Unified & Unstoppable
Aquinas College Consolidates Tech & Simplifies Experiences
Unified & Unstoppable
Aquinas College Consolidates Tech & Simplifies Experiences
Technology serves as the backbone of modern college life — bridging communities, simplifying processes and keeping campuses competitive in ever-changing environments. At Aquinas College, a liberal arts institution surrounded by the vibrant city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the need for a more connected campus became impossible to ignore. The College long relied on two separate platforms — Anthology Engage for students and WordPress for faculty and staff — but neither kept pace with the needs of its close-knit community. Even worse, managing disconnected systems drained resources and doubled costs.
Tasked with untangling these inefficiencies and frustrations, David DeJonge, Aquinas’ Senior Director of Strategic Communications, saw the cracks widening. Incremental fixes wouldn’t suffice — Aquinas needed a transformative solution to unify students, faculty and staff within a cohesive digital platform. What followed involved a bold shift toward system consolidation, cost savings and a completely reimagined campus experience.
Two Systems, Too Much Complexity
Anthology Engage, introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic as a stopgap solution to keep students connected while off campus… fell short. “It presented a huge obstacle anytime we wanted to put anything — content, information, resources — into Engage,” DeJonge recalled. “Admins found adding content too complicated, discouraging them from updating it and making it harder for users to engage with relevant information.” The platform functioned more like a bulletin board for students, offering little more than static news and event listings.“Students had no incentive to revisit,” explained DeJonge. “They received information with no way to engage or connect with others.”
The college’s WordPress-based website posed an even greater challenge. “Our 15 to 20-year-old website looked outdated, lacked mobile-friendliness and barely functioned on desktop,” DeJonge said. To make matters worse, the website doubled as an employee intranet, an inefficient and insecure solution for storing sensitive information. “It didn’t serve as the right place to keep private data,” he admitted.
Considering the Bottom Line
Managing two disconnected systems didn’t just hinder student and employee engagement — it also affected the college’s budget. “We paid double the cost for half the experience,” DeJonge said. “We took a very hard look at our costs and eliminated systems offering little value,” shared DeJonge.
While the college considered WordPress for the student portal project, it quickly became obvious it required extensive development work and lacked the integration capabilities needed to support the entire community. “Between the two separate student and employee portals, managing campus emails and other underutilized campus systems, moving to a single portal platform offered efficiency and a better experience,” DeJonge explained.
Simplify to Amplify
Pathify stood out as the ideal solution — sophisticated, mobile-friendly and equipped with hundreds of pre-built integrations capable of uniting the College’s campus systems into one modern interface. “We loved the idea of a single hub, a single pane of glass,” emphasized DeJonge. “We needed a way to simplify the overwhelming maze of systems students had to navigate. And, along the way, we reduced our tech spend by about half by consolidating our student portal and employee intranet into one platform.”
The college launched “MyAQ” — its Pathify instance — over the summer, capitalizing on the quieter months when students were off campus. The timing allowed the team to focus on configuring widgets, integrating systems and transferring content. “We had breathing room to get everything set up for the following semester,” shared DeJonge. The transition went remarkably smoothly, thanks to Pathify’s training support and intuitive design. “If you can use social media, you can use Pathify,” he added with a smile.
The New “MyAQ”
One of the most impactful improvements in “MyAQ” included the enhanced visibility of campus calendars and events. “Now, students and employees love seeing everything happening on campus — we never had a way to proactively surface this information before,” DeJonge explained. Customizing the dashboard’s interface enabled students and staff to engage with relevant content and tools — another key outcome. Expressed DeJonge, “By specifically segmenting our campus audiences, we communicate with each group most effectively. Now, we deliver tailored information and content across multiple channels so nothing gets missed.”
Further integrating the college’s athletic information, email system and campus map proved invaluable in generating engagement and adoption. “Students and employees manage many administrative tasks — registering for courses, paying their bills, submitting time cards — alongside many important, fun activities keeping our campus vibrant. Pathify helped us integrate systems we hadn’t even considered.”
Navigating Change with Ease
The transition from outdated, siloed systems to Pathify marked a pivotal shift for Aquinas College, delivering both immediate and long-term improvements — streamlining operations while enhancing how students, faculty and staff interact with college resources. As the college continues enhancing “MyAQ,” it’s poised to unlock even more potential, driving innovation and efficiency, while carefully managing costs.
“Pathify offers the flexibility we need in meeting the evolving demands of our campus community,” said DeJonge. “We’re constantly gathering feedback from students and staff to understand their needs and how to address them. The beauty of Pathify lies in its ability to adapt to us, rather than the other way around.” This flexibility plays a key role in helping Aquinas streamline its systems and reduce complexity while preserving the personal, community-focused experience crucial to the college. As the college continues growing, this adaptability ensures it remains nimble — ready to embrace new opportunities with ease.
About Aquinas College
Aquinas College, an inclusive educational community rooted in the Catholic and Dominican traditions, provides a liberal arts education with a global perspective, emphasizes career preparation focused on leadership and service to others, and fosters a commitment to lifelong learning dedicated to the pursuit of truth and the common good. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the College educates a student body of undergraduates and post-graduate students across over 100 areas of study. Learn more at aquinas.edu.
