1. Groningen Declaration Meeting 2016 Cape Town, South Africa
The Fundamental Key to Global Interoperability: An International School Code List
Presenter: W. Matthew Bemis, Associate Registrar
University of Southern California
Moderator: Janie Barnett, Associate Executive Director
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

2. Presentation Overview
Making the Business Case for an International School Code List
A look into how USC has re-engineered the way in which International students provide verification of credentials and diploma information for prior learning instances
A view into the life of a NACES member who is actively sending electronic data through the use of open standards and available networks
Why this example illustrates the need for a School Code List, and why this is something that must be built by our community, for our community, and within our community.
PESC Global Data Mobility User Group and its mission to drive the creation of this working School Code List
Guiding principles
Considerations for management, maintenance, and governance
How we get this started NOW!

3. Background at USC
USC is the largest provider of postsecondary education to the international students studying in the United States -- More than 10,000 international students attend USC each year
75% study at the graduate level
Each graduate level student MUST have their credentials verified in order to study beyond one semester at USC
International student credentials are verified from more than 900 institutions
Difficulty in School identification in the admissions process continues to create overhead in data management

5. The 2012 International Degree Verification Project
Decision to outsource the Degree Verification function
Concern over document fraud
Lack of in-house expertise
Wanted to improve service provided to our students
Evolving the method of Evaluation results into a consumable electronic medium – began this process early on with our vendor
Began developing EDX data exchange with Vendor
Identified PESC Standards
Registered with the SPEEDE Server
Provided “USC” index of international School IDs (manufactured set of IDs)
Began sending/receiving EDI TS130,TS131 transaction sets

6. A Snapshot of the Student Experience on Graduate International Orientation Day

7. Began Exchanging EDI data in early 2013
International Education Research Foundation (IERF) was our vendor choice for degree verification services
IERF quickly developed in-house expertise needed to generate EDI transaction sets
Registered with the server as IERF but sends credentials verification as ‘override institution’ identifiers
USC and IERF have been wildly successful with its exchange – More than 2600 degree verification transactions completed in 2015
Why the international school code sets (900+) used by USC and IERF only work for a single school – USC
Most schools in North America create their own code sets for International institutions

8. Growth of International Graduate Applications for Fall Terms

9. IERF Feedback one year out from EDI launch
“USC has teamed up with IERF to co-develop an exchange of information through the SPEEDE server. This offering has been instrumental in enhancing our customer service to our applicants, in that the information that is being relayed is immediate and specific to the fields in USC’s System” Susan Bedil, Executive Director, IERF

10. Manufactured School Code Lists
Why most schools in North America create their own international school code IDs
How the lack of standardized code sets inhibits vendors like IERF from being effective in its delivery of services
Even standardized code sets have their issues
OPEID, NCHELPID, IPEDS, ATP, FICE, ACT, CCD, PSS, CEEBACT, CSIS, USIS, ESIS, PSIS, DUNS, APAS
USC has built more than 2000 ‘manufactured’ school IDs to accommodate internal processing needs.
2000 x 4000 North American institutions: 8,000,000 IDs have no value to anyone other than its authors

11. The PESC Global Data Mobility User Group and its Mission to Create an International School Code List
Guiding principles:
A pragmatic approach to getting this initiative launched
Non-competitive in nature
Formations of standardized school IDs provided by relevant parties
Establishment of governance that will work into the future
Inclusive group with broad representation
Start small and build out
Integration into existing standards vs. creation of new standards

12. How we can get started NOW!
GDM Workgroup charge, scope, and execution
Gathering working lists of standardized school IDs from authorizing parties
Who in attendance at Groningen 2016 can help with this data campaign?
Recommendations and support from the community stakeholders to get this effort moving

13. Questions?