Thursday, November 15, 2018
Duo Security requirement began November 1
Over the next 12 months, as it becomes time for you to reset your password, you will also enroll in Duo Security for UMN sign-in. Technology Help is available at z.umn.edu/dotheduo.
People Tools 8.56 upgrade - Fluid navigation approach
The PeopleTools 8.56 upgrade has begun. The target date for go-live is April 7, 2019, with testing scheduled for January through March. In July of 2019, Oracle will discontinue support of our current version which prompted the timing of this upgrade.
One of the intents of this project is to move from Classic navigation to Fluid navigation for administrative users. In doing so, the header and navigation will look different, but the functionality of pages will remain unchanged. The project team continues to work on the configuration of the fluid navigation and you can expect more details in December.
One of the intents of this project is to move from Classic navigation to Fluid navigation for administrative users. In doing so, the header and navigation will look different, but the functionality of pages will remain unchanged. The project team continues to work on the configuration of the fluid navigation and you can expect more details in December.
Transfer Articulation and Degree Audit (TADA) project update
We have started outreach for establishing best practices. Representatives for the Twin Cities were identified by the Advising Steering Committee and there is a group established in Duluth. A few other updates:
- The project team began testing and the core processing is performing well so far.
- The analysis of progress to degree encoding for majors with required minors has started.
- The team completed a rapid prototyping usability study on the audit report. This was done with students on the Duluth campus.
- The design for how to display “in-progress” and “future term” registration with grade basis in APAS has been completed.
Fall conference updates
Fall—in-particular, October—is a heavy time of year for conferences. Here are some updates from some of the larger conferences staff attended.
Big Ten Academic Alliance Military & Veterans - 10/8-11
Jabra Kawas, the assistant director of One Stop & University Veterans Services, attended the Big Ten Academic Alliance Military and Veterans annual meeting hosted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Representatives from veterans services offices from all Big Ten schools were in attendance. Workshops included a review of the Center for Wounded Veterans and Illinois Model, school updates, working with advancement and corporate relations, and an update from the Military Family Research Institute. Jabra provided a review of the University Veterans Services annual report and led a discussion on navigating politics in higher education. Next year’s conference will be held at Indiana University. The University of Minnesota is scheduled to host in 2024.
Big Ten Bursars Conference - 10/14-16
Tom Schmidt, from Student Account Assistance in the Office of Student Finance at Twin Cities, attended the annual Big Ten Bursars meeting hosted by Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. A full day and a half were dedicated to discussing pressing issues submitted by each of the member institutions. Discussions covered billing, cashiering, customer service, collections, financial aid disbursement, credit balance refunds, student loans, student retention, tax issues, and more. During the meeting, Rutgers did a session on what things they do around media. They talked about how they analyzed their website to determine what they needed to concentrate on and how they analyzed the changes to see how usage improved. Their bursar’s office also talked about how they started a YouTube channel where their staff has created short videos around the work they do or items that students need to know about.
Big Ten Financial Aid Associate Directors conference - 10/17-19
The Twin Cities hosted 30 guests for the 1.5-day conference. Participants submit questions ahead of time, with answers provided in writing, and followed by an in-person discussion of topics including administration, policy, customer service, and processing. Tina Falkner provided the warmest welcome with our own Honeycrisp apples and the story behind them. These meetings are a great chance to measure ourselves against our peers in a non-competitive way, to share best practices and solicit advice on common challenges like summer sessions and the use of student employees. Interestingly, the University of Wisconsin-Madison accepts SNAP benefits through their convenience store food stores on campus, but not the cafeteria/dining centers. There seemed to be an even split between schools providing PJ (professional judgment) forms online versus after a pre-screen contact. Also of interest is that almost all of the schools plan to award new freshman between December and mid-February, with continuing students awarded from January to June. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities intends to send our awards out mid-to-late February and July respectively.
Dreamforce 2018 - 9/25-28
Jenni Peterson attended Dreamforce, Salesforce’s annual conference, in San Francisco from September 25-28. Dreamforce has 170,000 attendees from a variety of industries. The number of sessions focused on higher ed continues to increase every year. Highlights included learning more about Marketing Cloud communications around student retention, advisor link product, reporting tips and tricks, as well as new products coming for 2019.
Jenni Peterson attended Dreamforce, Salesforce’s annual conference, in San Francisco from September 25-28. Dreamforce has 170,000 attendees from a variety of industries. The number of sessions focused on higher ed continues to increase every year. Highlights included learning more about Marketing Cloud communications around student retention, advisor link product, reporting tips and tricks, as well as new products coming for 2019.
2018 Transfer Specialist & DARS User conference - 10/1-4
Stephanie Sutton, Julie Klecker, Kathryn Kvam, and Laura Butchko from ASR Continuity & Compliance Degree Audit team attended the MN State Transfer Specialist & DARS User conference held at the beginning of October in Breezy Point, MN. We all use the same software (DARS/uAchieve) from CollegeSource for our transfer articulation and degree audit systems. Stephanie and Laura presented on UMNTC’s new Transfer Evaluation Process (TES), outlining the cross-departmental collaboration that happened to ensure the new process was efficient and transparent for students, staff, and anyone looking for course equivalencies at UMNTC.
Stephanie Sutton, Julie Klecker, Kathryn Kvam, and Laura Butchko from ASR Continuity & Compliance Degree Audit team attended the MN State Transfer Specialist & DARS User conference held at the beginning of October in Breezy Point, MN. We all use the same software (DARS/uAchieve) from CollegeSource for our transfer articulation and degree audit systems. Stephanie and Laura presented on UMNTC’s new Transfer Evaluation Process (TES), outlining the cross-departmental collaboration that happened to ensure the new process was efficient and transparent for students, staff, and anyone looking for course equivalencies at UMNTC.
Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA) - 10/14-17
A high number of MAFAA attendees contributed to a fantastic turnout as described by conference chairs. Justin Draeger, NASFAA CEO, provided an update on the upcoming midterm elections. A recap of elements of the Tax Cuts and Job Act that was signed into law in December included an endowment excise tax and amounts discharged under death and total disability as non-taxable. The last HEA passed in 2008 and technically expired in 2013. It’s unclear what reauthorization will look like if both parties control a chamber. In addition, conference attendees raised over $2,000 for Believe—training service dogs for vets.
A high number of MAFAA attendees contributed to a fantastic turnout as described by conference chairs. Justin Draeger, NASFAA CEO, provided an update on the upcoming midterm elections. A recap of elements of the Tax Cuts and Job Act that was signed into law in December included an endowment excise tax and amounts discharged under death and total disability as non-taxable. The last HEA passed in 2008 and technically expired in 2013. It’s unclear what reauthorization will look like if both parties control a chamber. In addition, conference attendees raised over $2,000 for Believe—training service dogs for vets.
Tableau conference - 10/22-25
Chris Johnson of ASR-IT was one of 17,000 attendees at the annual Tableau conference in New Orleans in October with over 439 sessions offered. Tableau is a business intelligence software that helps people transform data into actionable insights. Tableau’s mission is to help people see and understand their data by gaining powerful insights through visualizations. Chris is one of several ASR-IT staff who use Tableau and he is able to share his learning and experience with those individuals in order to improve the data service(s) we provide to faculty, staff, and students.
Chris Johnson of ASR-IT was one of 17,000 attendees at the annual Tableau conference in New Orleans in October with over 439 sessions offered. Tableau is a business intelligence software that helps people transform data into actionable insights. Tableau’s mission is to help people see and understand their data by gaining powerful insights through visualizations. Chris is one of several ASR-IT staff who use Tableau and he is able to share his learning and experience with those individuals in order to improve the data service(s) we provide to faculty, staff, and students.
