Using Integrated Electronic
Processing Effectively and
Efficiently at the University
of Delaware
John C. Cavanaugh
Michele Cytron Campbell
Hugh P. Campbell
University of Delaware
Council of Graduate Schools and
Canadian Association for Graduate
Studies
Vancouver, December 1998
http://www.udel.edu/vpapp/cgs98/
workshop/index.htm
The Context
The University of Delaware
is privately chartered and
state supported
 Over 80 master’s and over 40
doctoral programs in seven
colleges (one graduate only)
 Roughly 3300 FTE graduate
students
 $79 million in sponsored
programs expenditures
 Superb information
technology and support

SIS+ at UD
The University has a highly
customized version of SIS+
 In use for nearly a decade
 In-house customization
created options and screens
well beyond the “off-theshelf” version
 Office of Graduate Studies
heavily involved in design
and implementation then
and now

Uses of SIS+
Academic information and
transcripts (back to early
1970s)
 Degree audits
 Course registration,
enrollment, and faculty
management
 Admissions and financial aid
(more on this later)
 Housing
 Billing

Integration
of SIS+
Linked to on-line course
registration, telephone grade
reports, all Web forms, etc.
 Foundation for electronic
graduate admissions process,
including admissions
actions, financial aid, and
downloadable data files
 Foundation for institutional
research

Pros of SIS+

Pros
– Highly customizable
– Easily integrated into other
applications (downloadable
files for Word/WordPerfect,
Excel, etc.)
– Provides many options for
specific needs (e.g., applicant
tracking)
– Powerful system once learned
– Reasonable security by screen
Cons of SIS+

Cons
– Not intuitive
– Somewhat difficult to learn
from scratch
Electronic
Processing in
Graduate Studies

A Web-based process that:
– Creates an electronic file for
each applicant
– Seamless connection with Web
application
– Interfaces with GRE data tape
and SIS/PLUS
– Is customizable for specific
department needs (e.g., to rank
order applicants on certain
quantifiable indicators)
Electronic
Processing in
Graduate Studies
– Sends electronic notification to
Graduate Studies and other
relevant offices when
admission action is taken
– Has both view only and action
options
– Includes comment areas for
notes among admission
committee members
– Is sensitive to unofficial
transcripts or test scores
Electronic
Processing in
Graduate Studies
– Monitors and provides
separate screens for candidates
with missing credentials and
fee paid/unpaid
– Provides ways for easy
downloads in software such as
Excel, Word, and Access
– Eliminates the need for paper
reports
– Provides instant organization
of applicant data
Electronic
Processing in
Graduate Studies
– Includes numerous security
controls so that faculty only
see those applicants in their
area of responsibility, and
different levels of security for
viewing and action capabilities
– Promotes greater accuracy of
data by making it available to
viewing and checking by
multiple users within the
department
Electronic
Processing in
Graduate Studies
– Includes screens for financial
support
– Provides flexibility in the
system to meet the individual
needs of departments
Implementation
Timeline
September 1995: Plan for
electronic processing system
announced to go online in
three months
 January 2, 1996: Electronic
system goes live; paper
processing ended
 Fall, 1996: Initial
downloading features added

Graduate Studies
Outcomes
Over 15,000 applications
processed to date
 No security problems
 Application turn-around
time now 48 hours
 Significant reduction in need
for part-time staff
 Admissions offers out up to
6 weeks earlier

Electronic
Processing in the
Research Office

Office Context
– $79 million in sponsored
programs expenditures (FY98)
– Pre- and post-award functions
housed in one office
– Total staff of 25; 10 directly
related to research
expenditures
Electronic
Processing in the
Research Office

Key Integrated Components
– Grants Management System
(GMS)
» Built on Legacy Systems
platforms
– Project Management
– Electronic dissemination of
funding opportunities
» Community of Science
Project
Management

Grants Management System
Overview
– Routing sheet created
– Budget development
spreadsheet
– Electronic routing and
approval process

Campus divided into four
quadrants, with each section
represented by Project
Management team
Project
Management
Single point of contact for all
aspects of a grant
 Research Office staff serve as
consultants for duration, file
financial reports, and
provide budget oversight

Pre-Award
Processing
Approval process initiated
by academic unit; list of
approvers generated
automatically; approvals
made electronically
 Electronic budgets
 At end of approval process,
status changes from
“Routing” to “Pending” and
notifying e-mail sent to unit
 Limited to NSF Fast Lane

Post-Award
Decentralization

Authority for approval
delegated to colleges
–
–
–
–
–
Budget revisions
Equipment purchases
Journal vouchers
Project (no cost) extensions
Personnel actions
Handled electronically
 Project Management staff
review random transactions
after the fact

Community
of Science
“Marketing to a market of
one”
 Community of Science

– Automated, customizable email notification system to
disseminate funding
opportunity information
» Works on keywords chosen
by the researcher
» Integrates several databases
Implementation
Timeline
AY95: Designed and tested
 October 1995: Pre-award
system in research office
 April 1996: Post-award
system in research office
 July 1996: Begin campuswide rollout of pre-award
system
 January 1998: Begin campuswide rollout of post-award
and electronic approval
processes

Research
Office
Outcomes
GMS used for over 75% of all
proposals
 Over 100 paperless proposals
using Fast Lane and GMS
 578 faculty are using COS

Summary
Key to electronic services is
high quality IT infrastructure
and support
 Careful planning essential
 Integrated databases, Web
forms, e-mail, etc. make it
work
 Input from users helps
continuous improvement

Feedback and
Copies
Copies available at:
http://www.udel.edu/vpapp/
cgs98/workshop/index.htm
Send comments/questions to:
John Cavanaugh (jcc@udel.edu)
Michele Campbell (mc@udel.edu)
Hugh Campbell (hpc@udel.edu)