Project B.O.B.: The New Information Systems at UMW
During
the 2002-2003 academic year, the administration first announced the
upcoming changes to the administrative systems at the University, as
well as the need to replace our existing HP 3000 system. What began
as a systems replacement project has become nothing less than a University-wide
restructuring of our information environment, improving the way we all
do our jobs, and serve our UMW community.
The new environment, based on a product called "Banner,"
developed by SCT , promises vast improvements
not only to the way we do our jobs, but in the way we are able to respond
to all those requests we field everyday from students, faculty, staff,
and the UMW community.
Software and hardware installation and training for Project B.O.B.*
officially began as of June 16, 2003, and the team has been hard
at work all year examining business processes and learning new programs.
The Banner Finance and Advancement systems went live during the first
week of July 2004. Banner for Admissions, and online applications, began in Mid-September 2004. March 28 marked the launch of the final Banner module: Banner Student. Advanced registration for the Fall 2005 semester was handled, for the first time, through the new Banner system.
The B.O.B. team includes representatives
from throughout the college: Admissions, Alumni/Advancement, Business
and Finance, Financial Aid, Human Resources, Information Technologies,
Registrar, and Residence Life; and the work sessions and business process
analysis sessions involve an even larger group, including participants
from the Stafford campus.
Each of us will be impacted during the 30-month development process.
For a system of this size, this is a very tight timeframe. As such,
we ask that you provide as much support as you can for your co-workers
who have added the B.O.B. development project to their already long
list of duties.
With the support of everyone here, we can make the job easier for all
of us, and we will all benefit from the new, exciting changes we are
about to experience at UMW.
*Bring
On Banner!!