UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Board of Trustees Committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning voted today (Nov. 21) to recommend approval to replace the University’s Integrated Student Information System (ISIS). Pending approval of the full board on Friday (Nov. 22), the $64.6 million ongoing, multi-year initiative will replace the current student information system with a new, state-of-the-art system.
A phased roll-out of the initiative, which has been named Project LionPATH, is scheduled to begin in fall 2015 and will be completed in fall 2016. The new integrated system will enable Penn State to better support students, faculty and staff by improving current features, as well as allowing for additional capabilities, process improvements and enhanced efficiencies. The system software will be provided by Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, and CedarCrestone will be the University’s implementation partner.
“The new student information system will be integral to the work and academic needs of tens of thousands of Penn State community members daily,” said Nick Jones, executive vice president and provost. “We are looking forward to the new initiative, and our ability to better adapt to emerging technologies and to meet the expectations of students, faculty and staff."
The new system will be used not only to manage billing, student aid awards, course scheduling, transcript generation and student record maintenance for Penn State students from admission through graduation, but also will be the foundation for a revamped eLion, Penn State's Web-based system for students, advisers and faculty. Additionally, the system will provide a new data warehouse that will enhance Penn State’s strategic data analysis capabilities.
The University intends to renovate the third floor of the recently purchased 300 N. Science Park Road Building to accommodate staff and consultants working on the LionPATH project. The renovation project includes building system upgrades, layout configuration changes, new finishes, cubicle fit-outs and furniture. The University fiber optics network will be expanded and connected to the building.
Beginning in early 2014, functional and technical team members comprised of staff from across the University, as well as CedarCreststone consultants, will co-locate to 300 N. Science Park Road to begin working on the new initiative. After completion of the LionPATH project, expected toward the end of 2016, the space will be used to house staff for other enterprise projects. The cost estimate for the renovation project is $4 million.
To learn more about Project LionPATH, visit http://projectlionpath.psu.edu.