Oakland University Brings Students (and Staff & Alumni!) Closer to Campus Resources

Oakland University (OU) serves as a launchpad for nearly 16,000 students drawn to the university’s pioneering research, tailored learning experiences and industry connections. With a sharp focus on enhancing student engagement and success, Todd Nucci, Director of Marketing and Digital/Web Services, along with Oakland University’s Technical Services Department (UTS), led the charge of creating a more integrated digital student experience. Oakland’s revamped “MySail” portal now unifies the entire OU campus body, transforming campus life into a connected, informed and modern community.

Passing the Torch

After over a decade, Oakland’s legacy portal — built on Ellucian Luminis — needed an upgrade. Limited to desktop access, the system felt cumbersome, difficult to navigate and definitely not aligned with the university’s digital vision. Driven by a commitment to empower students with tools for a more connected, modern experience and to simplify campus life, Oakland University’s Chief Information Officer, Bhavani Koneru, sought a solution to unify the university’s systems and create a more personalized, intuitive experience for all users. Koneru’s team led the project, including Nameeta Dhir, Senior Systems Director, George Varghese, Director of Enterprise Systems, and Nucci.

“The purpose of replacing our legacy portal centered around making it easier for students and staff to manage information related to their academic and professional lives,” Nucci explained. The university underwent a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) process, considering Pathify alongside other vendors like uPortal and Ellucian Experience. In the end, Pathify’s integration capabilities, modern interface and web/mobile parity stood out over the competition.

Embracing a Fresh Chapter

The transition to Pathify’s Engagement Hub allowed Oakland to re-imagine its digital environment. By consolidating a wide range of resources and systems — like Moodle, Handshake and Banner — into one platform, the new “MySail” portal surfaced course materials, events and campus news into one place, eliminating the need to navigate multiple platforms or websites.

Creating a unified digital landing spot enables students to personalize their experience, stay informed and build community, fostering a sense of autonomy and ownership over their campus journey. “Customizing your dashboards and widgets greatly enhances the student experience,” Nucci shared. 

One Portal, Many Uses

To accompany the web-based instance, the Oakland team plans on releasing Pathify’s accompanying mobile application to further streamline the entire campus experience. With full web and mobile parity, students gain immediate access to everything they need across any device, from academic resources to social connections.

The portal prioritizes user-friendliness and accessibility for students, alumni, and faculty alike. “Now, we have a path within the portal for alumni to continue their university experience, receive event information or contribute to the university,” said Nucci. “For faculty, ‘MySail’ consolidates their efforts through courses, grading and ensuring they have a central repository for information,” he added.

Looking Ahead

With the new “MySail” portal, Oakland University aims to expand its connected campus community even further. By centralizing resources and providing an adaptable, accessible interface, the university created experiences to evolve with student, faculty and alumni needs. “We want to continue simplifying access, increasing engagement and improving the overall university experience,” Nucci said. This approach signals Oakland’s commitment to supporting every aspect of campus life as it evolves alongside its students.

The university launched “MySail,” its Pathify instance, in fall 2024.

About Oakland University

Oakland University is a public doctoral research institution in Greater Metro Detroit that promotes a global perspective amid an inclusive, close-knit community. With a $1 billion economic footprint, Oakland is a regional powerhouse with international reach. By forging relationships with hundreds of businesses, including hospitals, Fortune 500 companies, cities, government agencies and educational institutions, OU connects students to their community, career and beyond. To learn more, visit oakland.edu.

At A Glance

  • Student Headcount: 15,768
  • Institution Type: Public university
  • Location: Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan
  • Tech Stack:
    • SIS: Ellucian Banner
    • LMS: Moodle
    • Productivity: Google 
    • Technology consolidated into Pathify: Ellucian Luminis portal