In the 1970s and '80s, manufacturing firms began purchasing centralized administrative software--"Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems"--to support their infrastructure needs. In the 1990s, higher education adopted the term ERP to define the back-office systems used by institutions to meet their most pressing business needs--typically those related to financials, human resources, and student information. Over the years, however, institutions have struggled with a variety of issues outside the scope of what a traditional ERP system can manage, from effectively connecting with the community to successfully marketing the campus vision and spirit, to offering a teaching and learning experience that aligns with the institutional mission. These issues, as well as a host of others, have rendered the concept of ERP inadequate for meeting the business "and" academic needs of higher education institutions. Strategic Academic Enterprise represents the evolution of ERP. A strategic, holistic solution, Strategic Academic Enterprise addresses the complete business and academic needs of an institution, providing a campus-wide experience of enhanced user satisfaction, increased productivity, and greater institutional effectiveness. Rather than artificially separating back-office technology from front-office academics, the Strategic Academic Enterprise positions institutions to achieve the ultimate goal of student success and satisfaction. Strategic Academic Enterprise consists of five interrelated business process domains: Strategic Enrollment Management, Performance and Operational Management, Teaching and Learning, Institutional Advancement and Marketing, and Strategic Planning. The days of focusing separately on administrative and academic needs are quickly waning. The union of these closely intertwined areas requires new ways of thinking and enhanced solutions. Only then will institutions remain competitive.