The end of the fall 2008 semester marked the first semester completely managed within K-State’s new iSIS student information system and the completion of the final phase of the student information system installation. More importantly, it was the final step in completing the LASER Project, K-State’s largest-ever information technology project.
The result is a sleek, web-based system available 24/7 from anywhere at any time, with information that is updated on a real-time basis. With the elimination of Social Security numbers as the primary identifier, iSIS provides improved security of personal information. iSIS also is positioned to integrate more easily with other K-State systems such as K-State Online, to improve the instructor experience in attending to administrative details.
The LASER (Legacy Application Systems Empowered Replacement) Project began in 2002. Its primary objectives were to move from the mainframe computing environment and replace the outdated financial and student information systems with new applications that had more advanced web-based technologies. Given the numerous business procedures across campus, this charge had university-wide implications.
A full-time project team was comprised of representatives from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Registrar’s Office, Office of Student Financial Assistance, Controller’s Office, Office of Information Systems, and units within Information Technology Services. The core group collaborated extensively with every college and administrative department on campus to analyze their business processes, listen to their needs, and produce a system that would bring K-State well beyond the days of the mainframe and paper records.
Six years later the project team — under the leadership of project director Jennifer Gehrt and project coordinator John Struve (prior to his retirement), along with the implementation partners of Oracle, EMS Consulting, and Ciber — has completed this task. With the LASER project completion, Gehrt has returned to the Division of Human Resources as the Director of Human Resource Services, and the project team has disbanded.
In July 2005 the Financial Information System (FIS) was the first LASER Project system to go live at K-State. Since then, the new FIS has successfully enabled the Controller’s Office to perform its core business function of providing fiscal services to the campus and ensuring funds are properly received, spent, and reported in accordance with university, regent, state, and federal requirements.
Fran Willbrant, university controller, noted, “The FIS system allows us far more flexibility and reporting capabilities than were present in our old system. We have been live on FIS for a few years now and are very satisfied with the systems performance.”
The student information system used a phased process to ensure continuity in business processes and data records. The first module to go live was Admissions in June 2007, Curriculum Management in September 2007, followed by Financial Aid in February 2008, Student Records and Enrollment in March 2008, and Student Financials in June 2008. All transactions completed in iSIS were in preparation for the fall 2008 semester. The final step was the electronic reporting of fall final grades within iSIS by all faculty.
Although every system has a learning curve, the adjustment to new ways of admitting students, enrollment management, processing financial aid awards, accessing class rosters, billing students, reporting final grades, and creating reports has been fairly smooth.
“FIS and iSIS have been overwhelmingly successful to date,” said Gehrt. “The collaboration of university administration, faculty, staff, and students to make this project successful is unequaled, and I found this collaboration to be an incredibly rewarding experience. It is important to stress the initial implementation of these key administrative systems is the first phase and sets the stage for future improvement in administrative processes at K-State.”
“The completion of this project that replaces most of the administrative systems used on campus to serve our students and faculty is a landmark for K-State,” said Elizabeth Unger, former vice provost for Information Technology Services and academic fellow. “It might be noted that this project was completed on time and within a budget that is lower than all recent similar system replacement at Big 12 universities.”
These newer technologies will continue to improve K-State’s competitiveness in recruiting and retaining today’s best and brightest students. Empowering students to be proactive in managing their education is invaluable.
