Case Study: Wilkes University achieves cost savings and strategic IT focus with Ellucian Cloud

Is cloud the cost-conscious choice for smaller institutions

Wilkes University, a small private institution in Pennsylvania serving about 2,500 undergraduates and 1,500 graduate students, re-evaluated its IT model in 2014 to decide between on‑premise hosting and continuing cloud services. Having previously relied on Ellucian to host and manage its applications (including private hosting and later Ellucian Cloud/Managed Services), the university assessed infrastructure, staffing, and security costs to determine the most cost‑effective and strategic approach.

Wilkes chose to keep core systems in the cloud with Ellucian, citing monthly hosting costs far lower than the capital and staffing expense of rebuilding an on‑campus operation, and better security and disaster recovery than they could replicate. With Ellucian handling hosting and maintenance, Wilkes’ internal IT team shifted to strategic campus support—appointing a dedicated report writer, focusing on ERP upgrades and user communication—and achieved greater operational efficiency and risk reduction while maintaining the ability to customize where needed.

Wilkes University

Gerald Korea

Director, Administrative/Enterprise Services