services to intercollegiate athletics departments and conference offices. These include conducting a compliance review on behalf of conferences and institutions, and assisting NCAA members in major case processing, waivers, academic services reviews, strategic planning, etc.   TCG has assisted numerous Division I, II, and III institutions and conferences.  TCG personnel have extensive on-campus, conference, and NCAA national office experience in various capacities, including NCAA major infractions case coordinator, university general counsel, and director of compliance.

Tennessee Volunteers to Manage the Student-Athlete Life Cycle with ACS Athletics!

ACS Athletics is proud to announce that the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has selected ACS Athletics as its department-wide technology provider for managing the student-athlete life-cycle. With ACS InControlTM, the Volunteers will automate and integrate recruiting, compliance monitoring, student-athlete records and forms, CARA logs and much, much more!

“In evaluating potential technology solutions, it became clear that ACS not only has the most product depth and substance, but the ACS staff also has the most experienced team in implementing these types of solutions,” said Brad Bertani, Tennessee Associate Athletics Director for Compliance. “Being able to organize the volumes of information we are required to keep on a day-to-day and year-to-year basis was a top priority,” Bertani said. “Having a system that integrates several key areas into one centralized location was our primary need, and ACS delivers the most proven solution.”

With ACS InControlTM, all sports on the Knoxville campus will have access to powerful recruiting tools, such as email tracking, reporting features, initial-eligibility evaluation and prospect record organization. The compliance staff will streamline operations via real-time analysis of recruiting activities, such as contacts, evaluations and telephone calls. Coaches will have the ability to enter recruiting activities into their mobile devices helping to avoid pesky violations with proactive alerts. Student-athletes will complete required paperwork and verify CARA logs through a secure student-athlete portal, greatly reducing time demands.

In addition to finding an organizational solution, Bertani was pleased to find a system that generated so much excitement among coaches. “With ACS, all of our sport programs will have access to a top-of-the-line recruiting system, which will allow them to maintain a competitive edge over other schools,” Bertani said. “Purchasing a product with this combination of recruiting and compliance tools was an easy decision.”

Finally, Bertani is already planning for the future by exploring customization options to meet specific needs within the Volunteer athletics program. “We’re very interested in exploring the custom workflow options, such as official visit approvals, for the future,” Bertani said. “The possibilities are really limitless, and going completely paperless is a realistic goal with this system.”

Pioneering Ivy Leaguer Brown University Chooses ACS Athletics

Brown University, the seventh oldest university in America, has selected ACS Athletics as its technology partner to more efficiently manage day-to-day operations within the athletics department.  With ACS InControl^TM software, Brown will manage the student-athlete life-cycle for more than 900 student-athletes participating in 37 sport programs on its Providence, Rhode Island campus.

“The greatest benefit of the ACS software to our staff and student-athletes is that we can now centralize all of the information we collect from student-athletes and we can do that from the time they are prospects right through the length of their careers at Brown,” said Michael Goldberger, Director of Athletics at Brown University.  ”In the past, our staff was bound by inefficient, paper-driven processes which made us more vulnerable to violations and increased the time that both staff and student-athletes spent handling forms.  Now, not only will we improve the student-athlete experience by streamlining this process, but we will also have the data we collect in a usable format, instead of buried within filing cabinets and drawers.”

ACS InControl™ is the industry-leading student-athlete information management system that takes a holistic approach to solving the operational challenges facing athletics departments today.  InControl is a comprehensive, integrated system that simplifies processes and gives coaches and administrators better control of the data and day-to-day operations that drive the student-athlete life-cycle.  InControl helps with student-athlete forms, roster management, CARA logs, complimentary admissions, compliance monitoring, recruiting, and more.   Additionally, Brown has turned to ACS Athletics’ integrated equipment inventory tracking system to provide an increased level of transparency to the equipment on-hand, issued, and on order.   The equipment operations staff will be tied directly into the official rosters for the department, further eliminating duplicate lists and communication as everyday changes occur.

