Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs - Implementation Information
Q. Are other universities using Student Administration(SA)?
A. Yes. Among the over 300 universities and colleges that use Campus Solutions are the majority of the University System of Maryland system schools, as well as other prominent research institutions, such as Princeton, Cornell, Duke, The Ohio State University, The University of Michigan, the California State University System, University of Wisconsin System, and many others. Regional users include Gettysburg, Delaware, James Madison, and FCC.
Q. What does Student Administration (SA) replace?
A. In addition to previously replacing the legacy SIS Recruitment system, as well as several associated shadow systems, Student Administration will eventually replace SIS, MAP, SAFERS (Financial Aid), Student Billing, and other related student systems.
Q. When, exactly, will SA go into production?
A. Actually, the SA student recruiting module is already in production and other components will be brought on-line through-out the course of this academic year. The implementation schedule will follow a process "life-cycle" logic with the objective of using SA functionality for all core processes (admissions, class scheduling, registration, student financials, financial aid, and student records) for Summer and Fall 2009.
Taking "critical path" functional requirements into account, we will follow this general timeline:
Functional Component |
SA Go-live |
|---|---|
Admissions for Summer and Fall 2009 |
October '08 |
Class Scheduling for Summer and Fall 2009 |
October '08 |
Financial Aid for Fall 2009 |
February '09 |
Academic Advising for Summer and Fall 2009 |
February '09 |
Registration for Summer and Fall 2009 |
March '09 |
Student Financials |
April '09 |
Grading and Transcripting |
July '09 |
Degree Clearance and Conferral for Summer 2009 |
August '09 |
Q. Will I be working in our old systems and in SA simultaneously?
A. Yes. For a short time.
- Fall, Winter and Spring 2008 will be conducted in our "legacy systems."
- Summer and Fall 2009 data will be entered into SA.
That's right but we won't be doing any duplicative processing: all processes for the 2008/9 Academic Year will be conducted in our "legacy systems" (SIS, SAR, FAS) and all processes for the 2009/10 Academic Year (starting with Summer 2009) will be conducted in SA.
Still, we and we know it's going to be challenging -particularly in the Spring - but by July 1st, 2009, we will have migrated all our processes to SA and be working exclusively in that environment.
Q. How and When will I find out how to do what I need to do with SA?
A. As a general rule, you should look to the appropriate functional offices for information, training and guidance in terms of working in the SA environment. For example, if it's admissions business, look to the appropriate (graduate or undergraduate) admissions office; registration or grading, the Registrar's Office, etc.
Or
Visit www.umbc.edu/sa for the latest information and training opportunities.
Q: Will the new system have the same functions as the current system?
A. Yes and more!!! Student Administration will allow UMBC to support our critical business processes and functions, as well as support MHEC state reporting requirements. However, there may be changes to our business processes to support best practices that have not been implemented previously due to the limitations of our legacy systems.
Q: How much "old data" will be available in Student Administration (SA)?
A. There will be approximately 150,000 student records consisting of practically everyone in SIS with academic history or accounts receivable. If we import a student's records into SA, we will also include a snapshot of their associated admission information. Additionally, we are converting several years' worth of application information of people who have never enrolled.
Q: What reports will be available and when?
A. Reporting needs will be met using several available tools, including our previously implemented iStrategy reporting tool, Microsoft Reporting Services, and PeopleSoft's built in query tool. Many reports will be available at the go-live date of each module; and we will build additional reports as additional needs are identified.
Q. Is there a glossary of new terms?
A. Yes. A project glossary already exists on the project web site at []https://spaces.umbc.edu/display/sa/Glossary. The Glossary will be updated as additional modules are implemented.