President Comerford,

This page was built for Otterbein. It is a short outside read on the University’s technology and operating model, prepared by CampusWorks + Dynamic Campus from public information.

Otterbein has evolved considerably since 2011, when the University entered its application hosting and management arrangement with Ellucian. Fifteen years is a long time in higher education and technology — and a natural interval for asking whether an operating model established then still fits the institution today.

Three things caught our attention.

1. A long-running model can perform well and still deserve a fresh look. Longevity is not evidence that a model is wrong. It is simply a reason to ask whether the scope, service expectations, and capacity assumptions established years ago still align with Otterbein’s current priorities and future direction.
2. The operating model should be evaluated against the institution Otterbein is now. Higher education, technology, security, data, and student-service expectations have all changed materially since 2011. The useful question is whether the current arrangement has evolved at the same pace — and whether it gives Otterbein the flexibility it now needs.
3. Independent perspective can clarify what should be preserved and what may need to change. A mature relationship accumulates practices, responsibilities, and workarounds that are not always visible in a contract. An outside baseline can help leadership understand the model as it actually operates today rather than as it was originally scoped.

Why Otterbein. Why now.

1. The arrangement has been in place for fifteen years. That makes this a natural moment to revisit scope, ownership, and service expectations deliberately.
2. Institutional priorities and operating conditions have changed. The model should be judged against today’s needs rather than the environment in which it began.
3. Future managed services decisions are approaching. The best time to understand alternatives is before continuity becomes the default simply because the next decision arrives.

This is a useful moment to step back because the evaluation is most valuable while important choices are still open — before the next operating model becomes the default.

What you can expect from a Different Perspective evaluation

CampusWorks + Dynamic Campus will provide a complimentary Different Perspective evaluation that will result in a concise, executive-level assessment designed to help you better understand the current IT environment, identify opportunities for improvement, and determine if your current IT managed services model is built for where your institution is headed.

Deliverables include:

• Key observations, findings, and recommendations emerging from the assessment.
• SWOT analysis identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks within the current IT environment.
• Quick wins and areas for growth highlighting opportunities for near-term improvement as well as areas requiring longer-term attention.
• High-level strategies and forward-looking options, including a 12–18-month recommendation roadmap to help guide sequencing and next steps.
• Core systems analysis covering the institution’s ERP, SIS, CRM, and related platforms.
• Initial maturity assessment of operational practices, governance, AI maturity, and cybersecurity posture.
• Prioritized themes for improvement or change identifying the areas that warrant the greatest attention, investment, or further exploration.

Before Otterbein commits to another term, get a different perspective.

No proposal. No obligation. No requirement to change providers. No commitment of any kind.

Just an independent perspective on what the current model delivers, what the institution needs next, and whether those two things are still aligned.

Why CampusWorks + Dynamic Campus?

Because managed services should evolve with the institution. CampusWorks + Dynamic Campus bring together deep IT and functional expertise to deliver one of higher education’s most comprehensive managed services models. Our integrated approach is designed for today’s financial, operational, workforce, and technology realities — helping institutions extend capacity, reduce risk, strengthen resilience, and improve the way work gets done across the enterprise.

More importantly, we help institutions look beyond the status quo. With expertise that extends well beyond technology alone, we provide the perspective, flexibility, and support needed to choose an operating model aligned with where the institution is headed next.