University of Findlay Evolves Housing Processes Through a Strategic Move to StarRez

Legacy Limitations and the Need to Evolve 

For several years, the University of Findlay used THD Housing software and benefited from its reliability and responsive support. Director of Housing & Residence Life, Shari Hellman, appreciated the attention she received from THD and was initially overwhelmed by StarRez’s breadth of functionality. 

StarRez, already known for its innovation and configurability, emerged as the right solution to meet Findlay’s evolving goals. And what initially felt overwhelming quickly became manageable with the right approach and support. 

“As a small school used to smaller-scale software, StarRez initially felt a bit intimidating. It was more robust and elaborate than what we were used to.” 

- Shari Hellman, Director of Housing and Residence Life, University of Findlay 

Attending StarRez Connect conferences and speaking with other StarRez users helped her see the platform’s flexibility. It presented an opportunity to find efficiencies and improve the student experience.

Embracing Flexibility and Restructuring Processes

Once committed to the transition, Findlay used the StarRez implementation as a chance to simplify and improve outdated processes rather than replicate them. 

Rethinking Room Selection with StarRez 

Under THD, room selection was linear and limited to ranking preferred buildings. With StarRez, Hellman redesigned the system to allow new students to select specific rooms, giving them greater choice and reducing uncertainty. 

“Now they can pick the actual room in the specific wing, or floor, and so we received fewer room change requests because they picked the exact room they wanted.” 

- Shari Hellman, Director of Housing and Residence Life, University of Findlay 

This shift translated into a dramatic drop in summer room‑change requests, from roughly one‑third of students to about one‑quarter, or even less. 

Enhanced Housing Waitlists with StarRez 

StarRez allowed for more nuanced waitlists, enabling students to specify not just that they wanted a room, but exactly what kind of room they preferred (e.g., floor level, room type). This clarity helped reduce confusion and improved housing alignment. 

“Our new waitlists allow students to specify exactly the kind of room they desire, saving us time and improving the student experience.” 

- Shari Hellman, Director of Housing and Residence Life, University of Findlay 

StarRez’s Customizable Student Portal 

The StarRez portal gave Hellman unprecedented control over what students see and when, allowing her to hide or publish information with a simple toggle - no copy‑paste or document management required. 

“When I don’t want students to see something, I can just turn it off in StarRez and it’s still there when I want to use it again next semester, or next year.” 

- Shari Hellman, Director of Housing and Residence Life, University of Findlay 

Students appreciated the intuitive portal experience, and the Housing team saw fewer emails as more information was centralized online. 

Time Savings Through Automation 

One of the most impactful benefits was automating residency verification letters. Previously, staff drafted these manually, about 10 minutes per letter. Now, students generate them directly via the portal, saving time for both students and staff. “I learned this at Global Connect, and once I built it, students can access it themselves, at any time,” said Hellman.

While precise usage metrics are still emerging, the team estimates this saves significant administrative time each academic year. 

Ongoing Improvements and Future Plans

Findlay purchased the Programs & Interactions tools with their initial StarRez implementation and plans to roll them out in the spring. The team is taking a thoughtful, phased approach: 

“We focused on implementation and building out the first year; now that we're in the second year, we are working on further process improvements. Having a plan alleviated some of the stress.” 

- Shari Hellman, Director of Housing and Residence Life, University of Findlay 

Hellman also leverages resources like StarRez Office Hours and documentation regularly, using them to expand her knowledge and maintain a living “wish list” of enhancements. 

“Sometimes during the StarRez office hours Q&A, when you ask a question, you get one-on-one help.”

- Shari Hellman, Director of Housing and Residence Life, University of Findlay 

Lessons for Small Institutions: Lean In and Learn

The University of Findlay’s success demonstrates that even smaller institutions can thrive with flexible housing systems like StarRez. Key takeaways from Hellman’s experience: 

• Embrace learning resources: Webinars, office hours, and peer insights accelerate mastery. 

• Document processes thoroughly: SOPs help institutionalize knowledge and build continuity. 

• Pace improvements: Setting realistic goals over multiple years reduces stress and increases adoption. 

• Put students first: Giving students choice and autonomy improves satisfaction and reduces administrative burdens. 

Findlay’s journey is a powerful case study for smaller institutions considering a transition: initial intimidation can give way to enhanced control, efficiency, and student empowerment.

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