Brown is setting the pace among its peer institutions by adopting this holistic approach in managing its operations.  By bringing student-athlete information into one integrated platform, coaches and staff will have more time to spend coaching and mentoring student-athletes, producing a much more positive experience.  Brown coaches will be more efficient and effective in the recruiting process and gain that all-important edge in attracting the best and brightest talent.  The compliance staff will save significant time and energy by eliminating the piles of paper-based student-athlete forms and manual processes associated with collecting, data-entering, filing, and retrieving this information.   The department will have immediate access to this critical information to better analyze trends among their student-athletes and provide faster and enhanced service to each individual student-athlete.   Compliance will also save time by eliminating incomplete spot-checking of recruiting logs, as well as the collection of such logs from coaches, altogether.  Student-athletes will spend less time completing required paperwork and requesting complimentary admissions so that family and friends can attend competitions.

“With ACS, we have a complete system that is easy for student-athletes, coaches and administrators to use and will allow us to increase our monitoring efforts in a broad range of areas,” said Goldberger.  “Compliance staff will be able to automate certain functions, which will provide the ability to focus attention in other places. And our coaches will use the same tool for recruiting and team management functions, which simplifies their efforts as well.  In this economic climate, when budgets are tight and staff time is a resource that must be maximized, ACS InControl will allow us to reclaim precious minutes and devote that time to improving our programs in other ways.”

If your department’s efficiency and effectiveness is still handicapped by paper-trails, separate systems/spreadsheets and communication bottlenecks, you are at risk and have a competitive disadvantage.  Inaccessible, inaccurate information impedes decision making, slows response time and distracts key stakeholders, like coaches, from doing the jobs they were hired to do.  Adding more staff to shuffle paper, or purchasing software to tackle one area or issue, only perpetuates the problem and creates more costly overhead.

If you are serious about taking that next step to improving departmental operations, please contact ACS Athletics at (800) 343-6220 or via email at sales@acsathletics.com.

Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi Partners with ACS Athletics

Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi has selected ACS Athletics InControl^TM software as a student-athlete life-cycle management solution.  With InControl^TM, TAMUCC has taken a holistic approach to solving many of the day to day challenges associated with recruiting, compliance monitoring, roster management, student-athlete forms, playing and practice season hourly logs, complimentary admissions, equipment inventory management and much, much more.  In taking a department-wide approach, TAMUCC coaches and administrative staff will realize benefits on a broad scale, eliminating many of the paper-driven processes and condensing prospect and student-athlete information into one integrated system.

“After evaluating several potential technology solutions for TAMUCC, ACS Athletics offered the most comprehensive system available,” says Scott Lazenby, Associate Athletics Director for Compliance.  “We were also impressed by the depth of experience ACS possessed, having worked with some of the top programs in the country. The value associated with the ACS system is simply unmatched.”

TAMUCC has joined a growing list of institutions that are electing to solve challenges on a broader scale, noting the department-wide benefits of using a single software platform to manage the student-athlete life-cycle.  With InControl^TM, TAMUCC will retain an electronic record of every activity associated with each student-athlete from the time he or she completes an online questionnaire as a prospect, until graduation and beyond.  Not only will coaches and staff members have access to review this information as needed and in real time, but it will be accessible to generate reports and identify historical trends.  In addition, ACS InControl^TM will allow TAMUCC to meet or exceed industry standards in monitoring recruiting, playing and practice season logs, complimentary admissions and more.  Further, the equipment inventory management system will allow TAMUCC to have greater control over equipment ordering and distribution, resulting in significant costs savings.

“Speaking from a compliance perspective,” says Lazenby, “by choosing the InControl product suite, our two person compliance operation expanded to a four person operation without actually adding staff.  We were able to expand our compliance systems two-fold and increase effectiveness without increasing our workload.  On a broader scale, we feel InControl will produce similar results with all sport programs and other administrative areas.”

If your institution is interested in taking the next step and implementing a technology solution that will allow your program to move forward, please contact ACS Athletics at (512) 343-8811 or via email at sales@acsathletics.com.