Midwest Higher Education User Group (MidHEUG) Alliance 2018 - 10/11-12
UMN was well represented and our presentations well-attended. This was a great opportunity for staff to learn and network. Sarah Hoegger presented on the new payment plan process; Max Herman, Julie Selander, and Stacey Tidball presented on the gender identity and personal pronouns project; Lana Rosario presented on navigating veterans benefits implementation; Dan Delaney on tracking diploma status; Jack Kimmes on the escheatment process; Lindsey Konerza, Stephanie Kearley, and Ken Kiehm presented on automating single term packaging; and David Norman presented a deep dive into Google Data Studio Visualization.
Big Ten Registrar’s conference - 10/14-16
Hosted by ASR at Twin Cities, a full day and a half were dedicated to discussing pressing issues submitted by each of the member institutions at the Big Ten Registrar’s conference. Topics ranged from diplomas to policy to getting our institutions ready for the cloud. New this year was an opportunity for institutions to give lightning presentations of an interesting product or initiative. Carin Anderson shared our Study Space Finder. Other examples included the academic reporting toolkit from the University of Michigan and innovative data visualizations created at the University of Wisconsin. This was a great opportunity to share, learn, and connect with our peers. Next year’s meeting will be at the University of Nebraska.
UMN was well represented and our presentations well-attended. This was a great opportunity for staff to learn and network. Sarah Hoegger presented on the new payment plan process; Max Herman, Julie Selander, and Stacey Tidball presented on the gender identity and personal pronouns project; Lana Rosario presented on navigating veterans benefits implementation; Dan Delaney on tracking diploma status; Jack Kimmes on the escheatment process; Lindsey Konerza, Stephanie Kearley, and Ken Kiehm presented on automating single term packaging; and David Norman presented a deep dive into Google Data Studio Visualization.
Big Ten Registrar’s conference - 10/14-16
Hosted by ASR at Twin Cities, a full day and a half were dedicated to discussing pressing issues submitted by each of the member institutions at the Big Ten Registrar’s conference. Topics ranged from diplomas to policy to getting our institutions ready for the cloud. New this year was an opportunity for institutions to give lightning presentations of an interesting product or initiative. Carin Anderson shared our Study Space Finder. Other examples included the academic reporting toolkit from the University of Michigan and innovative data visualizations created at the University of Wisconsin. This was a great opportunity to share, learn, and connect with our peers. Next year’s meeting will be at the University of Nebraska.
Big Ten Academic Alliance Military & Veterans - 10/8-11
Jabra Kawas, the assistant director of One Stop & University Veterans Services, attended the Big Ten Academic Alliance Military and Veterans annual meeting hosted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Representatives from veterans services offices from all Big Ten schools were in attendance. Workshops included a review of the Center for Wounded Veterans and Illinois Model, school updates, working with advancement and corporate relations, and an update from the Military Family Research Institute. Jabra provided a review of the University Veterans Services annual report and led a discussion on navigating politics in higher education. Next year’s conference will be held at Indiana University. The University of Minnesota is scheduled to host in 2024.
Big Ten Bursars Conference - 10/14-16
Tom Schmidt, from Student Account Assistance in the Office of Student Finance at Twin Cities, attended the annual Big Ten Bursars meeting hosted by Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. A full day and a half were dedicated to discussing pressing issues submitted by each of the member institutions. Discussions covered billing, cashiering, customer service, collections, financial aid disbursement, credit balance refunds, student loans, student retention, tax issues, and more. During the meeting, Rutgers did a session on what things they do around media. They talked about how they analyzed their website to determine what they needed to concentrate on and how they analyzed the changes to see how usage improved. Their bursar’s office also talked about how they started a YouTube channel where their staff has created short videos around the work they do or items that students need to know about.
Big Ten Financial Aid Associate Directors conference - 10/17-19
The Twin Cities hosted 30 guests for the 1.5-day conference. Participants submit questions ahead of time, with answers provided in writing, and followed by an in-person discussion of topics including administration, policy, customer service, and processing. Tina Falkner provided the warmest welcome with our own Honeycrisp apples and the story behind them. These meetings are a great chance to measure ourselves against our peers in a non-competitive way, to share best practices and solicit advice on common challenges like summer sessions and the use of student employees. Interestingly, the University of Wisconsin-Madison accepts SNAP benefits through their convenience store food stores on campus, but not the cafeteria/dining centers. There seemed to be an even split between schools providing PJ (professional judgment) forms online versus after a pre-screen contact. Also of interest is that almost all of the schools plan to award new freshman between December and mid-February, with continuing students awarded from January to June. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities intends to send our awards out mid-to-late February and July respectively.
Astra Aspire - 10/14-17
Christine Mounts and Bob Quinney from Office of Classroom Management had an opportunity to attend the Astra Aspire users' conference. Bob presented on system administration and Christine presented on users and security roles.
With the University's upgrade to Astra Schedule's newest version still pending in the testing phases, the conference provided an excellent opportunity to network with other Ad Astra client schools, get a heads up from developers on product roadmaps, and hear directly about improvements being made to Astra Schedule v.8. There was also ample room to provide feedback and input on potential enhancements for future releases as well as on current product functionality and performance.
Christine Mounts and Bob Quinney from Office of Classroom Management had an opportunity to attend the Astra Aspire users' conference. Bob presented on system administration and Christine presented on users and security roles.
With the University's upgrade to Astra Schedule's newest version still pending in the testing phases, the conference provided an excellent opportunity to network with other Ad Astra client schools, get a heads up from developers on product roadmaps, and hear directly about improvements being made to Astra Schedule v.8. There was also ample room to provide feedback and input on potential enhancements for future releases as well as on current product functionality and performance.
Institute for Student Services Professionals (ISSP)
At this year’s ISSP conference, six One Stop representatives attended valuable learning sessions, had a tour through the Buckeye Link at The Ohio State University (similar to our One Stop), and presented information to more than 220 colleagues from other institutions of higher education. Tom Taff and Julie Selander presented information to help other institutions better demonstrate the value and impact of their student services work. They showed how One Stop Student Services uses Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and student records for new approaches in data analysis and visualization to “tell the story” of student services and student success. Ian Macomber, Trinity Muller, Maia Noll, and Julie Selander presented concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion and how One Stop Student Services has been empowering staff to lead this important work to create a more inclusive workplace and welcoming experiences for students.
At this year’s ISSP conference, six One Stop representatives attended valuable learning sessions, had a tour through the Buckeye Link at The Ohio State University (similar to our One Stop), and presented information to more than 220 colleagues from other institutions of higher education. Tom Taff and Julie Selander presented information to help other institutions better demonstrate the value and impact of their student services work. They showed how One Stop Student Services uses Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and student records for new approaches in data analysis and visualization to “tell the story” of student services and student success. Ian Macomber, Trinity Muller, Maia Noll, and Julie Selander presented concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion and how One Stop Student Services has been empowering staff to lead this important work to create a more inclusive workplace and welcoming experiences for students.
UMACRAO Conference - 11/7-9
Registrars and admissions staff from North Dakota, South Dakota, Manitoba, Minnesota, and Iowa met on various topics: GDPR, commencement practices, social media, and FERPA roundtables. Other sessions on social justice and inclusion, customer service improvements, serving veterans, prior learning assessment, withdrawal policy implementation, and several other pertinent sessions.
Registrars and admissions staff from North Dakota, South Dakota, Manitoba, Minnesota, and Iowa met on various topics: GDPR, commencement practices, social media, and FERPA roundtables. Other sessions on social justice and inclusion, customer service improvements, serving veterans, prior learning assessment, withdrawal policy implementation, and several other pertinent sessions.
