In California’s vast, diverse and ever-changing higher education landscape, three institutions prove digital transformation doesn’t need to be complicated — and modernizing the campus experience for students, faculty and staff can actually be… rewarding? Together, three California community colleges pulled back the curtain on what it looks like to ditch legacy portals, unify disconnected tech and roll out digital experiences campus users enjoy. 

Pathify’s Field Marketing Lead, Loui Atchison, sat down with Dan Watkins, Associate Vice Chancellor at Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD), Thomas Applebay, Director of Administrative Systems at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) and Tara Bias, TRiO Student Development Specialist at Lassen Community College, to explore ways of modernizing the student experience and why each college considers Pathify a true partner to success (their words, not ours!). 

Missed the live event? Watch the recording here — or check out a full recap below.

A Unified Hub for the Entire Campus

Before Pathify, students, faculty and staff across all three institutions juggled a maze of disconnected platforms and hard-to-find resources. Each college needed a better way in — a “front door” to their digital campus for everyone. Pathify provided a unified landing spot where everything lives, tailored to each user and built to scale and shift as campus needs change.

Key Quotes

  • “The biggest push to find a new system came from navigation issues, and with Pathify, we finally landed on a singular pane of glass.” — Dan Watkins, Ventura County Community College District
  • “Unifying our users into one campus platform and campus portal made the user experience better across the board.” — Thomas Applebay, Santa Barbara City College

Engaging Students Through Familiar, Intuitive Design

The days of clunky portals are gone — and they’ve been out of style for a while. With Pathify, each institution replaced outdated systems with intuitive, connected engagement hub that students enjoy using. No more endless clicking through pages or links, hoping to land on the right resource. Everything students (and staff) need now lives in one clean, familiar space — a place they want to log into… even to pay a bill.

Key Quotes

  • “Pathify feels unique and all encompassing — it  looks like the social media platforms students already use and understand.” — Tara Bias, Lassen Community College
  • “Pathify’s tools boosted student participation than ever before.” — Dan Watkins, Ventura County Community College District
  • “Pathify’s Widgets and Flow create a single pane of glass where students easily find what they need — even something as simple as paying a bill. It simplifies the student experience and empowers students (and staff).” — Thomas Applebay, Santa Barbara City College

Set Up for Success, Right from the Start

Quick implementation doesn’t mean cutting corners — all three institutions praised how quickly and smoothly they launched their Pathify instances. With the right training and guidance, rollout remained ahead of schedule, with strong support continuing well beyond launch.

Key Quotes

  • “In my 25 years of doing this, Pathify delivered one of the smoothest, most well-thought-out implementations I’ve ever experienced.” — Dan Watkins, Associate Vice Chancellor, IT, Ventura County Community College District
  • “Implementation went so well, everything clicked. We got up and running before our start date.” — Tara Bias, TRIO Student Development Specialist, Lassen Community College

A True Partnership, Not Just a Platform

From day one, Pathify proved itself as more than a vendor. Watkins, Applebay and Bias all highlighted the ongoing collaboration and responsiveness — consistent check-ins, quick support responses and a product roadmap shaped by campus feedback. With a real partner, all three colleges felt seen, heard and supported every step of the way.

Key Quotes

  • “Pathify cares about their customers, rather than just trying to meet their quotas.” — Thomas Applebay, Director, Administrative Systems, Santa Barbara City College
  • “When Pathify says they’re going to help you through all of it — they mean it. I do not believe another company on Earth will walk you through something the way Pathify does.” — Tara Bias, TRIO Student Development Specialist, Lassen Community College
  • “I can’t underscore the value of a true partner who understands [the notion that] your success mirrors their success.” — Dan Watkins, Associate Vice Chancellor, IT, Ventura County Community College District
  • “Pathify continues building a relationship with Santa Barbara College, they scheduled monthly meetings, and they’re happy to meet any time we want.” — Thomas Applebay, Director, Administrative Systems, Santa Barbara City College

Future-Ready Innovation

Each community college brought its own set of goals, challenges and tech stacks — and Pathify flexed to meet them all. With customizable features, ongoing innovation and updates, Pathify-powered portals continue growing with each college’s vision.

Key Quotes

  • “Pathify fits any need because it’s customizable. If something doesn’t exist, you build it to fit your needs. Pathify continues answering our problems. The nonstop innovation constantly amazes us.”  — Tara Bias, TRIO Student Development Specialist, Lassen Community College
  • “Leveraging Pathify’s innovation has been a huge win — even helping increase engagement in student elections — a critical area for us.”  — Dan Watkins, Associate Vice Chancellor, IT, Ventura County Community College District

A Unicorn of a Portal: No Pain with Pathify

After ditching outdated systems, each college walked away with a complete reimagining of how their campuses communicate, connect and engage. With simpler workflows and more productive students, both Watkins, Applebay and Bias walk a clearer digital path forward.

Key Quotes

  • “Just go with Pathify. You won’t feel disappointed. The pain [from other portals] faded, now it’s just bright horizons.” — Tara Bias, TRIO Student Development Specialist, Lassen Community College
  • “Pathify stands out as a true unicorn of a company. As long as they stay the partner they’ve become — they’ve got a fan for life.” — Dan Watkins, Associate Vice Chancellor, IT, Ventura County Community College District
  • “No more complaints surfaced about our portal since implementing Pathify. The pain once tied to our old system completely faded.” — Dan Watkins, Associate Vice Chancellor, IT, Ventura County Community College District

Want the full experience? Watch the replay of our conversation with Dan, Tara and Thomas here.