Towson University's journey from traditional filing cabinets to a unified digital case management system showcases the power of dedicated support, a caring university team, and thoughtful implementation.
The Challenge: Managing Complex Cases Across Multiple Systems
When Joshua “Josh” Hayes, Assistant Vice President of Equity Compliance, joined Towson University's Office of Equity Compliance (OEC) team, he brought over 18 years of higher education experience. However, coming from a "pen, paper, and filing cabinet" background, Josh faced the daunting task of learning an entirely new way of managing sensitive Title IX, hate/bias, and discrimination cases in 9 ½ months.
The university was operating with a fragmented approach, using two separate systems simultaneously: the Advocate system for student matters and the GME model for faculty and staff issues. This dual-system approach created significant challenges:
The Transformation: A Unified Approach
The turning point came when one of Symplicity's client managers, Dennis, made an on-site visit to Towson University. What began as a training session evolved into a comprehensive system overhaul that would fundamentally change how the university managed its cases.
Streamlining to a Single System
Dennis worked closely with the Towson team to consolidate their operations into a single GME system, eliminating the need to juggle multiple platforms. As Anthony Davis, Title IX Coordinator and Civil Rights Investigator, explained: "We went from using two systems to using one, which made everything very simple within our workflow."
This consolidation required careful planning and thoughtful implementation. The team had to rebuild their GME configuration from scratch, ensuring that every detail was properly configured for their specific needs. Dennis completed this complex project in just three to four days on campus—a testament to both his expertise and the system's flexibility.
Kathy Peters, ADA Coordinator and Civil Rights Investigator, commented on the transformation impact:
"Having Dennis come in and help us understand and fully utilize the GME portion of Symplicity for all of our needs was really a game changer for us. We were paying for a module that we weren't using, and now I use that to capture accommodations and things like that."
Kathy Peters
ADA Coordinator and Civil Rights Investigator, The University of Arizona
Expanding Impact Beyond Compliance
The success of the system overhaul had ripple effects throughout the university. In addition to ADA accommodations, HR was considering utilizing GME for their employee relations investigations. Proper firewalls were established to maintain appropriate privacy and access controls between departments.
Key Success Factors
Throughout their journey, the Towson OEC team consistently praised the responsiveness and dedication of their Symplicity representatives—Dennis, Michelley, and Caydn. Josh Hayes noted: "They always respond very quickly. There are times where I've emailed asking questions or requesting a Zoom call, and I feel like they respond within seconds."
This level of support was particularly crucial for Josh, who was learning Symplicity’s case management software for the first time. "Dennis, Michelley, and Cadyn never made me feel that I was less than, or as if I needed to take extra classes," he reflected.
The team discovered and leveraged several key features that streamlined their daily operations:
Working with Dennis, the team completely revamped their incident report forms, making them more accessible and user-friendly. The new forms:
Measurable Outcomes
The transformation yielded several concrete improvements:
Ongoing Partnership and Future Opportunities
The relationship between Towson University and Symplicity continues to evolve, with the team regularly communicating enhancement requests and feedback. Recent successes include Cadyn resolving a long-standing issue with student information population, demonstrating the ongoing commitment to customer success.
Josh Hayes captured the overall sentiment: "We have a dedicated rep, and not all companies do that. That's what I really appreciate about Symplicity—that we have a dedicated rep not just for us, but for our student affairs as well."
Looking Forward
While celebrating their successes, the Towson team continues to identify opportunities for growth and is working with the Symplicity team on these enhancements, including:
Their openness to continuous improvement, combined with Symplicity's responsive support model, positions Towson University for continued success in managing their critical compliance and student affairs cases.
Towson University's transformation, under the leadership of Patricia Bradley, JD, LLM, MPA (Vice-President - Inclusion and Institutional Equity), from paper-based processes to a unified digital case management system demonstrates how the right combination of technology and support can revolutionize operations while maintaining the human touch that's essential in sensitive student affairs work.