New Error & Incident form
ASR maintains an Error & Incident reporting form, used to report and track system or service problems that may impact faculty, staff, and/or students. This week, a refreshed Error & Incident (E&I) reporting form was made available: https://asrprojects.umn.edu/error-and-incident-report. A new E&I process guide is also available. This document outlines how to complete the form, communication outcomes, and follow up steps that might be needed. There are also instructions about ServiceNow access and data archiving plans.
Please update your bookmarks and anywhere you may have the form linked for others to access. The form is also linked from the ASR Intranet, the ASR Projects site, and will be updated on other staff resources by individual units.
The Error & Incident form received a facelift to make the process smoother, more user-friendly, and flexible for varied situations. Built in Drupal Lite, it addresses many pain points of the old form. Improvements include:
Please update your bookmarks and anywhere you may have the form linked for others to access. The form is also linked from the ASR Intranet, the ASR Projects site, and will be updated on other staff resources by individual units.
The Error & Incident form received a facelift to make the process smoother, more user-friendly, and flexible for varied situations. Built in Drupal Lite, it addresses many pain points of the old form. Improvements include:
- Allows for dynamic questions based on the status of an incident
- Connects ServiceNow ticket information
- Generates a ServiceNow ticket at the same time as submitting and E&I notice
- Allows for easy communication between the E&I communication group members, including the person who submitted the E&I notice
- Creates communications with unique subject lines to avoid Gmail truncating different reports into a single conversation
- Provides the ability for a submitter to attach screenshots, images, documents, or links to shared files to either illustrate the incident, or aid in the solution
New GPAS exceptions system is live
A new, online exceptions system for Graduate Planning and Audit System (GPAS) became available October 29, 2018. The new system was built to better support timely degree progress and graduation for graduate students enrolled in GPAS-implemented programs/colleges. With this launch, exceptions are processed within PeopleSoft rather than via a paper process, allowing for automated communications and more efficient processing.
OIT prepares for transition from Transform to Perceptive Content tool
OIT continues to progress through set-up and discovery of the new e-forms tool, Jadu’s Perceptive Content Portal, which will replace TransForm beginning in early 2019. The selection of Jadu centered around the need to have a tool that the end users, the folks who own the processes, could configure rather than relying on a workflow developer to do the bulk of the work. This new tool will allow for the majority of work to be done on the business level while working with OIT for additional data integrations and deployment.
The vendor was on campus for a few days in early October to conduct technical training for the Document Management Team and facilitate installation planning. OIT will hold a kickoff meeting for the first pilot round in mid-November to review rollout plan, roles and responsibilities during the pilot, and how first-round transitions will help develop OIT business processes and training. Training of first phase participants is scheduled for early December with the development of Transform processes starting in early January.
Academic Support Resources will be transitioning the current Twin Cities processes for Tuition Refund Appeal and Change of Expected Graduation Term, and the Twin Cities and Rochester process for Cost of Attendance Appeal for undergraduate and graduate students. We have been instructed to transition these processes in their current state with needed content and workflow tweaks, and prepare them for adding usage by other UMN campuses, if interested, in a future project phase.
OIT is planning a phased rollout of Jadu. Select units currently using TransForm will be in the first pilot phase, followed by the rest of TransForm users prior to an enterprise-wide roll out. OIT has asked the future users to please be patient during their current set up and pilot phases. They will be releasing further information to the full UMN community as business practices are developed.
The vendor was on campus for a few days in early October to conduct technical training for the Document Management Team and facilitate installation planning. OIT will hold a kickoff meeting for the first pilot round in mid-November to review rollout plan, roles and responsibilities during the pilot, and how first-round transitions will help develop OIT business processes and training. Training of first phase participants is scheduled for early December with the development of Transform processes starting in early January.
Academic Support Resources will be transitioning the current Twin Cities processes for Tuition Refund Appeal and Change of Expected Graduation Term, and the Twin Cities and Rochester process for Cost of Attendance Appeal for undergraduate and graduate students. We have been instructed to transition these processes in their current state with needed content and workflow tweaks, and prepare them for adding usage by other UMN campuses, if interested, in a future project phase.
OIT is planning a phased rollout of Jadu. Select units currently using TransForm will be in the first pilot phase, followed by the rest of TransForm users prior to an enterprise-wide roll out. OIT has asked the future users to please be patient during their current set up and pilot phases. They will be releasing further information to the full UMN community as business practices are developed.
System Registrar Council (SRC) updates (November 2018)
Marc Keaveny of ASR-IT presented information to the council on the upcoming PeopleTools 8.56 Upgrade scheduled for April 2019. Marc represents Campus Solutions, and Dan Hemauer of HR is the project manager for this upgrade.
The SRC also continues to work on One Stop website content, reviewing the content for the one time drop. The group is also providing feedback on updating the administrative policy, Using Email as Official Student Communication.
The SRC also continues to work on One Stop website content, reviewing the content for the one time drop. The group is also providing feedback on updating the administrative policy, Using Email as Official Student Communication.
System Student Finance Council (SSFC) updates (November 2018)
Nelnet upgrade
QuikPAY will be moved to the new 2018.2 release in late December. Testing has started in November. This will include the delayed 2018.1 release which was postponed from August and October. More information will be shared as it becomes available.
Nelnet credit card payment update
Little has changed since the last update. The ability for students to pay online with a credit card is still working the same but is being processed through a band-aid set up by Nelnet while we work on an agreement with the new card processor. After many months of no movement, we hope a recent call between attorneys and others may move things forward.
One Stop website
The SSFC has been reviewing One Stop website content to make sure things are current and to determine if changes are needed based on student reactions.
Terminology usability review
Kate Sophia along with Usability had the SSFC select a small group of words and their definitions that have caused issues or confusion for students. The Usability team then set up testing of these words with students. The objective was to see if the test subjects would answer with the word we were looking for or what word(s) they would respond with. There was some very interesting feedback that we will review and discuss further to make changes for users.
EDMS retirement
The Enterprise Document Management System (EDMS) is being decommissioned and replaced by Perceptive Content (ImageNow) as the storage medium for the student financials reconciliation reports. Testing is in progress and we expect that the transition will be complete in December 2018. More information about the access request process will be provided to the current users of EDMS in the coming month. After the transition, OIT will also need to bring the historical reports forward as a separate project.
QuikPAY will be moved to the new 2018.2 release in late December. Testing has started in November. This will include the delayed 2018.1 release which was postponed from August and October. More information will be shared as it becomes available.
Nelnet credit card payment update
Little has changed since the last update. The ability for students to pay online with a credit card is still working the same but is being processed through a band-aid set up by Nelnet while we work on an agreement with the new card processor. After many months of no movement, we hope a recent call between attorneys and others may move things forward.
One Stop website
The SSFC has been reviewing One Stop website content to make sure things are current and to determine if changes are needed based on student reactions.
Terminology usability review
Kate Sophia along with Usability had the SSFC select a small group of words and their definitions that have caused issues or confusion for students. The Usability team then set up testing of these words with students. The objective was to see if the test subjects would answer with the word we were looking for or what word(s) they would respond with. There was some very interesting feedback that we will review and discuss further to make changes for users.
EDMS retirement
The Enterprise Document Management System (EDMS) is being decommissioned and replaced by Perceptive Content (ImageNow) as the storage medium for the student financials reconciliation reports. Testing is in progress and we expect that the transition will be complete in December 2018. More information about the access request process will be provided to the current users of EDMS in the coming month. After the transition, OIT will also need to bring the historical reports forward as a separate project.
System Financial Aid Council (SFAC) updates (November 2018)
We have begun loading 2019-2020 financial aid applications (ISIRS). As of 11/05/2018, over 12,600 individual applications have been loaded into PeopleSoft for our combined campuses. We will begin notifying students of any additional documents needed to complete their applications next week. We are also still awarding students for the current year. Spring 2019-only packaging will begin next week.
