The University of Arkansas System (UAS) looks to facilitate the reporting of system-wide information and more closely coordinate student, human capital and financial services through adoption of a single enterprise system solution.
Opportunity
UAS is comprised of 18 institutions, including the state’s flagship university, an academic medical center, a major metropolitan university, an 1890 land-grant university, two regional universities, five community colleges, an on-line university, and six schools and divisions totaling more than 60,000 students and 17,000 staff. Each institution maintained its own administrative systems, which impeded collection and analysis of financial and people-related data across campuses for coordinated decision-making and service delivery. UAS saw an opportunity to establish and share leading practices and achieve economies of scale.
Imagining IT Differently
ISG helped UAS assess its legacy enterprise software capabilities and make collaborative plans involving all institutions to implement and deploy new system-wide student administration, human capital management and financial management systems, and integrate the new software into the existing administrative systems environment. In connection with the implementation of cloud-based systems, UAS expects to bring its technology infrastructure up to date using cloud platforms and modern tools to enhance functionality and reduce costs for its component institutions.
Future Made Possible
- A comprehensive assessment of the current administrative systems at each institution
- System requirements for student administration, human capital management and financial management systems developed with input from all system components
- Estimated costs, implementation strategies and timelines for evaluation of viable alternatives
- Comprehensive RFP for the acquisition of shared enterprise software and hosting services
- Detailed RFP for acquisition of system-wide integration and implementation services
- Support for evaluating and negotiating software licensing/subscription, annual maintenance agreements, and statements of work for services
- Pre-implementation support to prepare UAS component institutions for later implementation activities through alignment of financial account classifications and summarization structures
- Independent project oversight and organizational change management services for the duration of the implementation project.
