Meet the Client
The University of Mary Washington is a public liberal arts university in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908, UMW serves approximately 4,400 students across undergraduate and graduate programs. Known for its strong liberal arts education and commitment to public service, the university has seen steady growth in applications year over year. By 2014, the admissions office was processing 5,000 undergraduate applications annually, with more than 300 applications arriving daily during peak season.
About our Client
CLIENT NAME:
POPULATION:
est. 3,800 students
SOLUTIONS:
Daily Detour: Paper Chaos, Lost Files, Frustrated Students
Picture this: applications arriving by mail, email, and online portals. Staff printing everything. Stuffing manila folders. Sorting through piles to find missing documents. Then carrying those folders from desk to desk for reviews. That was reality at UMW.
Students called constantly. They wanted to know if their transcripts arrived. If their recommendation letters made it. If anything was missing. Front desk staff couldn’t answer because documents were buried in someone’s office or lost in transit between reviewers.
Processing a single application took an entire month. Managers couldn’t review files remotely. Everything required physical presence, physical folders, physical signatures. The volume kept growing, but the manual process couldn’t scale. Something had to change.
The paper-based system created a customer service nightmare. Files went missing. Reviews stalled when managers traveled. Students received acceptance letters weeks after other schools responded. UMW needed to compete with universities that offered faster decisions and better communication.
The Solution: Intelligent Automation Replaces the Paper Chase
UMW partnered with MCCi, a leading Laserfiche solution provider, to digitize and automate their entire admissions process. The solution wasn’t about replacing people. It was about freeing them from busywork so they could focus on evaluating candidates.
Here’s how it works now:
Applications from Common Application and CollegeNET automatically load into the Banner student information system. Laserfiche captures PDF documents and routes them to individual student folders. When orphan documents arrive by mail, staff scan them once and the system knows exactly where they belong.
The workflow manages itself. Once a file is complete, Banner updates automatically. Laserfiche Workflow moves the folder to the Verification queue. Processing staff review for completeness and assign applications to territory managers based on student addresses.
Territory managers perform first reviews from anywhere. They add comments directly in the metadata. No printing required. If a second opinion is needed, the system routes the application automatically. When reviewers agree, the decision phase begins. If they disagree, a third review happens without anyone having to track it manually.
After decisions are made, the processor records everything in Banner and generates decision letters through Microsoft and SharePoint. Offer packets get assembled and mailed. Students receive notifications. The entire process runs smoothly, even during peak season.
MCCi provided Laserfiche training to ensure staff could use the new system confidently. Ongoing Laserfiche support meant technical questions got answered quickly. As a trusted Laserfiche partner, MCCi customized the workflow to match UMW’s specific needs rather than forcing the university into a generic template.
The implementation focused on making staff lives easier. Processing employees no longer spend hours searching for documents. Managers review applications on their own schedules. IT doesn’t field constant requests for file locations. Everyone can see application status in real time.
The Results: 90% Faster, 100% Visible, Zero Lost Files
New application processing time dropped from one month to 2-3 days. That’s a 90% reduction in processing time.
Students now view their application status online anytime. They see which documents arrived and what’s still missing. Phone calls to the front desk dropped dramatically. When students do call, staff can answer questions immediately because information is accessible.
Territory managers review applications from coffee shops, airports, or home offices. They’re not tied to physical files or campus locations. This flexibility means reviews happen faster and managers maintain better work-life balance.
The transparency benefits everyone. Students know where they stand. Staff know what needs attention. Managers can spot bottlenecks before they become problems. Laserfiche customer support helped UMW continuously improve their workflows as needs evolved.
Files never go missing anymore. Every document is tracked, time-stamped, and accessible. Audit trails show exactly who reviewed what and when. Compliance is simple. Reporting is automatic.
UMW now competes effectively with universities that have larger admissions staffs. They respond to prospective students faster. They deliver better service. They process growing application volumes without adding headcount. The investment in Laserfiche paid for itself through efficiency gains and improved student satisfaction.