MyJU Dashboard Wins National Honor for Innovation in Higher Ed Technology

Jacksonville University was recently recognized by Ellucian, a leading provider of higher education technology, as a winner in the 2026 Experience Idol award program for Best Dashboard. Experience Idol is an annual program celebrating institutions using the Ellucian platform to deliver innovative, data-driven experiences that improve outcomes for students, faculty and staff.

Accepting the award was JU's Senior Application Engineer Sammy Jean. Jean has been with JU for two years and has worked tirelessly with the IT team to build a dashboard system that felt like the University, built specifically and intentionally with students in mind. The award marks a tremendous accomplishment and a wonderful recognition of his innovation and impact at JU.

"I wanted every card, every link, every interaction to feel cohesive and familiar," said Jean. "We went from a dashboard people avoided, to one they can rely on every single day. The culture here is one that refuses to stop at 'good enough.' That mindset is what makes JU special. People here care about the details, the student experience, and they're willing to put in the work to get it right. It's the JU way!"

The Experience Idol program invites institutions and partners to design and deliver impactful solutions using capabilities within the platform, including central workspace, reporting and analytics, workflow automation, low-code integrations and AI-powered experiences. Finalists are selected based on creativity, measurable impact, and effective use of platform capabilities to improve outcomes for students, faculty and staff.

"Sammy set his sights on building something better for JU. Not just a better dashboard, but a better daily experience for every student, faculty member and staff member who logs in to MyJU," said Jacksonville University Director of Academic Technology Dee Thornton. "This award is a reflection of his talent, his attention to detail and his genuine care for the people this technology serves. We are incredibly proud of Sammy and the entire team whose collaboration made this possible."

The award also includes a $5,000 scholarship for a Jacksonville University student for the fall 2026 semester. Jean and his team are in the process of selecting that student. The scholarship reflects exactly what this project has always been about: JU's commitment to student success.

"Every design decision, every card built, was focused on improving the student experience," said Jean. "Seeing that work recognized and translated into direct support for a JU student feels like the perfect outcome."