Brandeis University: Choosing GradGuard Was Easy
For Tim Touchette, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at Brandeis University, the GradGuard partnership has been defined as much by the people behind it as by the product itself. "The staff truly do support not only myself, but my team members in times of need," he says. "They keep us informed. They keep us well-connected and they're just great partners to work with."
The need for renters insurance at Brandeis is rooted in practical reality. Many of the university's facilities are quite aged, and unpredictable facilities issues happen — issues that can cause considerable damage to both the structure and to students' personal belongings. After hearing from colleagues in the area who were using GradGuard, Touchette and his team decided to give the program a try, drawn in part by GradGuard's integration with their software provider, which made the process seamless for students to either enroll or opt out. Sign-ups in the first round exceeded expectations, and sure enough, another facilities issue followed not long after.
The fundamentals work. Touchette points to the price, the coverage, and the ease of use — noting that he finds GradGuard's portal easier to navigate than even his own home and car insurance providers' portals. The team also receives regular updates with information on who is using the program, and during an emergency, they can quickly see who is covered and who isn't.
Touchette also makes a point that few software vendors can claim: "GradGuard is one of the few companies that I get a newsletter from in my email and actually I stop and read it." There's always something in it about what GradGuard is doing for its clients and customers.
The partnership extends beyond Brandeis itself. As the current chair of the ACUHO-I Foundation, Touchette works closely with industry partners who support the foundation's initiatives, and GradGuard is one of those companies. He sees the program as a tool that helps students avoid having to worry about certain things and know they're protected — something that's especially important at a smaller institution like Brandeis.
