final version of the self-study document - Keuka College's Middle ...

2. In 2009, the College commissioned an Information Technology Assessment and Strategic
Plan (Appendix 2.25 Information Technology Assessment Strategic Plan), which
recommended a re-organization of the ITS department, creation of a new Director of
Information Technology and several other key support positions, an upgrade in the server
capacity, a security profile, and the upgrading of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
system. This upgrade was commenced in 2010 and the implementation of a new network
infrastructure, utilizing a unified computing platform, creates a new flexible datacenter
that offers redundancy with key hardware components and a fail-over capability, should
one component exhibit issues or operational failure. The new infrastructure now
provided ubiquitous wireless coverage across campus and provides scalable performance
and storage options that can be configured in hours instead of days or weeks.
3. As a result of the Information Technology Assessment and Strategic Plan mentioned
above, the decision was made to improve both data quality and access through replacing
the 2001 Jenzabar ERP system with Elucian’s (formerly Datatel) Colleague ERP system.
Although there were many attempts to update and revise the original Jenzabar ERP
program to meet Keuka’s evolving needs, it became obvious that the current platform
was unable to accommodate the needed changes. Harris Consulting Associates was hired
to work with a College-wide vendor team that was formed to recommend a new ERP
system. The team sent out a request for proposal to vendors, and went through an
extensive procurement process, detailed in a 2009 document (Appendix 2.26 Memo:
Vendors ERP Recommendations). This process resulted in the procurement and
implementation of Elucian’s Colleague ERP application solutions for academic,
financial, and human resources management at Keuka, allowing College personnel to
make better informed decisions across all areas and programs.
Due to the critical nature of replacing the ERP system, a Core team to oversee the
implementation was formed and made up of representatives from Financial Aid, IT
Services, Admissions, Experiential Learning, Student Affairs, Human Resources, the
Registrar’s Office, the Business Office, and Instructional Design. The Core team met
weekly and commenced extensive training sessions in June of 2010, continuing through
the completion of the project.
The goals and expectations of the new ERP system are as follows:
A Customer Resource Management module for Admissions that will allow for
better management of the life cycle of a student from prospect to accepted student
On-line student access to information on all of their academic and financial
accounts, at the times that are convenient for them
On-line student registration
On-line access for advisors to student information
Classroom scheduling capability
Reporting and operating analytics that will align data with reports that will help in
decision-making
Financial tracking and analysis needs from purchasing and accounts payable, to
general ledger and budget management
Page 19 of 23 Chapter 2: Planning and Resources