Sacramento State's Innovative Approach to Community Management with StarRez

Sacramento State is leading the way in innovative housing operations by fully leveraging the StarRez Community Management Solution to streamline both program management and contributions/interactions tracking. Through the strategic use of the Programs Management and Resident Contributions features—core components of the Community Management Solution—the University has transformed how staff plan, execute, and evaluate student engagement. Adam Dowrie, Associate Director for Organization and Planning at Sacramento State, has become a recognized voice in the StarRez community, sharing best practices and efficient workflows through webinars and sessions at the StarRez Global Connect Users Conference. Let’s dive into how Sacramento State continues to set the standard for effective community management in higher education housing.

How Sacramento State Uses the StarRez Programming Module to Drive Efficiency and Data-Driven Engagement

At Sacramento State, the StarRez Programs Management feature plays a pivotal role in how the University Housing Services department plans, executes, and measures the impact of student programs. In a StarRez community webinar, Dowrie shared how his team has strategically implemented the Programs feature to centralize operations, streamline workflows, and uncover meaningful insights from resident engagement data.

From Fragmentation to Centralization

Before adopting the StarRez Programs Management feature in 2017, program tracking at Sac State was decentralized and inconsistent. Staff relied on a mix of tools—Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, emails, and even paper—to manage events and attendance. Dowrie described this manual approach as “a hodgepodge,” making it difficult to measure the impact of programming efforts.

The introduction of the StarRez Programs Management feature within the Community Management Solution offered a standardized and more efficient workflow. Initially used for staff training, it wasn’t until 2020 that Sacramento State began utilizing the module fully for resident programming. This shift marked a turning point.  

“The programming feature has been really great for staff, for residents, for getting a fuller picture of resident engagement.” ‍

- Adam Dowrie, Associate Director for Organization and Planning at Sacramento State

Building Efficient Workflows

One of the biggest advantages of the Programs Management feature is how it empowers staff to be more self-sufficient. Instead of relying on emails and informal systems, this feature introduces a structured lifecycle for event planning. Staff simply generate a program ID, submit a proposal, and get approval by a supervisor. Then they execute the event, track attendance, and complete a post-event evaluation. Dowrie highlighted the benefits of automation:

“It’s less emails requesting information... that doesn’t need to happen because anyone who has access can look at that data, pull that data, access that data.” ‍

- Adam Dowrie, Associate Director for Organization and Planning at Sacramento State

Workflows are also used to notify supervisors of program submissions and, if necessary, return proposals for revision. This bidirectional flow minimizes delays and clarifies expectations. Additionally, staff receive training—including submitting a test proposal—to ensure they’re prepared before managing real events.

Leveraging Data for Decision Making

Sacramento State is heavily invested in capturing and using data within StarRez. The Programs Management feature is tightly integrated with tools like dashboards, reporting panels, and Rez 360, providing a full view of resident involvement. According to Dowrie, Sacramento State can now "get a really good sense of what's going on with [their] student engagement summary," enabling senior administrators to gain quick insights about a resident’s campus life involvement.

Dynamic lists and customized reports further support operational needs, including reconciling purchasing card expenses, tracking program trends, and more. As Dowrie explained, Sacramento State “can use those [reports] to understand attendance trends as well as monitor what is happening in the portal.”

Resident-Facing Benefits

The student experience is also enhanced through the portal. Events are listed chronologically and feature imagery along with pre-registration links, helping residents easily discover and plan their involvement.

“It puts things in students’ hands... It gives them notice about when [events] are happening beyond just the flyers we put up in the halls.” ‍

- Adam Dowrie, Associate Director for Organization and Planning at Sacramento State

This visibility is not only useful for residents but also provides evidence for concerned parents. “If we ever get parents saying, ‘There’s nothing going on for my student,’ well, we can point them here,” Dowrie added.

Results and Impact

Since implementation, the scale of programming at Sacramento State has grown dramatically. As of the last data snapshot:

• 3,700 programs have been hosted by staff

• 45,000+ attendees were recorded

• 3,300 residential students attended multiple programs per year

“[These data points signal that] a lot of our residents are going to multiple programs over the course of a year,” Dowrie emphasized. This depth of engagement is crucial for evaluating the success of residential life initiatives and tailoring programming to student interests.

To support this, Sacramento State has customized the Program Management feature extensively to collect meaningful, actionable data at every stage. From tracking detailed supply lists and budget estimates to logging marketing materials and event photos, each step is designed to streamline workflows and enhance program visibility.  

The ability to access actionable data has been “really, really beneficial,” says Dowrie. “It allows everyone to have the necessary data to do their job successfully.”

