The first benefits of the new Student Information System are expected to debut in fall 2022, when students will use a new system to register for classes, advisors will have new tools to review student progress, and faculty will submit grades in a different way. Photo by Cydney Scott

Student Life

New Student Information System Is Welcome and Necessary

Three-year project will include upgrades to Student Link and Faculty Link, expected to deliver first rewards in fall 2022

As the University continues to weather the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is launching a comprehensive redo of the computer system that manages the vast majority of student interactions with the University. Over the next three years, the Student Information System (SIS), a mainframe artifact that has supported student data, from application to graduation, for nearly 40 years, will be replaced by a contemporary system that will better serve students and enable several aspects of the University’s new Strategic Plan.

In a letter to students, faculty, and staff February 4, Jean Morrison, University provost and chief academic officer, notes that while the current system, which includes the Student Link and Faculty Link, has served the University well, “it is both functionally and aesthetically outdated and in need of an upgrade.” She says it’s critical that the SIS Renewal Program begin at this time, “to ensure that we are able to both sustain current student- and faculty-supporting functionality, as well as meet the University’s strategic priorities.”  

Christine McGuire, vice president and associate provost for enrollment and student administration, says the current system’s lack of agility has frustrated the implementation of some academic innovations as well as the delivery of some services, and the University’s institutional knowledge of its software has been shrinking as older staff has retired.

The new system will support the same broad portfolio of services as the current one. It will track and store information for Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Records, Curriculum Management, Student Advising, Student Financials, and Student Employment, and new tools will take over the creation of student BU IDs and system access, as well as academic reporting and data analytics.

If all goes as planned, the new system’s first benefits will debut in fall 2022, when students will use a new system to register for classes and advisors will have new tools to review student progress. Faculty will also submit grades in a different way, and central offices will manage student records with greater ease. The entire system is expected to be up and running in fall 2023. More information about the schedule can be found here.

The SIS renewal project is being led by IS&T and Enrollment & Student Administration. The foundation of the new system will be PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, to be implemented with help from Deloitte Consulting. Because Campus Solutions will be hosted in the Oracle cloud, the University will not have to invest in a new hardware infrastructure.

”The renewal of our Student Information Systems is the capstone project to modernize BU’s institution-wide information systems,” says Tracy Schroeder, vice president for information services and technology. “The program is essential to providing the kind of digital experience that students and faculty at BU should have, in keeping with the excellence of our academic programs and broader learning experience.”  

The project is so extensive that just about everyone in the BU community can expect to be impacted at some time during its implementation. To minimize inconvenience, McGuire says, the project team will solicit feedback and provide frequent updates about what might be changed next.

“Adjusting to a new system will be a challenge,” she says. “Fortunately, there will be resources available to facilitate as smooth a transition as possible, and we will work together as a community to learn, adapt, and improve the system after the initial implementation.”

In her letter to the University community, Morrison asks that faculty, staff, and students willingly and readily adopt the new processes and tools “that will be critical to our collective success.”