Centralizing Recruiting and Student-Athlete Information Benefits Both the Compliance Staff and Coaches

When the University of Oklahoma decided to implement a department-wide technological solution for recruiting, compliance monitoring and student-athlete information, the intent was to integrate and automate much of the day-to-day compliance procedures.  After extensive research, Jason Leonard, Oklahoma’s Executive Athletics Director for Compliance, recommended ACS Athletics to the Athletics Director and the General Counsel.

“Based on the benefits of the software, specifically, reduction in time to complete the numerous forms that are required throughout the year, centralization of all student-athlete information, improved tracking of recruiting information, and improved ability to monitor, the proposal was ultimately approved by the Board of Regents,” Leonard said.  When asked what features of the ACS Athletics program were most attractive, Leonard noted the ability to centralize student-athlete information and forms, the capability to electronically route department forms for approval and/or signatures, and the ability to maintain the complimentary ticket database in a centralized location.

Once implemented, Leonard indicated that the ACS Athletics program enables the institution to monitor recruiting activity in a timelier manner and allows his staff to track recruiting telephone calls more accurately.  Further, Leonard said the program provides coaches the ability to easily log comments about each recruiting call (e.g., prospect did not answer the call, no message left); and it provides an online central area for all recruiting activities (e.g., phone calls, contacts, evaluations, official visits), thus eliminating the need to physically go to the coaching staffs each month to collect this information.

In addition to providing coaches with powerful recruiting software that streamlines the recruiting process, Leonard also envisioned creating a central location for all student-athlete information.  This information is collected from a variety of sources beginning with the student-athlete’s recruitment through graduation; otherwise known as the, “student-athlete life-cycle.”  Leonard said the compliance staff now has the ability to “push” the requested information to the student-athletes via electronic forms, which has greatly improved the efficiency of the process.  “The reporting function has vastly improved our ability to review and analyze the information gathered.  For example, instead of reviewing each vehicle form individually, we can isolate certain information within the form and run reports based on that information for all student-athletes,” Leonard said.

Finally, Leonard indicated that coaches have generally reacted positively to the implementation of the ACS Athletics program, which can sometimes prove to be challenging if certain coaches are accustomed to operating within a different paradigm.  In addition to the time saved from previously having to manually log all recruiting activities, coaches appreciate not having to maintain paper recruiting logs.  “Coaches have to understand the importance of compliance in their day to day activities,” Leonard said. “If a coach understands how important compliance is and how the coach will be the one in front of the COI (NCAA Committee on Infractions) if something negative occurs, the sale (of implementing a comprehensive technological solution, including monitoring) should be easy. Further, centralization of student-athlete information for the coach’s team, which can be accessed by all pertinent individuals in the front office from any location at any time, is a positive. The text message and e-mail features are also beneficial.”

Florida State University saves time and money with ACS Athletics Equipment Management Software

“In the day and age of audits and budget cuts, I cannot imagine doing my job without ACS Equipment Manager.   It makes me more efficient, saves me time, and saves my university money.” -Dane Smith, FSU Equipment Manager

When Florida State University renewed its apparel contract five years ago, equipment manager Dane Smith decided it was time to explore potential solutions to managing the inventory and distribution of equipment and apparel.  During this process, colleagues recommended Smith consider ACS Athletics Equipment Management software, a technology solution designed specifically for equipment room operations.  Smith and the rest of the FSU equipment management staff liked what they saw, and thus began a partnership that continues to be successful to this day.

Smith indicated that prior to implementing the ACS Equipment Management software, he and his staff would spend countless hours during the day and into the evening entering equipment distribution information into Excel spreadsheets.  With ACS, distributions are recorded electronically, eliminating the need to manually record each transaction.  Smith also indicated the ACS software makes the ordering process much more efficient.  “The size chart report saves time and allows us to place much more accurate orders, helping to eliminate over-ordering,” says Smith.  It is this over-ordering that costs athletics department thousands of dollars each year.  Further, undistributed equipment often goes unused, is given away or even discarded entirely.  A routine audit will reveal these oversights and someone will ultimately have to be held accountable.

