Strategic Issue
Issue: Whether all undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools and other key participants
of the University will participate in the development and operation of the new student
information system and in the synchronization of “coordinating projects” (i.e., functionality like
imaging, degree audit, course management system, etc.).
PRISM #: 047
Student System Project Contact (PRISM Issue Owner): Susan Barr
Scope Type:
Issue Priority:
General |
Critical |
School/Unit Issue |
High |
Medium |
Coordinating Project |
New Functionality
Low
Impact Statement:
 Best practice is a central data repository for prospective student and applicant records, student finance, registration and records,
and University services. The data are secure, non-duplicative, and provide "downstream" data management and accuracy
benefits to all schools and central offices. Many manual and duplicative processes are eliminated.
 The benefits of a central data repository will accrue to the University over time, providing it with the ability to develop and
track lifelong relationships with undergraduates, and with graduate and professional students—from the prospective student
stage through the admission and financial aid award processes, through graduation and subsequent enrollment in additional
schools or programs.
 The benefits of a central data repository will accrue to students over time. As undergraduate and graduate prospective student
and/or applicant data are centrally captured, a subset of biographical data will be available for any student's future
application(s) to other areas of the University. An undergraduate applicant who seeks internal transfer to an upper division
school or summer enrollment or, upon graduation, to a graduate or professional school, would be able to update information
continually in the system. The system would "know" the applicant without the applicant having to provide biographical
information repeatedly in subsequent applications. Information related to graduate school admission could be centrally
processed and stored in an environment where decision-making is decentralized.
 A central data repository and centralized admission technologies would enable the University to provide applicants and the
public with a cohesive first impression of the technological landscape at the University, as well as easily accessible information
and functionality related to academic programs, admission, and financial support.
 Centralized admission and financial aid technologies would especially facilitate and streamline application processes for the
graduate and professional schools of the University, including the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) and
Summer Session. All schools and central offices would have access to appropriate applicant data for these students in the same
database.
 Some level of baseline variability for student processes will be delivered within a new student system. However,
customizations that are driven even by school-based, mission-critical needs will reduce the benefits of an integrated system and
increase institutional costs over time. The mechanics and costs associated with the implementation of the student system will
be affected by current levels of variability among the policies and practices of the schools of the University in areas including
but not limited to: academic calendars; grading scales; admission application deadlines and requirements; financial aid and
awarding requirements; billing cycles; withdrawal deadlines and reporting requirements.
 The University should decide whether graduate and professional school student information processes (admission, student
finance, registration, etc.) will be affected by a new system as the functionality of a new system is understood by the Student
System Project Team. The administration of and data collected during student processes within graduate programs across the
schools of the University are variable. The Law and Medical Schools receive application data from national services. A new
system would require the ability to receive, load, store, track, and send appropriate data for all graduate programs, and
especially for LSDAS and AMCAS data. The Darden School uses admission software that it developed and licenses to other
schools at the University and to 15 other MBA schools around the country.
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The University should decide how diverse academic programs for full- and part-time students in both on- and off-Grounds
locations will be included in a new student system. A thorough review and evaluation of diverse academic programs and
policies should be conducted so that similarities and differences may be considered, and costs and benefits may be weighed.
With regard to the administration of diverse academic programs, the following issues should be considered specifically:
1. relationship(s) with program sponsors
2. elimination of manual and duplicate data entry
3. interdependencies and activities shared between centralized student financial operations and others.
4. availability of online, real-time access to the new student system for all full- and part-time, on- and off-Grounds
students.
Units for consideration in scope:
Undergraduate Schools
School of Architecture
College of Arts of Sciences
McIntire School of Commerce
School of Continuing and Professional Studies
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
School of Nursing
Graduate Schools
Curry School of Education
Graduate Architecture
Graduate Arts and Sciences
Graduate Commerce
Graduate Engineering and Applied Sciences
Graduate Nursing
School of Continuing and Professional Studies (graduate programs offered through SCPS at remote sites)
Professional Schools
Darden School of Business
School of Law
School of Medicine
Key Participants:
Department of Athletics
Office of Admission
Office of Information Technology and Communication
Office of International Programs
Office of Student Financial Services
Office of Summer Session
Office of the University Registrar
Office of University Development
Options and Implications:
 All schools of the University are not within the scope of the Student System Project. In this option, the Student System Project
Team will collaborate with excepted schools to develop an appropriate mechanism for transferring their data into the new
student system. The potential for distributed, self-service data entry into a central student system should also be explored.
Interfaces between stand-alone, school-based systems, particularly those that meet the unique needs of professional schools,
will increase the complexity of the implementation and require additional resources both during the implementation and
thereafter during upgrades, applications of patches, product evolution, etc.
 All schools of the University are within the scope of the Student System Project. In this option, the University will benefit from
accurate information, streamlined business processes, and consolidated reporting within a centralized system. However, it is
possible that a small number of school-specific activities may not be available in a centralized student system.
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Recommendation:
 Option 2: All schools and key participants of the University are within the scope of the Student System Project.
Dependencies:
 The desire of the University to use the implementation of a new student system as an opportunity to review and evaluate policy
and process variability and/or to centralize the student processes for admission, student finance, registration and records, and
University services.
 The new student system allows the University to reflect on its current relationships with and resultant business processes of
SCPS. Therefore, consideration should be given to the mission- and revenue-based components of programs offered both to
students within and outside of the University through SCPS, and the benefits of the contributions of SCPS to the University
community.
 The University should assess the costs and benefits associated with the participation of professional schools in the new student
system.
Next Steps (if in scope):
 The Vice President and Provost and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the University will meet jointly
with Deans of the University and other key stakeholders, as appropriate, to discuss the Student System Project.
 The Project Team will provide documentation to key stakeholders describing the Project’s decision-making models.
 The Project Team will immediately begin the analytical work related to the involvement of SCPS in the new student system.
Deadline for Executive Committee:
Decision by Executive Committee: Option 2: All schools of the University are within the scope of the Student System Project.
Executive Committee Reviewer/Approver: Full IS Executive Committee
Signature of Reviewer: Gene Block
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Date: 1/24/06
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