Information Technology updates (November 2018)
ASR-IT BAs
Student financial business analysts are working on spring 2019 tuition setup. Each campus has set the dates for doing their setup verification and starting the calculations.
Student financial business analysts are working on spring 2019 tuition setup. Each campus has set the dates for doing their setup verification and starting the calculations.
All BAs who support Campus Solutions tested the latest Critical Patch update (November 11 production date). This was regression testing to ensure that the security patches didnot negatively impact our production system.
PeopleSoft Campus Solutions Image 11 has been released and BAs will be testing this over the next month with a migration to production on December 16, 2018. This release contains Financial Aid Regulatory Release 2 and 1098-T updates.
Destiny One Registration System
The latest version of Destiny One software, v5.7, was delivered to the Test instance on 11/7/2018. Pending successful validation of fixes and new functionality, the software will be delivered to the Production instance late November. New functionality in this release, related to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), includes the ability to forget an individual and new consent features.
Functional testing of the Destiny One-Salesforce integration is almost complete, with plans to go live in Production by late November.
Custom Solutions
The Custom Solutions team has begun testing the integration between TADA and student degree progress applications. Work continues on the new version of the student athlete certification tool for UMNTC student athletes.
Student Data and Analytics
Students' program and plan data by term as well as their class enrollment status by term are being designed to be built into UM Analytics for all system campuses. This will allow users to easily count and look at trends of students and their associated program/plans by term.
Retention risk code and models are being tested against additional system campus data. Data workflows are being updated to get closer to being able to run this analysis in one term predicting if students will return for the next term.
Join us for U of M Day of Data 2019! Spend a day learning and sharing new data skills and connecting with data enthusiasts across the University. This event is open to all students, faculty, and staff at the University of Minnesota across all campuses. It is free of charge to attend. Whether you are new to data or a data expert, you are welcome! For more information visit z.umn.edu/dayofdata.
PeopleSoft Campus Solutions Image 11 has been released and BAs will be testing this over the next month with a migration to production on December 16, 2018. This release contains Financial Aid Regulatory Release 2 and 1098-T updates.
Destiny One Registration System
The latest version of Destiny One software, v5.7, was delivered to the Test instance on 11/7/2018. Pending successful validation of fixes and new functionality, the software will be delivered to the Production instance late November. New functionality in this release, related to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), includes the ability to forget an individual and new consent features.
Functional testing of the Destiny One-Salesforce integration is almost complete, with plans to go live in Production by late November.
Custom Solutions
The Custom Solutions team has begun testing the integration between TADA and student degree progress applications. Work continues on the new version of the student athlete certification tool for UMNTC student athletes.
Student Data and Analytics
Students' program and plan data by term as well as their class enrollment status by term are being designed to be built into UM Analytics for all system campuses. This will allow users to easily count and look at trends of students and their associated program/plans by term.
Retention risk code and models are being tested against additional system campus data. Data workflows are being updated to get closer to being able to run this analysis in one term predicting if students will return for the next term.
Join us for U of M Day of Data 2019! Spend a day learning and sharing new data skills and connecting with data enthusiasts across the University. This event is open to all students, faculty, and staff at the University of Minnesota across all campuses. It is free of charge to attend. Whether you are new to data or a data expert, you are welcome! For more information visit z.umn.edu/dayofdata.
Crookston updates (November 2018)
Incomplete Grade Contract workflow
UMC is implementing the new Incomplete Grade Contract workflow this fall.
Early awards
We are preparing estimated financial aid awards earlier this year than in years prior, due to start mailing in mid-December. Financial aid staff plan to work closely with an enrollment management consultant over the next few months on new student scholarships and admitted student communications and events.
Staff updates
We welcome Ken Myers (OTR) back to work after being out for five weeks recovering from cancer surgery. Things are looking good!
Caylin Scheff was hired as a financial aid counselor in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. She holds a BS in business management from Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. She also studied abroad at Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea and Schmalkalden University in Germany. Prior to her recent move to the Crookston area, she worked as a Student Accounts Clerk at Presentation College Aberdeen, SD.
We are preparing estimated financial aid awards earlier this year than in years prior, due to start mailing in mid-December. Financial aid staff plan to work closely with an enrollment management consultant over the next few months on new student scholarships and admitted student communications and events.
Staff updates
We welcome Ken Myers (OTR) back to work after being out for five weeks recovering from cancer surgery. Things are looking good!
Caylin Scheff was hired as a financial aid counselor in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. She holds a BS in business management from Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. She also studied abroad at Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea and Schmalkalden University in Germany. Prior to her recent move to the Crookston area, she worked as a Student Accounts Clerk at Presentation College Aberdeen, SD.
Duluth updates (November 2018)
MN Collection Network conference
Student Financial Services staff attended the MN Collection Network Mega Conference 10/14-10/17. Topics discussed included 1098-T reporting, data security, and updates to the CFPB (BCFP).
Alumna honored
Alumna Georgia Gates '18 recently received the 2018 Midwest Association of Financial Aid Administrators Success Story of the Year award. Gates, a financial aid recipient, was a University Honors student who graduated in three years with degrees in criminology and sociology. As a student, she also worked in One Stop Student Services helping her peers navigate the financial aid process.
Student Financial Services staff attended the MN Collection Network Mega Conference 10/14-10/17. Topics discussed included 1098-T reporting, data security, and updates to the CFPB (BCFP).
Alumna honored
Alumna Georgia Gates '18 recently received the 2018 Midwest Association of Financial Aid Administrators Success Story of the Year award. Gates, a financial aid recipient, was a University Honors student who graduated in three years with degrees in criminology and sociology. As a student, she also worked in One Stop Student Services helping her peers navigate the financial aid process.
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| Alumna Georgia Gates with Jody O'Connor of One Stop |
Morris updates (November 2018)
Conference news
Angie Senger, a transfer evaluation coordinator in the Office of the Registrar, attended the fall Minnesota Transfer Specialist Conference.
Office of Financial Aid staff attended the Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA) conference held in Minneapolis - 10/14-17
Veterans Appreciation Event
The annual community Veterans Appreciation Event was held at the Morris Area High School on November 12 from 2-3pm, free and open to the public. Chancellor Behr spoke at the event. Office of Financial Aid Veterans Certifying Official, Jana Koehler, was in attendance to welcome UMN Morris veterans and make introductions.
Angie Senger, a transfer evaluation coordinator in the Office of the Registrar, attended the fall Minnesota Transfer Specialist Conference.
Office of Financial Aid staff attended the Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA) conference held in Minneapolis - 10/14-17
Veterans Appreciation Event
The annual community Veterans Appreciation Event was held at the Morris Area High School on November 12 from 2-3pm, free and open to the public. Chancellor Behr spoke at the event. Office of Financial Aid Veterans Certifying Official, Jana Koehler, was in attendance to welcome UMN Morris veterans and make introductions.
Twin Cities updates (November 2018)
One Stop Accepts EOAA Award
Last week, a team representing One Stop Student Services along with special guests Sue Van Voorhis and Robert McMaster, accepted the 2018 Lillian H Williams award from the University of Minnesota’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA).
Last week, a team representing One Stop Student Services along with special guests Sue Van Voorhis and Robert McMaster, accepted the 2018 Lillian H Williams award from the University of Minnesota’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA).
One Stop staff have displayed a deep dedication to fostering a welcoming and inclusive office in a variety of ways, including an update to the quality service standards and expectations; leveraging technology of the check-in kiosk to display the preferred name of the student; creating a summer book club for ASR staff to spark conversation around issues of identity, culture, and diversity; creating presentations and reflection activities to educate staff on topics including personal pronouns and microaggressions; and providing an opportunity for all student-serving staff to have new name tags and nameplates with personal pronouns.
