It is official now -- has been official since a letter was sent out by the University CIO and FAS Registrar on May 6th -- we are marching ahead with a University-wide student information system. After rigorous debate and intensive collaboration, we tapped Oracle's PeopleSoft Campus Solutions for staged deployment over the next 3-4 years.
In addition to the core modules (admissions, student financials, student records, advisement) we are planning to make business intelligence a cornerstone of the solution (big shock for those who follow my blog or Twitter). To that end, we are charging headlong into the new Student Information Analytics (SIA) warehouse with analytics powered by Oracle's Exalytics In-Memory BI Machine. The boxes arrived at our loading dock today and I am chomping at the big to get my hands on them... Of course, we might need to configure Campus Solutions a little bit first!
This is an incredibly exciting initiative for both the University and for me personally -- a return to SIS after a few years on the finance side of things... Dusting off unused vocabulary and memories of PeopleTools 8.49. Too soon to tell whether implementing SIS is like riding a bicycle; lt's hope not, because I'm a pathetic cyclist!
And now for the important part: I am hiring. Nine positions so far, with another dozen to hit the market by early June. Check out http://employment.harvard.edu and search for current postings in Harvard University Information Technology (HUIT). I am looking for a crew of bright, creative, and courageous souls to join me on this adventure!