June 14, 2002
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Susan Foster
Vice President for Information Technologies
FROM:
Barbara L. Kreppel
Associate Vice President for
Administrative Services
Subject:
IT Planning for 2002-2003
The Office of Administrative Services has reviewed its IT needs for 2002-2003.
Enclosed is a list of the projects by department, and by priority (1=highest, 4=lowest). Included are some
resubmissions from previous years that have not yet been addressed. Please feel free to contact me with
any questions.
Cc:
Bill Spear
Sherry Lofland
Domenick Sicilia
Sue Bogan
Polly Weir
Charlene Benson
Linda Carey
BOB CARPENTER CENTER:
No IT needs at this time.
BOOKSTORE:
Administrative Services – Highest Priority
Items to be completed for the transition to Barnes & Noble College Bookstores as the new manager of
the University Bookstore effective July 1, 2002.
1. Allow Barnes & Noble Bookstore staff to have access to the various SIS screens
utilized by the University Bookstore to monitor enrollment for any changes in
course registration that will affect textbook quantities. The Registrars Office
controls these screens. (Priority 1) To be completed by June 15, 2002.
2. Interface between the Blackboard system and the Barnes & Noble POS system to
allow acceptance of the UD1 FLEX accounts at the Bookstore sales registers.
Priority (1) To be completed by June 28, 2002.
3. Web address links during the transition. We will need a message on both websites to
direct students to Summer Session I sales to e-Follett and Session II/Fall semester
sales to the new B&N site. (Priority 1) To be completed by June 28, 2002.
4. Work with Barnes & Noble to automate the review and posting of purchases at the
Bookstore POS terminals for students with Financial Aid credits on their student
account in SIS. Students currently must go to a special Financial Aid POS register to
purchase their textbooks. This enhancement will allow Financial Aid transactions at
all POS registers. (Priority 1) To be completed by August 1, 2002.
On-Going Bookstore Enhancements
1. Populate student’s Bookstore web shopping cart with course registration
information. (Priority 1)
2. Develop a link to a secure UD web from where students could reserve their
textbooks and indicate to us that they would like to have them charged to their
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financial aid accounts. Our current textbook reservation program has been extremely
well received, but it does not accommodate those students with financial aid.
(Priority 1)
3. Develop a “University of Delaware Authors” book link. In the past several months
the bookstore has been soliciting data from UD faculty, staff, and alumni about
books they have written that are still in print. The response has been huge. Ideally,
the site would not only allow visitors to browse, but would also allow them to place
orders for these books through our Bookstore. (Priority 2)
CONFERENCE SERVICES:
1. Develop data warehouse for the Event Management System (EBMS). The system now has several
months of information and supports the following event and facility schedulers: Conference Services
(Newark, Wilmington, Lewis), Student Centers, Recreation Services, intercollegiate Athletics, bob
Carpenter Center, Ice Arenas and outdoor Pool. A data warehouse environment would allow users to
more easily take advantage of existing information. In addition to facilitating departmental reporting
objectives, enterprise objectives related to event management, calendar management, facility
management, and space utilization could be achieved. A data warehouse would address these
objectives without installing and maintaining EBMS software or more PC’s. Priority (1)
DINING SERVICES:
1. Develop WEB pages to allow students to make initial dining plan selection. Selected plans would then
be added to SIS in the proper semester and dining or housing application/assignment sequence
number. Priority (1)
2. Develop WEB pages to allow students to change their dining plan during the beginning of each
semester to complement the existing IVR application. Priority (1)
3.
Make available on the web and via email UD1 FLEX account, Blue & Gold Club and Bob Carpenter
Club statements. The club statements are currently generated monthly from the Blackboard System
and mailed to members. Those employees who are also club members could receive statement
information using these methods. This automated process would also allow us to make account
transaction history available on the web for student meal, point and flex accounts. Priority (2)
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FINANCIAL & INFORMATION SERVICES:
Local Information Management
1. Use electronic journal vouchers to process monthly sales to user departments. Roger Cole nearly
completed this project. This process uses monthly sales numbers reported by Blackboard for each
user department that accepts FLEX and to generate an electronic JV which would credit the
department and debit the FLEX holding account. These electronic JV’s would have to be edited
before mailing for inclusion of manual transactions and changes to JV description. Internal Audit
recommends that this process be developed this year. Priority (1)
2. Generate a file from SIS containing student identification numbers after Spring and Winter
graduation that would be imported into the Blackboard system and would automatically withdraw
and close out the FLEX accounts. This process would also generate an electronic FFAR (subject to
edits) that would credit the student account on SIS with any withdrawn balance from FLEX. Any
student who has registered for Graduate school would not have their FLEX account closed. This
would replace the completely manual process of looking at each graduating senior from a list
supplied by the Registrar’s to determine if they have a balance in their FLEX account. Priority (3)
Services You Provide
1. Expand Blackboard reader network to various vending machines on campus at such locations as
Smith Hall, Morris Library Commons, other academic and administrative buildings, and residence
halls. Priority (1)
2. Expand Blackboard reader network to other areas on campus such as: more card readers at Morris
Library copy machines, door access readers at selected administrative offices to eliminate
employee keys. Priority (2)
Technologies “Challenge”
1. .Automate the charging of student FLEX accounts for the Art Supply fee that is required by certain
Art courses. This fee is not mandatory since students have the option of providing their own
supplies or have the University provide the supplies. List could be generated from SIS course
roster, but students have to be given a chance to decline if they provide their own supplies. At
present students sign an authorization form in the classroom which is turned in the Art Department
and forwarded to the FLEX office to be manually withdrawn from FLEX. About 45% of students
do not have enough FLEX to pay for the supplies. The FLEX office then has to call them and
charge their student account if a deposit is not made. Automate the sending of email messages to
students who don’t have sufficient FLEX funds. A web form could be available that would allow
University staff to request that a student’s Art Supply fee be automatically deducted from FLEX
and credited to the Art Department general ledger account Priority (3)
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Technologies “Challenge”
2. Make an improvement to UD1 CARD Line IVR application which would explain to employees
the use of the Benefits PRO PIN (in place of UD PIN) to suspend the UD#1 CARD, choose or
change the FLEX PIN, Information about PINS, and access account balances. MIS is working with
F&IS for exact wording. Priority (3)
3. Develop ways that parents & students can EFT (electronic fund transfers) of FLEX deposits using
ACH (automated clearinghouse) from their bank into their FLEX accounts Blackboard system.