12th Annual Student Veterans Appreciation Event
Each year, University Veterans Services hosts the Student Veterans Appreciation event to honor the service and recognize the unique commitment of student veterans and servicemembers. This year’s event was held on Wednesday, November 14 in the Great Hall in Coffman Memorial Union. The event, free and open to the public, featured T-shirts for veterans and drawstring bags for guests, pizza and games for all, a University and community partner information and resource fair, massage therapy, and Pet Away Worry and Stress (PAWS).
Retirements
After a long career of 41 years at the University, Carolyn Davidson has announced her intention to retire on December 4. Her most recent assignments have included being the lead for the Campus Community/Shared Data support team and lots of work on Campus Solutions security. She was also a member of the Civil Service Committee. We will miss Carolyn and her expertise and institutional memory. Please join all of us in congratulating her for many years of excellent service and enjoying all of the new adventures that retirement brings, including lots of international travel!
Karen Johnshoy Hesla, who has been a tireless advocate for students in the Office of Student Finance for many years, is retiring in mid-November. We wish her well in this new chapter.
12th Annual Student Veterans Appreciation Event
Each year, University Veterans Services hosts the Student Veterans Appreciation event to honor the service and recognize the unique commitment of student veterans and servicemembers. This year’s event was held on Wednesday, November 14 in the Great Hall in Coffman Memorial Union. The event, free and open to the public, featured T-shirts for veterans and drawstring bags for guests, pizza and games for all, a University and community partner information and resource fair, massage therapy, and Pet Away Worry and Stress (PAWS).
Retirements
After a long career of 41 years at the University, Carolyn Davidson has announced her intention to retire on December 4. Her most recent assignments have included being the lead for the Campus Community/Shared Data support team and lots of work on Campus Solutions security. She was also a member of the Civil Service Committee. We will miss Carolyn and her expertise and institutional memory. Please join all of us in congratulating her for many years of excellent service and enjoying all of the new adventures that retirement brings, including lots of international travel!
Karen Johnshoy Hesla, who has been a tireless advocate for students in the Office of Student Finance for many years, is retiring in mid-November. We wish her well in this new chapter.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Eleanor's update (September 2018)
We’ve recently learned of an initiative that University Relations has been collaboratively working on to develop shared principles and values for a communication strategy and identity/style guide applicable across the University. The key component of this new guidance emphasizes a single University with 5 campuses.
This is a significant change, as over the past few years university language has focused on “system” and "systemwide". And while this new shift in our terminology is moving forward there are several ongoing systemwide initiatives and groups that will continue their work, so that systemwide language is still viable. Given this recent shift in language I would like your ideas to rename this “System Campus Update” newsletter. Send them my way.
As the struggle and experimentation with language continues, I challenge all of us to be aware of the power our language has in our relationships, and keep in mind our goal of inclusiveness. At a recent meeting in Duluth, the SRC council spent some time talking about how language can influence and impact our working relationships. The SRC council settled on the usage of “we” in our discussions related to the university as a whole. It’s a work in progress, and as with all change, it will take some time for us to shift our language, but it's a start.
This is a significant change, as over the past few years university language has focused on “system” and "systemwide". And while this new shift in our terminology is moving forward there are several ongoing systemwide initiatives and groups that will continue their work, so that systemwide language is still viable. Given this recent shift in language I would like your ideas to rename this “System Campus Update” newsletter. Send them my way.
As the struggle and experimentation with language continues, I challenge all of us to be aware of the power our language has in our relationships, and keep in mind our goal of inclusiveness. At a recent meeting in Duluth, the SRC council spent some time talking about how language can influence and impact our working relationships. The SRC council settled on the usage of “we” in our discussions related to the university as a whole. It’s a work in progress, and as with all change, it will take some time for us to shift our language, but it's a start.
Sue's update (September 2018)
Fall term is upon us and we forge ahead thinking of student success. Our campus visits have been fantastic and we have enjoyed the terrific conversations with everyone. I believe we, student services staff, across the institution have good working relationships. When I ask my counterparts in HR and finance, I am surprised that they do not meet and discuss tough issues as we do. I really do appreciate that we have continued to meet as a group on a regular basis. There are many times we discover on the Twin Cities campus that initiatives, implementations, and projects occur without our involvement. This is fine with me as we shouldn’t be involved with every initiative. We pass this information on to you as we hear of decisions and projects, however, keep in mind that we will not be involved in many of these. Please share initiatives that are occurring on your campus as well so we can work together to avoid duplication where possible.
Presidential Search Advisory Committee
This week, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents ratified the membership and charge of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee. The committee, made up of 23 individuals from across the University community, is charged with recommending 3–4 lead candidates for University president for the Board’s consideration.
Your input is invited as the Presidential Search Advisory Committee will be traveling throughout the system to hear from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members on the important qualities in our next president. The committee will hold listening sessions on all five campuses for the following dates:
Whether or not you’re able to attend one of the listening sessions you may provide input to the Presidential Search Advisory Committee at any time at president-search.umn.edu/community-input. Your input will help the committee narrow the field of presidential candidates to a group of lead candidates for Board of Regents consideration. Find more search updates at president-search.umn.edu.
Your input is invited as the Presidential Search Advisory Committee will be traveling throughout the system to hear from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members on the important qualities in our next president. The committee will hold listening sessions on all five campuses for the following dates:
- Monday, September 17 – U of M Crookston (completed)
- Tuesday, September 18 – U of M Morris (completed)
- Wednesday, September 19 – U of M Twin Cities (completed)
- Thursday, September 20 – U of M Duluth
- Monday, September 24 – U of M Twin Cities
- Wednesday, September 26 – U of M Rochester
Whether or not you’re able to attend one of the listening sessions you may provide input to the Presidential Search Advisory Committee at any time at president-search.umn.edu/community-input. Your input will help the committee narrow the field of presidential candidates to a group of lead candidates for Board of Regents consideration. Find more search updates at president-search.umn.edu.
NameCoach software
NameCoach is a student-recorded name pronunciation software that is under consideration for purchase for the University. While there is not an official implementation plan, attaching it to Canvas would be the first goal. Learn more about NameCoach.
Attention: System updates this weekend
PeopleSoft and MyU applications will be upgraded on Saturday, September 22 beginning at noon through midnight. During the 12-hour upgrade window, the PeopleSoft and MyU applications will be unavailable and the associated database will be offline.
This activity is limited to a database version upgrade. There is no change in the application versions. (Note: next weekend, Campus Solutions will have Image 10 going in during the normal down time on Sunday, September 30. )
- Saturday, September 22, 12:00 p.m.: MyU and all PeopleSoft environments, including Financial UM Reports, will become unavailable.
- Sunday, September 23, 6:00 a.m.: PeopleSoft core applications (CS, HR, FS) will be unavailable according to the normal maintenance schedule.
- Sunday, September 23, 12:00 p.m.: PeopleSoft core applications will be back online according to the normal maintenance schedule. MyU and all PeopleSoft environments, including Financial UM Reports, will be back online and available at 2 pm according to the normal maintenance schedule.
OIT prepares for transition from Transform to Perceptive Content tool
Perceptive Content Portal by Jadu is the name of the newly selected product to replace TransForms. The contract is currently under review by the Office of General Counsel (OGC). Assuming the contract is approved, OIT expects to move forward beginning with set up, discovery, and training development in October.
OIT is planning a phased roll out of Jadu. Those units currently using TransForm will be part of the first phase including three Twin Cities TransForms. This work is anticipated to begin in January 2019.
OIT is planning a phased roll out of Jadu. Those units currently using TransForm will be part of the first phase including three Twin Cities TransForms. This work is anticipated to begin in January 2019.
