The University of Mississippi is switching its cloud-based information systems from SAP, the platform that currently supports the myOleMiss portal, to Workday and Banner by Ellucian.
The transition to these systems are expected to be fully implemented within the next four years, according to Lisa Stone, lead for Project Encompass and interim vice chancellor for marketing and communications.
Project Encompass is the initiative that chose the replacement systems. Project Encompass was created because SAP is currently pushing for customers to migrate to its newer cloud-based platform and will cease maintenance on older models like the one the university uses by 2027. The initiative, which began in fall 2022, is composed of faculty members and technology experts who assessed several platform options.
Tony Ammeter, co-chair of Project Encompass initiative and the project director for the Banner student information system (SIS) solution, said the change was needed to help student operations.
“The least important reason why we’re doing this change is because the SAP system is going away,” Ammeter said. “There are so many reasons to introduce Project Encompass, but the most important reasons include better service for our students as well as for the rest of the university.”
Stone explained that Workday will be used for administrative purposes, and Banner will be used by students.
“The university is implementing two cloud-based solutions to replace our current SAP system,” Stone said. “Workday will be for human resources, payroll and financial operations while Banner by Ellucian will be for student information system.”
Banner is a software system designed to help higher education institutions manage students’ information, finances, human resources and academics. It is a cloud-based system that can also be hosted on through the institution’s own servers and IT infrastructure, rather than a third-party provider.
Workday is a platform used by organizations to aid in managing human resources — like financials and individuals within the organization.
Ammeter said its option of a mobile format will improve student operations.
“I call it self-service for students,” Ammeter said. “It’ll be easier for students to register for classes, for example, because the mobile application is custom built for mobile devices; therefore, it’ll look similar or the same on the right desktop computer or laptop computer tablet or your cell phone. That’s going to be very important because we all know a lot of our work gets done on our mobile device, so that’s going to be a game changer.”
Despite the benefits, Ammeter said there are potential challenges with the new system, especially since the university is the first of many to implement the new program.
“We were one of the first ones to do this, so we don’t have a lot of examples of successful or unsuccessful implementations. But I do think the biggest challenges will be communicating with the students and faculty as to why we are doing this change,” Ammeter said. “It might be a little difficult for some of the students and faculty who are used to the SAP system, but I can almost promise you it will be a better experience.”
Hans P. Sinha, faculty senator and clinical professor of law and director of the Clinical Externship Program, said he is looking forward to modernizing the information systems.
“It’s worth switching over to a new university-wide program with how much we are upgrading,” Sinha said. “For instance, if you go on myOleMiss and check the courses section, it will look completely different.”
Chancellor Glenn Boyce said in a 2024 press release that he is looking forward to how the new update will help the university.
“This is much more than just an upgrade,” Boyce said. “It’s a digital transformation that will enable us to thrive in a competitive landscape, a testament to our commitment to providing the highest quality education and services to our students, faculty, staff and researchers, and it is an investment in our mission, our people and our future.”
