For many campus recreation departments, replacing management software is a project that keeps getting postponed. The challenges feel too overwhelming, and there’s never a good time to take them on. Northern Illinois University (NIU) faced the same dilemma, until the team decided to make the move and discovered the risks were far smaller than they had feared.
The decision NIU had been putting off
By 2024, NIU's campus recreation department had outgrown its existing management software. Repeated problems with software updates, including changes that created challenges for staff and disrupted day-to-day operations, led the department to start looking for a solution that could better support its needs.
However, replacing the system meant facing the risks every rec department worries about: new servers and installations for IT, a payment changeover that could interrupt revenue, and a new platform for more than 120 student employees to learn. And all of it had to happen while the facilities stayed open. In January 2025, the team decided to make the switch to DSE Rec services.
Getting started right away
The first worry disappeared almost immediately. DSE RecCenter runs in the cloud, so there were no servers to install and nothing to load onto front-desk computers. As soon as the site was live, the department could start configuring memberships, facilities, and access permissions from any web browser.
“The first day we got access to DSE RecCenter, I was out of town without a computer. I was still able to start setting up memberships from my cell phone!”
Payments without a pause
Payments were the next concern, since any gap in billing would have hit the department's revenue immediately. But NIU didn't have to change providers: DSE RecCenter integrates with multiple payment processors, including Authorize.net, which the university already used. The integration was up and running quickly, and members kept buying and renewing memberships without interruption throughout the switch.
Getting student staff ready
With the system configured, the team turned to the people who would use it most: the student employees at the front desk and in the fitness areas. Because student staff turn over every semester, NIU needed workflows that new hires could learn quickly. For Jason Schlieben, Director of Fitness, the simplicity of DSE RecCenter made all the difference:
“It is really user friendly, very easy to instruct student staff, to see information. It does not require 12-15 steps which saves us time and gives us confidence that we can get the information we need to be successful.”
Go-live at the front desk
When the system went live, members noticed the difference right away. Instead of reaching out to staff with various questions, they could now manage their activities, memberships, and waivers themselves in the DSE RecCenter app. The app could also turn their phone into an entry pass: members simply scan a digital barcode at the gate and walk through, while the system verifies their membership and waivers in real time.
The new routine settled in quickly. Within the first weeks, hundreds of members had signed up for activities on their own and checking in with the app became part of everyday use at the facilities.
Looking back
NIU's facilities stayed open through the entire software transition. Members kept checking in, renewing memberships, and making reservations, and for some staff, the switch barely registered:
“It was so seamless that it did not affect my workflow.”
The numbers since then show how quickly the system became part of daily routine. About 3,600 people have used the app to access the facility, and during the fall semester the center averages around 1,200 check-ins per weekday.
The challenges that keep many departments on outdated software (IT work, payment gaps, and retraining) proved easy to overcome at NIU. For teams putting off a switch for the same reasons, NIU's experience shows it can be done smoothly and almost unnoticed by the people who use the facilities every day.