Academic policy updates
Two policies are currently posted for 30-day review prior to changes becoming effective: Credit and Grade Point Requirements for an Undergraduate Degree and Grading and Transcripts. The Credit and Grade Point Requirements policy has been revised, changing the limit for S/N credits permitted within the degree (UMTC only). The Grading and Transcripts policy has been revised to improve readability and to shorten the timeline for students to resolve incompletes. For more information or to submit your comments, visit the Policy Library.
Updated multi-institutional (multi-i) enrollment webpage
After months of collaboration, review, and refinement, the multi-institutional working group has signed off on the new multi-institutional content on the One Stop website. This working group included staff from financial aid, One Stop, student finance, and student records on all campuses, and they worked to provide more clarity for students considering multi-institutional enrollment. The group will continue its work by next moving on to documenting processes and will eventually work on improving the related form.
The new content went live on September 14, available on each campus’ domain at:
The new content went live on September 14, available on each campus’ domain at:
- https://onestop.crk.umn.edu/academics/multi-institution-enrollment
- https://onestop.d.umn.edu/academics/multi-institution-enrollment
- https://onestop.morris.umn.edu/academics/multi-institution-enrollment
- https://onestop.umn.edu/academics/multi-institution-enrollment
- https://onestop.r.umn.edu/academics/multi-institution-enrollment
Conference news
Fall—in-particular, October—is a heavy time of year for conferences. Here are some of the larger conferences staff are participating/attending:
Numerous University staff are not only attending, but will be presenting at Midwest Higher Education User Group (MidHEUG) Alliance conference in October:
Twin Cities will host Big Ten Registrar’s conference in October
Preparations are underway for the Big Ten Registrar’s conference, hosted this year by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Registrars and records professionals from 14 schools meet annually to discuss an agenda made up of topics submitted by the membership. The goal of the meeting is to exchange ideas and best practices and tackle some of the hot topics currently facing registrars across the country. Previous topics have included graduation and retention initiatives, data governance, gender identity/preferred name/personal pronouns, and academic forgiveness, to name a few. Have a burning question for our Big Ten peers? Please send to Adrienne Bricker (abricker@umn.edu) by Monday, September 24.
Twin Cities will host the Big Ten Financial Aid Associate Director conference in October
Right after the Big 10 Registrars depart the Twin Cities, the Big 10 Financial Aid Associate Directors will be arriving on campus for their annual meeting. These meetings provide an opportunity to discuss with other Big 10 colleagues approaches to implementing federal regulations, new initiatives on campus, ways to support staff development, partnerships across campuses, best practices, and challenges we all face. Like noted above, if you have questions you would like posed to this group please send them to Michelle Curtis (mcurtis@umn.edu) by Wednesday, September 26.
- Student Loans & Receivables Collection conference - 9/23-26
- Dreamforce 2018 - (Salesforce CRM annual conference) - 9/25-28
- 2018 Transfer Specialist & DARS User conference - 10/1-4
- Midwest Higher Education User Group (MidHEUG) Alliance 2018 - 10/11-12
- Ad Astra conference - 10/13-17
- Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA)conference - 10/14-17
- Institute for Student Services Professionals (ISSP) - 10/21-23
- Tableau conference - 10/22-24
Numerous University staff are not only attending, but will be presenting at Midwest Higher Education User Group (MidHEUG) Alliance conference in October:
- Deep Dive into Google Data Studio Visualization: David Norman
- Gender Identity and Personal Pronouns: Stakeholders, Systems, and Implementation: Max Herman, Stacey Tidball, and Julie Selander
- Veterans Benefits Implementation: Lana Rosario
- Automating Single-Term Packaging: Ken Kiehm, Lindsey Konerza, and Stephanie Kearley
- Oh Escheat! Please cash that check: Jack Kimmes
- Ditching Delivered and Customizing the Student Financials Payment Plan: Sarah Hoegger
- Student Debt Letter Project: Lessons Learned: Ken Kiehm
Twin Cities will host Big Ten Registrar’s conference in October
Preparations are underway for the Big Ten Registrar’s conference, hosted this year by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Registrars and records professionals from 14 schools meet annually to discuss an agenda made up of topics submitted by the membership. The goal of the meeting is to exchange ideas and best practices and tackle some of the hot topics currently facing registrars across the country. Previous topics have included graduation and retention initiatives, data governance, gender identity/preferred name/personal pronouns, and academic forgiveness, to name a few. Have a burning question for our Big Ten peers? Please send to Adrienne Bricker (abricker@umn.edu) by Monday, September 24.
Twin Cities will host the Big Ten Financial Aid Associate Director conference in October
Right after the Big 10 Registrars depart the Twin Cities, the Big 10 Financial Aid Associate Directors will be arriving on campus for their annual meeting. These meetings provide an opportunity to discuss with other Big 10 colleagues approaches to implementing federal regulations, new initiatives on campus, ways to support staff development, partnerships across campuses, best practices, and challenges we all face. Like noted above, if you have questions you would like posed to this group please send them to Michelle Curtis (mcurtis@umn.edu) by Wednesday, September 26.
System Registrar Council (SRC) updates (September 2018)
The SRC met for an in-person meeting at the Duluth campus on September 17 and 18. Duluth graciously hosted this event, showing that great northern Minnesota hospitality. The council worked through a packed agenda over the course of the day and a half meeting, including beginning work to update the group’s charter.
System Student Finance Council (SSFC) updates (September 2018)
Nelnet upgrade
Nelnet release 2018.1 is delayed. This release continues to be reviewed and no new date has been scheduled for its deployment.
Encouraging direct deposit
In order to encourage students to sign up for direct deposit for their credit balance refunds, the campuses sent an email to students who received a check since January 1, did not enroll in direct deposit yet and had fall registration. Morris is exploring sending a follow up message to those students who received checks this fall.
Payments and Nelnet
We continue to work with Nelnet on the terms and conditions for accepting credit cards for tuition and fees. A response to the redline draft UMN sent them, was received from the FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha, the acquiring bank for Nelnet) attorney, with some information on the items they don’t agree with and why, or questions to help them understand the changes the UMN made. We are awaiting responses to this information from OGC, OIB, and the Controller’s Office. More to come. For the time being, the “stop gap” measure that Nelnet put in place in the spring is still working and students and families can still pay using a credit card.
One Stop website content review
The SSFC has completed reviewing their content pages on the One Stop website, updating information and some How-to guides. These pages included topics such as refunds, how to pay, payment plan, direct deposit and third party billing.
Nelnet release 2018.1 is delayed. This release continues to be reviewed and no new date has been scheduled for its deployment.
Encouraging direct deposit
In order to encourage students to sign up for direct deposit for their credit balance refunds, the campuses sent an email to students who received a check since January 1, did not enroll in direct deposit yet and had fall registration. Morris is exploring sending a follow up message to those students who received checks this fall.
Payments and Nelnet
We continue to work with Nelnet on the terms and conditions for accepting credit cards for tuition and fees. A response to the redline draft UMN sent them, was received from the FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha, the acquiring bank for Nelnet) attorney, with some information on the items they don’t agree with and why, or questions to help them understand the changes the UMN made. We are awaiting responses to this information from OGC, OIB, and the Controller’s Office. More to come. For the time being, the “stop gap” measure that Nelnet put in place in the spring is still working and students and families can still pay using a credit card.
One Stop website content review
The SSFC has completed reviewing their content pages on the One Stop website, updating information and some How-to guides. These pages included topics such as refunds, how to pay, payment plan, direct deposit and third party billing.
System Financial Aid Council (SFAC) updates (September 2018)
NASFAA annual webinar schedule
For those of you planning ahead, NASFAA has published its full year schedule for webinar training. Take a look at nasfaa.org/2018-19_webinars.