This would speed up deposits from parents (instead of waiting for 7-10 days in the mail) and
would cut down in administrative costs if for instance we decided to accept credit card payment of
FLEX deposits. This process could be initiated using Internet banking applications such as
Microsoft Money or Quicken. This process would be similar to the process just completed for
WSFS bank. Priority (4)
4. Allow FLEX deposits by accepting credit cards over the phone or on the WEB. This would enable
parents and students to make instant deposits instead of waiting for checks to be received that are
mailed to the University. Priority (4)
SUPPORTING SERVICES:
We continue to need LED signs on campus. (Priority 1)
Bus Tracking: The staff feels it would be a great service to students if they (the students) could log onto
the web and see where the buses are at that moment in time. Perhaps this application would even indicate
if the bus was running late or was out of service, etc.
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HOUSING ASSIGNMENT SERVICES:
Requests in Priority Order
1. Graduate and Family Housing Application available on the web-update SIS (currently using an
email form) Request from 4/1999. Target Date March 2003.
2. Room type Prioritization (use a grid to rank – I believe Steve is currently working on this)
Target usage date March 2003, target start date January 2003.
3. Hall type Prioritization ( use a grid to rank – I believe Steve is currently working on this). Target
usage date March, 2003, start January 2003.
4. Develop reports to verify assignment process results using lottery extract (prior to loading into
SIS) Target usage date April 2003, target start date February 2003.
5. Auto response letters to students who are missing parts of applications/preference forms. Target
usage date March, 2003, target start date ASAP.
6. Occupants of Ray Street and Rodney rooms have ability to view neighbors’ directory info. Target
usage date July 2003, target start date ASAP.
7. Room change from available on the web (routed mail-to-form-currently working on). Target usage
date September, 2002, target start date ASAP.
8. Cancellation forms available on the web (mail-to-form currently working on). Target usage date
May, 2002, target start date ASAP.
9. UHO applications on WEB, usable for new students, update SIS (currently use an email form,
need pin). Target usage date February, 2003, target start date ASAP.
10. Air conditioning value in assignment process. Target usage date Jul, 2002, target start date July,
2002.
11. Mid-Year and Summer Room change forms available on the web (email multi-field form). Target
usage date November, 2002, target start date ASAP.
12. Washers and dryers on-line: The staff would like an application developed that would allow
students to log onto the web and see if the washers and dryers in their building were available –
this versus the alternative of running downstairs with all their laundry only to find all of the
machines in use.
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HOUSING ASSIGNMENT SERVICES WEB FORM REQUESTS
Type of Form
Requested Date
Users
Vacancy Letter (mail-to form)
September 2001
Information letter is sent to students who have a
or February 2002 vacant space in their room.
Request for Release form
November 2001
Note: supplemental forms will need to be linked
such as financial forms, medical forms, etc. The
request is approved or denied based upon
supplied information. ( in process)
Mid-year and Summer Room
November 2001
Form is used by students to request a room
change request form (Mail-to
change in an upcoming semester and the room
form)
change is processed at a later date.
Wintersession form (routed
November 2001
This form is already developed on the web but it
form with approvals)
must be manually routed.
Unique Housing Options form
February 2002
Students apply for special processes. SIS
for Upperclass room
interaction will streamline the process.
assignment process (interacts
with SIS system)
Greek cancellation form (routed February 2002
Special cancellation procedures exist for new
for approvals)
pledges who have on-campus applications.
Deferral form (mail-to form)
February 2002
Students who wish to defer their housing
applications to a future semester use this form.
Roommate Verification (mailFebruary 2002
Returning students use this form to request an
to form)
incoming student or a late upperclass applicant as
their roommate.
Buy-Out form (mail-to form)
February 2002
Students who wish to buy-out vacant space in the
room submit this form for approval.
Academic Semester Room
Spring 2002
Used by students to request a room change to
change form
available vacancies (in process)
Cancellation form before
Spring 2002
Form is used by students who cancel before the
binding date
binding date. There is no financial penalty except
a deposit forfeiture. (in process)
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