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Core Education PBC Earns PeopleCert Accreditation as Higher Ed’s Only ITIL Consulting Partner

Core Education has become the first and only PeopleCert Accredited Consulting Partner (ACP) for ITIL® focused exclusively on U.S. higher education – marking a new milestone in its mission to deliver operational excellence and drive institutional transformation. This accreditation strengthens Core’s embedded operating model, bringing global ITIL best practices into the heart of higher ed transformation.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 15, 2025 — Core Education PBC announced today that it has been designated a PeopleCert Accredited Consulting Partner (ACP) for ITIL®. This achievement makes Core Education the only PeopleCert ACP dedicated exclusively to transforming higher education, underscoring Core’s commitment to operational excellence in colleges and universities, formally recognizing the commitment to aligning service with critical mission and business outcomes.  ITIL – a globally adopted framework for IT service management used by over 80% of Fortune 500 companies – provides a powerful set of best practices to advance the digital agenda as part of a broader mission to transform the business model of higher education. As a PeopleCert Accredited Consulting Partner, Core Education has been certified to assess these world-class ITIL practices with independent assurance of quality, further elevating the value it delivers as a hands-on operating partner to higher ed institutions.

This ACP status enhances Core Education’s ability to deliver tangible results for its partner colleges and universities. PeopleCert’s accreditation grants Core access to official ITIL maturity assessments and benchmarking tools, allowing its team to measure campus IT operations against global industry standards. Armed with these insights, Core can work with institutions to optimize service delivery and align to critical needs through a proven and time-tested approach.  Core partners with institutional leaders to co-create continual improvement plans that are both practical and achievable, enabling strategic progress toward institutional sustainability and business model transformation.

“In essence, the ACP designation provides an extra layer of rigor and credibility to what we do – it’s an independent stamp of quality on our approach to ITIL-based service transformation,” said Mike Alstrom, Senior Vice President of Technology at Core Education.” ITIL is a proven foundation for delivering effective IT services, and being a PeopleCert consulting partner means we can embed that proven foundation directly into our partners’ day-to-day operations.  This deepens our capacity to build operational power within institutions so they can act with agility and purpose.  This is not about theory – it’s about a relentless focus on execution and continual improvement to drive better outcomes for students, faculty, and staff, through infusing best practices into every level of campus service.”

Unlike traditional consultants, Core operates as an embedded partner—working shoulder-to-shoulder with institutional teams to execute on strategy, not just design it. This model ensures that ITIL-based improvements are not only implemented but sustained. Core is widely recognized as an operating partner helping institutions transform their business models into long-term sustainable operations. The new ITIL consulting accreditation aligns perfectly with that mission-critical role. By applying ITIL’s best practices through Core’s embedded partnership model, institutions can accelerate digital transformation, improve service quality, and achieve greater efficiencies across campus operations—all while staying true to their academic mission. ay 15, 2025

What the ITIL ACP designation means for Core’s partner institutions

Independent Quality Assurance

PeopleCert’s endorsement signals that Core’s ITIL consulting practices meet rigorous international standards, giving campus stakeholders confidence in the quality and reliability of Core’s process-improvement approach.

Benchmarking & Insights

Core gains the ability to conduct accredited ITIL Maturity Model assessments, benchmarking an institution’s IT service management maturity against global peers. These data-driven insights highlight gaps and opportunities, guiding leadership on where to focus for maximum impact.

Targeted Improvement Roadmaps

Using the assessment results, Core works with college and university leaders to co-design tailored improvement plans. Each roadmap is grounded in industry best practices yet customized to the institution’s context, ensuring initiatives are practical, achievable, and aligned with strategic goals.

Enhanced Service Delivery

With ITIL frameworks woven into daily operations, campus IT teams can deliver more reliable and efficient services. From the helpdesk to enterprise systems, Core’s partners will see stronger alignment between IT services and institutional needs, leading to a better experience for students, faculty, and staff and a more sustainable, resilient IT environment.

 “This is more than a certification—it is a signal to our partners that Core brings the highest level of discipline and rigor to operational transformation,” said Kamalika Sandell, CEO of Core Education. “We embed, build, and deliver results. Being the only PeopleCert ACP in higher ed equips us to lead the sector in operational excellence, digital agility, and long-term resilience.”

Although Core attained the ACP designation earlier, this public announcement comes at a pivotal moment for higher education. Financial pressures, tech disruption, and rising expectations demand bold operational innovation. The ACP designation strengthens Core’s ability to meet that urgency – embedding globally recognized ITIL best practices into the heart of institutional operations. It reinforces Core’s commitment to serve as a hands-on transformation partner, guiding institutions through complexity with a blend of discipline, agility, and execution. The designation complements Core’s broader strategy to future-proof its partner institutions—working alongside strategic services like enrollment growth, analytics acceleration, and cost transformation. With this accreditation, Core brings a new level of rigor and data-driven precision to the transformation process, ensuring every step is bold, achievable, and rooted in proven methodology.

For more information, visit Core.edu or contact Vice President of Growth and Business Development, Mariah Sheridan, at msheridan@core.edu