Regents Approve UA Technology Systems Overhaul
ABOR approved the UA's request to replace all four of its major administrative systems, including financials, research administration, student information and Human Resources/payroll.
The Arizona Board of Regents on Friday approved a $90 million overhaul of technology systems at The University of Arizona.
The board, which met at the UA last week, unanimously approved the University's request to replace all four of its major administrative systems, including financials, research administration, student information and human resources/payroll.
"These systems are foundational to running this University – to running any university," said Michele Norin, the UA's chief information officer.
The systems being replaced as part of the Enterprise Systems Replacement Project are 20-30 years old, Norin said. Beside being at an increased risk of failing, their age puts them at risk of noncompliance with National Science Foundation standards for effort reporting on NSF grants, according to the executive summary that Norin and her planning team presented to the board.
"This update is the key to this University remaining competitive and doing business," Norin said.
The old systems will be replaced with technology from Kuali Financials and Research and PeopleSoft.
The Kuali Foundation is a nonprofit organization that manages enterprise software applications for colleges and universities. The UA has been involved with Kuali since 2005 when it collaborated with three other universities on a project involving Indiana University's financial information system.
The PeopleSoft system, which will replace the UA's student information and human resources/payroll systems, already has been adopted by Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University.
Hank Childers, director of information technology projects at the UA, will direct the replacement project, Norin announced in a letter to the campus community. During the upcoming weeks and months, Childers will help "further define the details of implementation, including the governance and working structures."
Norin also wrote that the replacement project team will be seeking input from the campus community about the implementation of the new systems and how the transition from old to new can be made more smoothly.
The project, which is slated to take three to five years, will get under way in July.
For more information about the project, visit http://cio.arizona.edu/policies/Enterprise_Feb2008.pdf.