August 2007

St. Francis Xavier University, Canada's #1 Undergraduate University continues its tradition of Innovation and Leadership with Digital Recruit from Azorus Inc.

zorus Inc., a Halifax based software and services firm focused exclusively on the higher education market today announced that St. Francis Xavier University (StFX), located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, has signed an agreement to deploy the Azorus Digital Recruit solution to assist the university with its upcoming recruiting campaign.

Digital Recruit is a highly innovative solution developed by Azorus that utilizes a Digital Pen and a specialized paper form that captures student information at University Fairs and during high school visits. The Digital Recruit system selected by StFX is linked to the Azorus Customer Relationship Management (CRM) suite of tools that engages students instantly with personalized emails and communications from the university.

StFX is only the second university in North America to leverage this highly innovative solution from Azorus with the other institution being Ryerson University of Toronto. Robb Parker, Director of Admissions at StFX played a major role in the selection of this solution from Azorus. “The collection of student information for universities and colleges during high school visits has been the same way for decades. Students fill out an inquiry card which then must be manually entered into a database at which point we would then send that student an information package. It is slow, inefficient and clearly does not meet the needs of today's web savvy students. Digital Recruit eliminates manual data entry entirely… each Digital Pen holds several hundred student records and once the recruiter connects to the Internet the data is uploaded to the Azorus CRM system at which point we instantly connect with students via email. We can then engage the student and send them personalized information… one of the most important aspects of recruiting today's students”.

This award winning solution from Azorus really addresses a sore point for Universities and Colleges. “Today's students are the most technologically advanced and demanding students in history. They expect instantaneous responses and more importantly, responses that are personalized to their interests and needs”, states Stephen MacDonald, CEO for Azorus. “Technology is the only way to address these demands and we have found the right combination that still allows a student to fill out an inquiry card but all of the information is immediately digitized. Some universities we talk to say that by the time the traditional inquiry card has been filled out by a student, it could be weeks before that student receives anything from the institution. Clearly an unacceptable timeline if you are 17 years old and thinking about university.” The Digital Recruit solution addresses three primary business issues; it automates a typically manual business process, it can save time and money for the university and it definitely increases student satisfaction providing the university with a competitive edge.

StFX has been Canada's #1 primarily undergraduate University for the last 5 years as ranked by Maclean's magazine. According to the Maclean's magazine rankings, the work to strengthen the University's attraction is receiving national recognition. StFX leads its category in entering averages, national reputation, and alumni support. Indeed, StFX has enjoyed the highest percentage of alumni support for all universities in Canada for the past 6 years.

Azorus is committed to working with higher education institutions in the area of student prospect management. The company continues to expand its presence in the United States, Canada and most recently in the UK & Europe.

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