How Cloud County Community College Streamlined Scholarship Management and Reclaimed Time with AwardSpring

For institutions serving rural and expansive regions, efficiency in operations isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Cloud County Community College (CCCC), located in Concordia, Kansas, is no exception. With a 12-county service area spanning more than 9,000 square miles, CCCC needed a better way to manage its growing scholarship program without overburdening its small foundation team.

The Challenge: Manual Systems Slowing Progress

Before implementing AwardSpring, CCCC used an internal, custom-built application developed by their IT team. While it helped centralize applications, the process remained heavily manual. Staff were spending far too much time sorting through submissions, verifying eligibility, and juggling communications across departments and donors. The inefficiency limited the college’s capacity to focus on long-term growth initiatives and larger-scale fundraising efforts.

The Turning Point: Investing in Smart Technology

In 2014, CCCC adopted AwardSpring’s scholarship management platform, looking to eliminate manual work and improve the student and staff experience. The platform's intuitive design and automated workflows replaced tedious tasks with a streamlined, centralized process. For a team of just three managing everything from alumni relations to donor outreach, the time savings were immediate and significant.

The Results: Efficiency That Pays Off

Since making the switch, CCCC has reported dramatic improvements in both operational efficiency and staff capacity. The foundation team can now devote more attention to donor engagement, campus initiatives, and student outreach—all while managing the scholarship process more effectively.

“Spending money on technology to make our lives a little bit easier has more than paid for itself,” – Heather Gennette, Foundation Executive Director, CCCC

With less time spent on administrative tasks, the college has been able to invest energy into projects that enhance the student experience and support long-term development goals.

A Model for Small Institutions

Cloud County Community College’s success with AwardSpring highlights a key insight for similarly sized institutions: you don’t need a large team to run a high-impact scholarship program—you just need the right tools. By simplifying the application, review, and awarding process, AwardSpring enables colleges like CCCC to do more with less, supporting students, staff, and donors with greater ease and impact.