Student Information Systems and Documents Contributed by ECAR

This research bulletin is designed to help senior college and university administrators better understand the complexities of both financial aid and information technology support for efficient and effective management of the financial aid resource. Using the financial aid technology pyramid as a framework, the bulletin illustrates how to use the pyramid in enrollment management, financial aid, and IT planning and implementation.

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.

This study, designed and analyzed by ECAR on behalf of the Council of Higher Education Management Associations (CHEMA), identifies the forces of change that are building for higher education and seeks to understand their potential implications. The report adds the voice of higher education's administrative leadership to the dialogue about the future of our institutions. Sponsored by 22 CHEMA member associations, the study examines how administrators and officials engaged in college and university support functions anticipate that higher education will change over the next ten years by identifying the changes, opportunities, and threats these leaders foresee for higher education, for their institutions, and for specific functional areas. In addition, the study discusses how prepared institutions are to manage change and shape their own futures.

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.

This Research Bulletin examines online advising, providing examples of freshman planning, automated credit transfer evaluation, student development, personalized service portals, and financial aid and academic planning. Suggestions for establishing a strategic plan are outlined, as well as principles of effective online advising.