Flagler College: A Case Study in Resilience and Partnership
Tracking the journey to a successful Salesforce Admissions Connect launch.
“Finding that right relationship fit…It’s everything.”
Author’s Note
This case study is written differently from the standard “problem/solution/impact” template. Flagler College’s journey with the Salesforce Admissions module wasn’t a straight line — and we wanted to capture that honestly.
Deborah and the Flagler team were already committed to the Salesforce platform, but were critically let down by a partner who dismissed their concerns repeatedly and didn’t know admissions workflows.
What follows is not a polished vendor story, but an authentic account of how a small liberal arts college confronted the reality of a failed implementation and made the difficult decision to start over, this time with a non-negotiable requirement for a true partnership.
The details are candid because that’s how real transformation looks.
Summary
Seven months into a critical Salesforce implementation, Flagler College's admissions team faced a failed project with their launch deadline weeks away. Their concerns had been dismissed by their vendor, forcing them to scrap the project and revert to their old system for another year. The experience revealed a non-negotiable requirement for their next search: a partner who already understood the high-stakes nature of admissions operations from day one.
Introduction to Flagler
Flagler College is a private liberal arts college located in St. Augustine, Florida, with around 2,500 students. Known for its historic campus and personalized learning experience, the institution competes with larger universities across Florida—and must make every interaction count to stand out. With a lean admissions operations team, Flagler needed systems that could do more with less.
With a lean admissions operations team, Flagler needed systems that could do more with less. Like many institutions its size, it faces the intense pressures of a looming enrollment cliff and the need to prove its value to a new generation of students, making a seamless and personal recruitment experience a mission-critical imperative.
“Reporting was broken, we didn’t have dashboards, and things just weren’t being updated.”
The High-Stakes Setback
For Flagler College, the stakes couldn't have been higher. A campus-wide mainframe change had forced a mandatory move from Salesforce EDA to Salesforce Education Cloud for their admissions team. After extensive due diligence, they vetted and chose an implementation partner, believing they were on a clear path forward.
Seven months later, with their critical August 1st application launch looming, they faced a devastating reality: the project was a failure.
"We were getting ready to launch, and I said, we can't launch because this isn't ready," Deborah, Flagler’s VP of Enrollment, recalls. "During the entire process, when we would bring forward concerns... it was like, don't worry your pretty little head about that. Our concerns were just silenced and dismissed over and over."
With the entire enrollment cycle on the line, the team made a painful but necessary decision. They swallowed their pride, reverted to their old system for another full year, and went back to the drawing board. It was a moment of defeat that would ultimately lead them back to the vendor vetting process once again.
A Philosophy of Lifelong Relationships
Unlike institutions chasing massive application numbers, Flagler’s approach is fundamentally different. Their mission is not transactional; it’s relational.
“We are not an institution that tries to get tens of thousands of applications so that we can deny people,” Deborah explains. “We are focused on getting the right students to apply. This is a lifetime relationship we're trying to cultivate. We don't want somebody to say yes for a semester or a year. We want a lifelong relationship with them.”
This philosophy demanded a platform that could do more than just manage data—it needed to serve as a centralized communication record. The team needed a single source of truth to track every touchpoint with thousands of students, parents, and counselors, ensuring every conversation was personal and informed. It’s why, despite evaluating other systems like Slate, they remained committed to the Salesforce platform. The capabilities were there; they just needed a partner who could unlock them.
Student engagement on Flagler campus
The Tondro Difference: Partnership Over Prescription
After the initial failure, the Flagler team was wary. The search for a new partner was defined by a search for trust, deep industry knowledge, and a genuine sense of collaboration.
“What I really appreciate about Tondro is that you... understand higher education enrollment and recruitment so well,” Deborah states. “We’re not explaining our business to you.”
That sector-specific expertise was the critical missing piece. The Tondro team didn't just offer a technical solution; they provided a partnership grounded in a shared understanding of the high-stakes world of college admissions. There was no condescension or dismissal—only a collaborative focus on solving the problem and meeting the deadline.
The other factor was Tondro’s proven process: it started with an Envision session designed not just to map current-state workflows, but to challenge assumptions, identify friction points, and reimagine a future-state student journey. From there, the Tondro team co-developed a right-sized roadmap that balanced technical realities with institutional readiness—helping Flagler achieve clarity, confidence, and a clean launch.
“What I appreciate is that it doesn’t end at go-live,” Deborah adds. “Salesforce gives us the flexibility to evolve, and Tondro is right there as we keep improving. It’s not one-and-done—it’s iterative, and we grow together.”
The result was a successful implementation of Salesforce Education Cloud Recruiting and Admissions module that empowered the Flagler team to finally realize their vision.
“I didn’t have to explain what admissions ops is. They got it, and then they fixed it.”
Why It Matters
For Flagler College, the journey to a modern admissions platform was about more than technology. It was about resilience. It was a validation of their student-centric philosophy and a testament to the transformative power of a true partnership.
With a trusted system and a trusted partner, the admissions team can now operate with the confidence and efficiency their mission requires. They can trust their data, personalize their outreach at scale, and focus on what they do best: building the lifelong relationships that define the Flagler experience.
As Deborah puts it, the technology is crucial, but the relationship is everything. The real transformation wasn't just in the platform; it was in finding a partner who had their back.
“This is what it looks like when systems actually help you do your job better.”
Resources:
Request the detailed Recruiting and Admissions Salesforce Implementation Guide
Salesforce-as-SIS (Student Information System)
Watch the SFBU Case Study Video
Read the SFBU Case Story
Schedule a 60-minute SIS demo