Documents Contributed by ECAR, Student Information Systems, and Administrative Systems

It is time to think differently about administrative systems in colleges and universities. Using the Kuali Student Service System as an illustration, this ECAR research bulletin discusses a vision, and a set of functional and technical principles, for the next generation of administrative systems. Although the vision and principles are being developed for a new student system, they can serve as a framework for the development of an administrative system in any area of higher education. They are also a guide to what to look for in planning to select and implement a next generation vendor-supplied administrative system.

As a complement to the ECAR research study called Good Enough! IT Investment and Business Process Performance in Higher Education, this case study explores how Brooklyn College and The City University of New York optimized their student advising process to support a strategic goal to enhance student enrollment and retention. The first part of the case study looks at Brooklyn College efforts to create a more customer-friendly administrative environment. The second part of the case study focuses on CUNY's Office of Computing and Information Services (CIS) Project Management Office and discusses its deployment of an enterprise-wide online advising and degree audit system.

Higher education has made a huge investment in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, with additional investments planned. An assessment of the successes and challenges of these implementations should help guide future efforts. This Research Bulletin examines the state of recent ERP installations in higher education, with a focus on implementation experiences (budget, timeline, customization), outcomes of those implementations, and future plans.