First phase of student information system in place

Administrative staff now using admissions component for recruitment, retention

By Gregory Moore

IU’s new student system is a completely new approach to serving students and other clients of the university electronically.

During the past 18 months, much of the groundwork has been laid toward implementing the new student information system. One of the first phases of the new system had its debut on Sept. 25 when a component that targets contact and recruitment activities wa s available for use by admissions offices on all IU campuses. About 200 administrative staff began using this component of the new PeopleSoft software, which allows them to plan, manage and track their contact and recruitment activities with prospective s tudents.

“This first step includes not just the functionality for admissions contact and recruitment, but also a majority of the infrastructure needed for the implementation of future SIS modules,” said Jennifer Foutty, director of University Information Systems.< p> “This is only the first phase of a completely new approach to serving students and other clients of the university electronically—as well as our own internal offices and staff—but it is a very important first step,” said William Plater, Student Informatio n Systems Steering Committee co-chair and executive vice chancellor and dean of the faculties at IUPUI. “As the remaining components of the SIS come on line in the next months and years, IU will build on this initiative and the dedication of the many coll eagues across several offices and campuses who have given their time, experience, expertise and vision to create a better university for Indiana.”

“Colleges and universities are moving quickly toward integrated technology solutions to provide a more robust self-service environment for currently enrolled students and to help campuses more effectively serve future students and their families,” said st eering committee co-chair Don Hossler, vice chancellor for enrollment services at IUB. “Colleges need to be more effective and efficient in reaching out to traditional-age students and personalizing the recruitment process. Many institutions have intensiv e courses, off-site courses, and virtual courses where registration and other student services now take place at different times throughout the year.

“There is no such thing as a normal academic calendar. This new initiative will enable us to serve traditional and non-traditional students as well as current and future students more effectively,” Hossler said.

http://www.iuinfo.indiana.edu/ocm/releases/infosys.htm

http://www.indiana.edu/~ovpit/strategic/