[CoIT-PrivateHigherEd] CoIT Collaboration Call (ERP Systems) – Dec 11 @ 4:00
Richard Reif
reif01 at nsuok.edu
Thu Dec 4 10:22:44 CST 2025
Please join the discussion as the group dives into what the 😡🤬😡🤬do we
do with our on-premise ERP systems. Our current vendors will force us to
SaaS at some point in the future. How long do we have? Wait and see
versus opportunity cost of being late to the party. Are the new systems
really ready for prime time or is the hype cycle working overtime?
Since I have the advantage ?? In this group of experience (AKA – I am older
than most here), I can say that ERP solutions have traditionally oversold
their “cure all” solutions for many decades now. Are the new AI powered
SaaS system finally going to deliver what has been long promised? Can we
not only successfully implement these systems with existing staff but also
keep our teams current such that we never have to implement an ERP ever
again? Is there any possibility of all or some of us doing this together
for cost savings? Are our functional teams ready for this *Campus (**not
IT) project*? Will executive leadership sponsor and provide support for
the challenges that are inevitable during this very challenging endeavor?
I am personally very excited for this next generation of systems but feel
the need to remind myself of Charlie Brown trying to kick the ERP football
once again.
You will find the agenda below as well as a google Gemini look back at
previous higher education ERP promises just to keep the hype cycle and
expectations grounded. I will need a stunt double to lead this discussion
as I will be out and about at this time slot.
Richard
Agenda:
· Timeline, risk mitigation, and key planning for transitioning ERP
systems to cloud-based platforms.
· Data migration strategies and system dependencies
· Identity and access management for SaaS platforms
· Change management and stakeholder communication
· Date & Time: Thursday, December 11, 4:00 p.m.
· Zoom Link:
https://onenet.zoom.us/j/91224109180?pwd=Fo387O0Db5TUZDll7wxcQEq1exb0Fn.1
Google Gemini – Look at Higher Education ERP through the decades.
[image: image.png]
*The 1970s: The Promise of the "Service Bureau"*
*The Pitch:* *"We’ll run the computer so you can run the college."*
Universities were some of the first adopters of mainframes (for research),
but administrative computing was a nightmare of punch cards.
- *SCT (Systems & Computer Technology):* Before they sold software, they
sold *people*.
- *The Promise:* They invented the "Facilities Management" model.
They literally promised to hire your IT staff, rent your mainframe, and
sell you back the computing power.
- *Value Prop:* "Total Computer Operation." They promised that
university presidents didn't need to understand computers—they
just needed
to sign the check.
------------------------------
*The 1980s: The Promise of the "Integrated Database"*
*The Pitch:* *"Admissions should talk to the Registrar."* This was the
birth of the "Student Information System" (SIS). Before this, Admissions,
Financial Aid, and the Registrar all had different physical files.
- *Datatel (Colleague):*
- *The Pitch:* "Information, not just data."
- *The Promise:* They sold the underlying database technology
(Prime/UniData) as a way to create a "single record" for a student. If a
student changed their address in Financial Aid, it updated in the
Registrar’s office.
- *SCT (Banner - launched ~1988):*
- *The Slogan:* *"The Unified Digital Campus."*
- *The Promise:* They promised that Banner was the first system built
on a relational database (Oracle) that could scale to major state
universities.
------------------------------
*The 1990s: The Promise of the "Unified Suite" (ERP)*
*The Pitch:* *"Manage the Student Lifecycle."* The term "ERP" entered
higher ed. Vendors stopped selling "registration systems" and started
selling "Campus Solutions" that covered everything from a prospect’s first
visit to their alumni donations.
- *PeopleSoft (Campus Solutions):*
- *The Disruption:* They entered the market in the late 90s with a
web-based architecture (no green screens).
- *The Promise:* *"Real-time access."* They pitched the ability for
students to register for classes online, ending the infamous "gymnasium
registration" days where students waited in physical lines for hours.
- *Marketing Vibe:* *"Leading the Way to Student Success."*
- *Jenzabar:*
- *The Strategy:* *"The Internet Portal."*
- *The Promise:* While others focused on back-office records,
Jenzabar (founded in 1998) initially pitched the "web portal" that
connected students to professors, before acquiring other ERPs to build a
full suite.
------------------------------
*The 2000s: The Promise of "Self-Service"*
*The Pitch:* *"No more standing in line."* The battleground moved to the
web browser. The promise was removing the administrative burden from staff
by letting students do it themselves.
- *SunGard Higher Education (formerly SCT, later Ellucian):*
- *The Slogan:* *"Unified Digital Campus."*
- *The Promise:* A seamless flow of data where the Learning
Management System (Blackboard/Canvas) talked to the SIS
(Banner). They sold
the "integration" heavily.
- *Datatel:*
- *The Promise:* *"ActiveCampus."* They focused on the "constituent
relationship"—treating students like customers who deserved a
good service
experience.
------------------------------
*The 2010s: The Promise of "Student Success & Retention"*
*The Pitch:* *"We can predict who will drop out."* Enrollments began to
decline, and the focus shifted from "processing students" to "keeping
students." The ERP became a retention tool.
- *Ellucian (formed by the merger of Datatel & SunGard):*
- *The Pivot:* *"Student Success."*
- *The Promise:* They stopped selling "administrative efficiency" and
started selling "retention rates." The pitch was that their system could
flag an "at-risk" student (based on grades or financial aid) so
an advisor
could intervene *before* they dropped out.
- *Slogan:* *"Powering what’s next."*
- *Workday (Student):*
- *The Attack:* *"Built for the Cloud."*
- *The Pitch:* They entered the market attacking the 30-year-old code
of Banner/PeopleSoft.
- *The Promise:* *"The Power of One."* They promised a single version
of software for all customers (no painful upgrades) and a mobile-first
experience that looked like Instagram, not a spreadsheet.
------------------------------
*The 2020s - Present: The Promise of "Experience & Skills"*
*The Pitch:* *"The lifelong learning journey."* The "Student Information
System" is now dead; long live the "Student Experience Platform."
- *Ellucian (SaaS):*
- *Slogan:* *"Accelerate the future."*
- *The Promise:* Moving to the cloud (SaaS) to unlock AI. They now
promise to reduce the "friction" of higher ed—auto-awarding degrees,
auto-packaging financial aid, and using AI to guide students.
- *Workday:*
- *The Promise:* *"A Skills-Based Strategy."*
- *The Pitch:* They are shifting the promise away from
"Grades/Transcripts" to "Skills/Credentials." The promise is to help
universities prove the ROI of a degree by tracking the specific workforce
skills a student gains.
- *Jenzabar:*
- *Slogan:* *"Master the New Student."*
- *The Promise:* Focusing on the "non-traditional" student (adult
learners, part-time), promising flexibility that old, rigid 4-year degree
systems couldn't handle.
--
Dr. Richard Reif
CIO
Northeastern State University
(918) 444-5900
http://service.nsuok.edu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.onenet.net/pipermail/coit-privatehighered/attachments/20251204/d31d4cf3/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image.png
Type: image/png
Size: 44714 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.onenet.net/pipermail/coit-privatehighered/attachments/20251204/d31d4cf3/attachment-0001.png>
More information about the CoIT-PrivateHigherEd
mailing list