FAFSA going mobile
An article from the Washington Post announced that the government launched the first official mobile app to guide families through a task of filing the FAFSA the week of August 20. The app, called myStudentAid, can be downloaded to Apple and Android cell phones and can be used now, with a few caveats. Read the full Washington Post article.
For those of you planning ahead, NASFAA has published its full year schedule for webinar training. Take a look at nasfaa.org/2018-19_webinars.
FAFSA going mobile
An article from the Washington Post announced that the government launched the first official mobile app to guide families through a task of filing the FAFSA the week of August 20. The app, called myStudentAid, can be downloaded to Apple and Android cell phones and can be used now, with a few caveats. Read the full Washington Post article.
One Term Automated Packaging (OTAP)
This semester, UMN rolled out the functionality created as the result of the One Term Automated Packaging CS PS 9.2 Upgrade project. For the first time, fall undergraduate student awarding was done in an automated batch packaging process. This automation allows students graduating fall term to receive their financial aid package at the same time as students attending fall and spring. In addition it saves staff time, reduces manual errors, and allows better funds management.
Constitution Day 2018
Constitution Day 2018 has come and gone but all campuses met the requirement. The campuses coordinated efforts to ensure that all met the Constitution Day requirement to commemorate the September 17 signing of the Constitution. This is required in order to meet Federal Student Aid Consumer Information disclosure requirements.
This semester, UMN rolled out the functionality created as the result of the One Term Automated Packaging CS PS 9.2 Upgrade project. For the first time, fall undergraduate student awarding was done in an automated batch packaging process. This automation allows students graduating fall term to receive their financial aid package at the same time as students attending fall and spring. In addition it saves staff time, reduces manual errors, and allows better funds management.
Constitution Day 2018
Constitution Day 2018 has come and gone but all campuses met the requirement. The campuses coordinated efforts to ensure that all met the Constitution Day requirement to commemorate the September 17 signing of the Constitution. This is required in order to meet Federal Student Aid Consumer Information disclosure requirements.
FA communications aid year planning
The financial aid communications aid year planning spreadsheet used by Twin Cities has been expanded to include all campuses. It includes financial aid communications from PeopleSoft and is a helpful tool as we start planning for the upcoming year.
The financial aid communications aid year planning spreadsheet used by Twin Cities has been expanded to include all campuses. It includes financial aid communications from PeopleSoft and is a helpful tool as we start planning for the upcoming year.
Information Technology updates (September 2018)
Destiny One Registration System
The latest version of Destiny One software, v5.6, was delivered on July 29, 2018. New functionality includes:
Custom Solutions
The Custom Solutions development team continues their work to support the TADA project (uAchieve implementation) and will be testing progress toward degree data in uAchieve starting in October. The benefits of PTD encoding include:
Student Data and Analytics
The advising leadership working group has been granted access to two dashboards in a production like environment. Feedback they provided has been incorporated into the first release of a dashboard that delivers Progress Towards Degree data. This includes the ability to identify the count of students who are on track/off track, information on admission to the college as well as entry college information, enhanced details around degree applicable and excess elective splits, as well as a direct link to the students APLUS page.
Program and Plan data has been added to retention risk modeling related to a students career. The team is analyzing how the timing of when students add, drop, or carry multiple plans and relates to retention. The team has reviewed the current results based on the static training data with other data analyst around the institution.
The latest version of Destiny One software, v5.6, was delivered on July 29, 2018. New functionality includes:
- Conference letter of accreditation - If professional credits are awarded for a conference there is now the ability to configure a report in Conference Manager to display what was earned and additional text if needed.
- The conference registration confirmation email now includes session information.
- Functional testing of the Destiny One-Salesforce integration is scheduled to begin mid-September.
Custom Solutions
The Custom Solutions development team continues their work to support the TADA project (uAchieve implementation) and will be testing progress toward degree data in uAchieve starting in October. The benefits of PTD encoding include:
- Ability to provide more targeted service to students in their final year.
- Ability to identify and anticipate program bottlenecks.
- Foundational work for more innovative data analytics over time.
Student Data and Analytics
The advising leadership working group has been granted access to two dashboards in a production like environment. Feedback they provided has been incorporated into the first release of a dashboard that delivers Progress Towards Degree data. This includes the ability to identify the count of students who are on track/off track, information on admission to the college as well as entry college information, enhanced details around degree applicable and excess elective splits, as well as a direct link to the students APLUS page.
Program and Plan data has been added to retention risk modeling related to a students career. The team is analyzing how the timing of when students add, drop, or carry multiple plans and relates to retention. The team has reviewed the current results based on the static training data with other data analyst around the institution.
Crookston updates (September 2018)
BOR approves Crookston vice chancellor
John Hoffman’s appointment as vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at Crookston was approved by the Board of Regents in it’s September meeting.
New dual admissions agreement
University of Minnesota Crookston and Red Lake Nation College (RLNC) have announced a new comprehensive dual admissions agreement. The agreement establishes a cooperative academic relationship between the two institutions. RLNC president Dan King and U of M Crookston chancellor Mary Holz-Clause signed the new memorandum of agreement on Aug. 7.
Crookston Homecoming
Homecoming 2018 takes place September 28 and 29. The theme for this year’s activities is “There’s No Place Like Homecoming.” For more information view homecoming activities, visit www.crk.umn.edu/homecoming.
John Hoffman’s appointment as vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at Crookston was approved by the Board of Regents in it’s September meeting.
New dual admissions agreement
University of Minnesota Crookston and Red Lake Nation College (RLNC) have announced a new comprehensive dual admissions agreement. The agreement establishes a cooperative academic relationship between the two institutions. RLNC president Dan King and U of M Crookston chancellor Mary Holz-Clause signed the new memorandum of agreement on Aug. 7.
Crookston Homecoming
Homecoming 2018 takes place September 28 and 29. The theme for this year’s activities is “There’s No Place Like Homecoming.” For more information view homecoming activities, visit www.crk.umn.edu/homecoming.
Duluth updates (September 2018)
MidHEUG Alliance conference presenter
David Norman, Duluth OTR Business and Information Analyst, will be presenting a pre-workshop session called “Deep Dive into Google Data Studio Visualization” at the MidHEUG conference in October.
David Norman, Duluth OTR Business and Information Analyst, will be presenting a pre-workshop session called “Deep Dive into Google Data Studio Visualization” at the MidHEUG conference in October.
Morris updates (September 2018)
Sustainability efforts at Morris
Our green campus continues to collect recognition for its sustainability efforts:
Staff updates
Nick Skulan joined One Stop Student Services on September 4, serving as our newest One Stop counselor. Welcome, Nick!
Our green campus continues to collect recognition for its sustainability efforts:
- The National Association of College and University Business Officers recognized Morris with a 2018 Excellence in Sustainability Award.
- Sierra chose Morris as one of 40 "Cool Schools" for 2018.
- Morris earned a STARS Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
Staff updates
Nick Skulan joined One Stop Student Services on September 4, serving as our newest One Stop counselor. Welcome, Nick!
Rochester updates (September 2018)
BOR approves Rochester vice chancellor
Jeffrey Ratliff-Crain’s appointment as vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and Innovation at Rochester was approved by the Board of Regents in it’s September meeting.
Staff updates
Rochester campus has had a flurry of staffing activity. The following people have joined:
Also two new Success Coaches have been hired and will begin October 1.
Jeffrey Ratliff-Crain’s appointment as vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and Innovation at Rochester was approved by the Board of Regents in it’s September meeting.
Staff updates
Rochester campus has had a flurry of staffing activity. The following people have joined:
- Cassie Zell, Admissions
- Ramiro Alvarez, Health CORE and Access Student Services Coordinator
- Jeff Baier, Disability Resources Coordinator
Also two new Success Coaches have been hired and will begin October 1.
