As a leading provider of higher-education
enterprise portals for colleges and
universities, the company wanted to
provide virtual communities for students
and faculty as well. Privately held
and headquartered in Cambridge, MA,
the company was funded by the Arts
Alliance, Bonsal Capital, Direct Equity
Partners, L.P., Hollinger International,
Inc. and Patricof & Co. Ventures,
Inc.
The company’s campus-specific,
web-based service helps colleges attract
and retain students by enabling them,
faculty and staff to communicate and
participate more fully in campus life.
Over 100 higher education institutions,
representing over 700,000 students,
have committed to using the company’s
ASP service, which interfaces with
a school’s existing IT infrastructure.
Clients include the Columbia University,
Florida International University,
SUNY Oneonta, California State University-Stanislaus,
University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa,
Providence College, Ithaca College,
Union University, and College of DuPage.
CTE was engaged to provide a virtual
student center for them to interact
and collaborate. Further, students
could personalize their pages and
use the on-line student directory
to organize activities around their
special interests, meet other students
who share similar interests, buy and
sell goods and services, and plan
their campus schedules.
CTE conducted an extensive study
of the market to find off-the-shelf
Content Management and Portal product
which could satisfy the product requirements.
The study resulted in the conclusion
that the company’s vision was
much advanced to be fulfilled by existing
third-party products and hence the
need to develop a custom solution. |