How Sacramento State Leverages Additional Features Within the StarRez Community Management Solution

The StarRez Community Management Solution goes far beyond just Program Management—it includes powerful features like Student Contributions/Interactions, Visitor Tracking, Persons of Concern (Conduct & Concerns), and Duty Rounds. This comprehensive solution has allowed Sacramento State to streamline administrative processes, track resident engagement, and enhance operational efficiency across campus housing. In an engaging session at the 2024 StarRez Global Connect Users Conference, Adam shared how his team has creatively implemented these features to replace paper forms, consolidate workflows, and empower staff with real-time data.

“It’s actually my favorite module that I’ve been able to leverage so far just because of its versatility.” ‍

- Adam Dowrie, Associate Director for Organization and Planning at Sacramento State

A Blank Slate with Limitless Potential

After implementation, the Contributions/Interactions feature was quickly adopted across multiple functions due to its open-ended design. Unlike other more structured modules, this tool operates as a blank canvas—allowing custom fields, workflows, and data subscriptions (data subs) to be crafted to fit nearly any process. In fact, the Sac State team replaced an array of external tools—like Microsoft Teams, Qualtrics, and paper forms—with centralized processes inside StarRez’s Contributions/Interactions tool.

“We’ve gotten pretty creative in how we’ve used the module... If you can dream it, you can probably do it in this module.” ‍

- Adam Dowrie, Associate Director for Organization and Planning at Sacramento State

Centralizing Key Processes

Sacramento State uses the Community Management Solution for an impressive array of tasks:

Resident Interactions (Stinger Chats)
RA-led one-on-one check-ins are now tracked directly in StarRez, allowing for faster access when a student issue arises. These interactions are automatically created via data subscriptions when a resident checks in. This automation alone has saved an estimated 134 hours of manual entry.

“When we create our interactions upon resident check-in, that saves 4,300 interactions from needing to be created manually.” ‍

- Adam Dowrie, Associate Director for Organization and Planning at Sacramento State

Duty Logs
RAs complete duty logs after rounds using a standardized workflow. Each log includes checks for public spaces, facility issues, and locked exterior doors. Previously nonexistent, this system now ensures accountability and follow-up. “Prior to this, duty logs just weren’t happening... We were hoping they were doing rounds,” Dowrie remarked.

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Key Audits
Formerly tracked in Microsoft Teams, key audits now happen four times daily in StarRez. They confirm that keys are accounted for in each building and allow supervisors to follow up on overdue or missing keys. Custom dashboards help identify if an audit is missing or delayed.

Damage and Charge Requests
A paper-based process for assessing resident charges (e.g., lost keys, excessive cleaning, damages) has been replaced by a contribution workflow that routes requests to the business operations team. The system supports bulk processing and prevents unauthorized charges. “This has made things much, much quicker. It’s obviously more sustainable than using paper forms as well,” said Dowrie.

Building Walks
Facilities and custodial staff document the condition of public spaces like lobbies, kitchens, and laundry rooms. These walkthroughs—once done with checkboxes on paper—are now easily tracked and auditable in StarRez. The module helps identify trends in cleanliness and maintenance over time.

Custom Workflows, Automations, and Dashboards

Every contribution type at Sac State follows a tailored workflow, usually with three simple steps: New → Review → Closed. However, the team has the flexibility to add complexity when needed.

Data subscriptions are the engine that powers automation:

• Auto-filling staff names and standardize naming conventions

• Triggering creation of interactions at check-in

• Ensuring workflow steps are consistent across contribution types

Dashboards have also become indispensable. Custom panels alert supervisors if duty logs or key audits are overdue. RAs have personalized dashboards showing only their relevant tasks, including incomplete stinger chats.

These dashboards and reports allow staff to audit submissions in real-time, reducing lag in response and enabling quick follow-up conversations when procedures aren’t followed.

A Unified System That Saves Time and Boosts Insight

By bringing dozens of previously disconnected workflows into StarRez, Sac State has greatly increased efficiency and institutional oversight. Instead of training staff on multiple systems, everyone learns one centralized platform. When leadership needs insights, they don’t have to dig—they can see everything in the Rez 360 engagement summary or through dashboards.

“It just helps us have all that information in one centralized place.” ‍

- Adam Dowrie, Associate Director for Organization and Planning at Sacramento State

Even something as simple as adding a photo to a duty log or logging who joined a building walk helps paint a clearer picture of campus life and engagement. These contributions feed into the Rez 360 profile for each student, offering a quick snapshot of their activity and any potential concerns.

A Blueprint for Successful Community Management

For institutions looking to eliminate paperwork, track engagement, and improve accountability, Sacramento State’s use of the StarRez Community Management Solution offers a blueprint for success. With thoughtful workflows, smart automation, and a data-driven mindset, the housing team has transformed what used to be a patchwork of processes into a seamless, trackable, and auditable operation—all within the StarRez ecosystem.

To learn more about how you can elevate your student housing operations, connect with our team to request a demo of the StarRez Community Management solution.