Potter College News

Doug Tate, WKU Housing & Residence Life Assistant Director of Housing Administration, won the StarRez PortalX Competition for the second year in a row at the StarRez Global Connect Conference in Anaheim, California, held July 28-30, 2024. The conference hosted nearly 1,000 participants.  

Tate was chosen to compete against three other individuals from Clemson, Stanford, and Yale. Western Kentucky University won the competition with a presentation showcasing the move-in timeslot selection system Doug built from scratch within the WKU Housing Portal using the StarRez software.

The Assistant Director won the same competition in 2023 with his presentation showcasing the Student Staff Resource Page he created. The resource page provides tools that streamline the work of WKU students and staff. 

StarRez is a student housing software platform designed to create thriving residential communities. The program is a cloud-based community management software platform built for students and staff. 

“It’s exciting to be able to share the work we do at WKU on such a large scale and especially great to receive such positive recognition from the community for the innovative work we’re doing,” Doug Tate stated.  

“Doug Tate embodies the perfect blend of talent and innovation,” noted Dr. Catherine LaRoche, Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement and Executive Director of WKU Housing & Residence Life. “As a leader in housing operations and technology, his exceptional problem-solving skills have revolutionized our approach to residence life. Doug’s dedication ensures that WKU’s residential students not only have a place to live but experience an environment that is truly outstanding.”

The 2024 StarRez Global Connect event is the premier student housing tech conference, bringing together StarRez, THD, and Mercury users for a dynamic three-day event. The conference unites the community and StarRez team for several days of action-packed learning, networking, best practice sharing and industry insights.