Product and Marketing News

New product branding

• DARS was the name of the ‘company’ or the overall project

• Now called redLantern with tagline of ‘Illuminating Education’.

• Their new web address is http://www.redlanternu.com/ • DARS Owl accounts converted to redlantern Issue

Tracker accounts• Listserv memberships converted to

Community@listserv.redlanternu.com (formally DARS-L), and udirect@listserv.redlanternu.com (formally DARS-CAS)

Why the re-branding?

• Eliminate confusion in the market• Update name and recognition• Improve awareness under a single identity• Position their brand as ‘the’ industry leader• Maintain close relationships with existing

community• Reinforce their linkage to the university/college

environment

1. DARwin = u.achieve

2. CAS = u.select

3. DCP (Degree Planner) = u.direct

DARwin• DARwin is the client server version of the Degree

Audit software until version 4.0• With the release of the 4.0 version (January 2009),

their name will be u.achieve with tagline, ‘advancing graduation’.

• Note that we likely will implement version 4.0 considerably later than January of 2009 and that there is NO REASON to change what we all call the Degree Audit (currently most just use the acronym DARS) until after we implement version 4.0 of u.achieve.

CAS became u.select

• Places you promote u.select (website? brochures?) should use new language

u.direct (Degree Planner)

• Similar in functionality to the Graduation Planner developed and used by the University of Minnesota

• MnSCU has not purchased this product

redLantern NEWS FLASH

• Miami University is initiating a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the sale of redLantern.

• redLantern plans business as usual as evidenced through ongoing product development, daily support via Issue Tracker, training workshops, consulting engagements, and preparations for the 2009 and 2010 User's Conferences.

Why?

• To remain viable in a for-profit environment • Higher education software market has changed

significantly since DARS began• Operating parameters within the university that

were once protective are now restrictive • redLantern has grown beyond the scope of the

university• Budget crisis at Miami University – sale provides

revenue

When?• Sale should be finalized in first quarter of

2009

• Our maintenance agreement is in effect through July 2009

• No reason to believe that significant changes will happen even after that time

• We’ll keep you updated as we hear more