In addition to operating more efficiently, Smith indicated the flexibility of the system is critical to the success of the entire equipment operations staff.  “Between the ability to generate custom-reporting for us based on our needs as a department and each equipment manager’s ability to customize the program to meet individual needs, the system is one-of-a-kind and easy to use,” Smith said.  “In the day and age of audits and budget cuts, I cannot imagine doing my job without ACS Equipment Manager.   It makes me more efficient, saves me time, and saves my university money.”

If you would like more information on ACS Athletics and the Equipment Management software, please call (800) 343-6220 or contact us by email at sales@acsathletics.com.

Auburn Football Launches Trailblazing Website

The language, interests and information consumption needs of today’s college football fans have a technological twang that could leave all but the most tech savvy programs a step behind. Auburn University Football now can say it speaks the language and delivers on what the fans are looking for regarding interactive content. On March 16, AU Football launched a new Web site that features a panoramic tour of Auburn traditions, coaching bios, NFL standouts, video highlights and more.

“For many of our audiences, particularly our hardcore fans, this is a new interactive door to what makes Auburn Football so special,” says Scott Fountain, Football Operations Coordinator at Auburn. “We believe fans are craving a Web site that broadcasts what AU Football is all about. It was important for us to find a partner that could deliver something that was unique and different than the typical football sites out there.”

The new site (www.auburnwareagle.com), designed by Austin, Texas based ACS Athletics, is a trailblazing visual and interactive microsite, devoted to Auburn Football’s people, traditions and accomplishments. This product is the result of months of synchronized hard work between ACS and Auburn athletics. The cornerstone of the new site, the panoramic home page, features 7 chapters with interactive hotspots that offer video and content about Auburn Football.

“We take an innovative, holistic approach to helping our customers meet information management, communications and marketing support needs,” says Rayan Rutledge, V.P. of Business Development, ACS Athletics. “Our ACS Interactive Services are helping valued customers establish their brand while differentiating themselves from their competition. We’re committed to delivering only the best marketing support, student-athlete and recruiting management solutions available.”

After months of planning, design, and development, Auburn Football’s Web presence has vaulted into a new era. The success of the project can be tied to the hands on approach and project management efforts of the ACS Interactive team. “ACS listened to our needs and guided our staff through the process with great results,” says Fountain. “I believe the quality of the work they produce speaks for itself.”

“We have a great deal of fun getting in the trenches with our customers and learning about their needs and goals,” says Rutledge. “Project management, conceptual design and IT support for each microsite is all handled and managed internally via ACS. Relationships are important to us. We’re proud to be working with Auburn football on the web site project, as well as on other fronts.”

“ACS has done a great job in helping our staff on the recruiting front,” says Gene Chizik, Head Football Coach at Auburn. “We are more effective and efficient as coaches because of the solutions and support they offer. We are especially excited about the unique approach they’ve taken with marketing to set us apart from our competition. ACS has been great partner to Auburn football.”

ACS Athletics releases latest SideLINE eNewsletter

ACS Athletics Sponsoring Free NAAC Convention Registrations!

As the 2010 NAAC Convention Title Sponsor and Official Technology Consultant, ACS Athletics is proud to announce that it will sponsor one free NAAC Convention registration per month leading up to the event.  To be eligible, you must be a NAAC member and have registered with NAACConnect.com.  Winners will be selected each month via a random drawing by NAAC staff.  If you have not registered, please visit http://www.NAACConnect.com to sign up and become eligible to win!

Our January winner is Carolyn O’Connell of Loyola University Chicago.  Congratulations Carolyn!!  ACS Athletics is also excited to announce that Zachary Pendelton of Weber State University and Kate Charipar of the University of Utah are the big winners of a free NAAC Convention registration as part of a separate promotion in November.  Congratulations to Zachary and Kate!

Don’t delay in registering for the NAAC Convention being held on June21-22 at the Marriott Hotel in Anaheim, California.   Future winners of the drawing who are already registered for the convention will have their registration payments refunded.   Visit http://www.NAACConnect.com today!