Harrison College Launches New Mobile App to Ease Enrollment and Increase Student Engagement

Indianapolis – October 1, 2015 – More than 97 percent of college students own a cell phone1, and the average smartphone user downloads three mobile applications (apps) per month2. Students also increasingly use their mobile devices for education including research, email, event notifications and interacting with instructors and peers.

To ease the college enrollment process and to assist with student engagement and retention, Harrison College, a nationally accredited, career-focused higher education institution serving more than 3,000 students, launched a free mobile app that gives both current and prospective students greater access to the school’s resources.

Harrison collaborated with Fishers, Ind., based mobile partner Bluebridge to create the app, available now for both iPhone and Android platforms.

The Harrison College App allows prospective students to complete the application process, order transcripts, take entrance and placement exams, receive class schedules, order textbooks and more, meeting today’s student where they are most frequently: on their mobile device. A campus section of the app includes Harrison’s 13 locations (including The Chef’s Academy’s two locations in Indianapolis and Raleigh, N.C.), helping interested students navigate to their nearest campus based on their geographic location, with turn-by-turn directions. Each campus link also includes campus contact information and interaction with the campus’ social media accounts.

For current students, the app provides 24/7 access to their Harrison email account, Harrison’s online learning management system, student support services, the library and more, keeping the most critical student success functions at their fingertips.

“The Harrison faculty and staff pride themselves on Harrison’s unparalleled personal level of support,” said Dr. James (Jim) D. Hutton, president and CEO of Harrison College. “Yet we want to meet our students where they are, which, for many of us nowadays is our mobile device of choice.

“At this year’s Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU) Convention, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich quoted Carly Fiorina in saying ‘the future of education is digital, mobile, virtual and personal.’ At Harrison, we believe that future is now. By providing both prospective and current students with this mobile app, we aim to keep Harrison’s important student resources readily available day and night, improving their student experience and helping them to complete their educational journey.”

“Many of our students are taking classes while also balancing jobs and families, so the more tools we give them to stay engaged and informed, the more likely they are to succeed,” said Dr. Hutton.

The app also features student success videos, push notifications, and links to frequently asked questions.