Twin Cities updates (September 2018)
ASR-IT leadership changes
Jaime Wascalus has accepted the ASR -IT leadership role of Chief Information Officer. Her technical background, strategic vision and collaborative team focus will allow ASR to continue to be successful. Jaime has degrees in Mathematics and German and a Master’s in Management of Technology from the University of Minnesota.
Kristy Davis will assume the title of Director, ASR-IT. project management skills and experience working with ASR units.
Grant Clavelle, former ASR-IT director, retired from the University on September 4. Grant has been an instrumental part of student success, employee development and system oversight in ASR. We thank him for his years of service in enhancing the student experience across the system.
Other Staff Changes
Open positions
Jaime Wascalus has accepted the ASR -IT leadership role of Chief Information Officer. Her technical background, strategic vision and collaborative team focus will allow ASR to continue to be successful. Jaime has degrees in Mathematics and German and a Master’s in Management of Technology from the University of Minnesota.
Kristy Davis will assume the title of Director, ASR-IT. project management skills and experience working with ASR units.
Grant Clavelle, former ASR-IT director, retired from the University on September 4. Grant has been an instrumental part of student success, employee development and system oversight in ASR. We thank him for his years of service in enhancing the student experience across the system.
Other Staff Changes
- Brittany Greaner began work on Wednesday, September 12. She is a Developer 2 on the Custom Solutions team.
- Chris Lynch has joined the Student Data & Analytics team on September 4, 2018.
- Kristin Hummel was recently promoted to the role of One Stop Counselor 4.
Open positions
- Business/Systems Analyst 1, ASR Central, job id: 326479
- Executive Office and Administrative Specialist, OTR, job id: 326434
- Campus Ops/Protection Manager 1, CTS, job id: 325842
Thursday, July 19, 2018
Duluth updates (July 2018)
Phase 1 of the first floor of Darland refresh project starts on Monday, July 23. Look for new lighting and a new ceiling in the coming weeks.
Staffing update
Natasha Mykkanen, the Office of the Registrar’s new athletic and academic records coordinator, began June 25. Welcome, Natasha.
Staffing update
Natasha Mykkanen, the Office of the Registrar’s new athletic and academic records coordinator, began June 25. Welcome, Natasha.
Eleanor's update (July 2018)
It's summer and the heat is on, figuratively and literally! What a busy time for everyone.
We’re wrapping up the past fiscal year, setting up tuition figures and preparing award packages, testing new applications, delivering diplomas, working to make sure fall enrollment goes well, and so much more. We have also closed the CS PS 9.2 Upgrade project and begun work to implement uAchieve (more details below). Before we know it, fall term will be here!
We’re wrapping up the past fiscal year, setting up tuition figures and preparing award packages, testing new applications, delivering diplomas, working to make sure fall enrollment goes well, and so much more. We have also closed the CS PS 9.2 Upgrade project and begun work to implement uAchieve (more details below). Before we know it, fall term will be here!
Sue's update (July 2018)
Financial aid packages are running and notifications are ready to be sent out—oh my. It means summer is almost over for all of us. Congratulations to all of you on the closing of the 9.2 Campus Solutions Upgrade project. What a success and a terrific job by all. We are so lucky to have staff who focus on students and their experiences at this institution.
I attended the AACRAO Transfer and Technology conference and the University of Minnesota was well represented in presentations and knowledge-sharing. Several schools congratulated us on our accomplishments and asked how we keep moving forward with our initiatives. It really makes me appreciate the great work we do. Congratulations!
A few additional updates:
I attended the AACRAO Transfer and Technology conference and the University of Minnesota was well represented in presentations and knowledge-sharing. Several schools congratulated us on our accomplishments and asked how we keep moving forward with our initiatives. It really makes me appreciate the great work we do. Congratulations!
A few additional updates:
- NameCoach is a student-recorded name pronunciation software. I am trying to purchase this for the system. It is currently sitting with the General Counsel’s office. There isn’t an implementation plan. However, attaching it to Canvas would be the first goal. I’ll keep you posted.
- We have Unizin because of Canvas. The University is looking to provide additional data from Canvas and our SIS (Student Information System) to Unizin. This initiative is spearheaded by the library, information technology, and provost.
- With President Kaler stepping down next year, it will bring uncertainty in the administration. ASR plans to stay focused on student success and the student experience.
Planned system upgrades—Perceptive Content, MyU
Beginning at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 21 through Sunday, July 22 at noon, Perceptive Content (formerly ImageNow) will be unavailable to users while technicians perform a system upgrade to help maintain system stability and enable vendor support. The update will have a small number of changes that should not impact end users.
Due to a planned software update the weekend of July 21-22, some MyU features will be unavailable from noon Saturday through noon Sunday. During that time, users will not be able to access the My Time, My Pay, My Info, My Benefits, and Manager Info tabs.
Due to a planned software update the weekend of July 21-22, some MyU features will be unavailable from noon Saturday through noon Sunday. During that time, users will not be able to access the My Time, My Pay, My Info, My Benefits, and Manager Info tabs.
Give feedback for online meeting tool
The Online Meeting Tool fCoP invited the University community to participate in three vendor demonstrations that took place in June. These demonstrations explored web conferencing options, as our contract with our current provider, WebEx, is due to expire within the year.
The demonstrations were recorded and you are encouraged to provide feedback via the survey links:
The demonstrations were recorded and you are encouraged to provide feedback via the survey links:
Board of Regents meeting and retreat
President Kaler’s recommended FY19 (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019) annual budget for tuition l was approved after a general flurry of last minute discussion. The Board of Regents will meet next on September 13-14.
CS PS 9.2 Upgrade Project Phase II Wrap Up
On July 11, participants in the CS PS 9.2 Upgrade project were invited to gather for a wrap up event to recognize the work accomplished over the last two and half years and celebrate the end of the project. Here is the presentation shared at the event, along with some fun project-related trivia.
uAchieve implementation update
The project to replace DARS with uAchieve is underway! The project, which officially kicked-off July 2, is a re-implementation of the system that provides the University with transfer articulation and degree audits. Some existing ASR staff have transitioned to the project, and some new staff have been hired to fulfill project responsibilities. You can find them in 150 Williamson.
The first year of the project includes a vendor services contract with College Source, the parent company of DARS, TES, and Transferology. They will be performing much of the technical work to switch the University over to their new platform, uAchieve. Project team members will be consulting with subject matter experts in ASR and system campus partners to make sure the University’s business needs are met. The team is looking forward to connecting with a wide array of ASR and Admissions staff as they reach out with questions or to validate business needs.
For more details, take a look at the project status dashboard.
The first year of the project includes a vendor services contract with College Source, the parent company of DARS, TES, and Transferology. They will be performing much of the technical work to switch the University over to their new platform, uAchieve. Project team members will be consulting with subject matter experts in ASR and system campus partners to make sure the University’s business needs are met. The team is looking forward to connecting with a wide array of ASR and Admissions staff as they reach out with questions or to validate business needs.
For more details, take a look at the project status dashboard.
System Registrar Council (SRC) updates (July 2018)
In-person meeting
The SRC is gearing up for an in-person meeting at the Duluth campus on September 17 and 18. The agenda is still being formed, but topics will include electronic diplomas (a future goal), electronic forms, and how information appears on the UMN transcript.
Incomplete Contract electronic workflow
The ASR-IT Custom Solutions team developed a WorkflowGen for incomplete contracts that students submit to instructors. The original product has been modified to route to all five campuses and incorporated feedback received from council members. The decision to make the electronic form available on the One Stop forms page is a campus-by-campus decision.
The SRC is gearing up for an in-person meeting at the Duluth campus on September 17 and 18. The agenda is still being formed, but topics will include electronic diplomas (a future goal), electronic forms, and how information appears on the UMN transcript.
Incomplete Contract electronic workflow
The ASR-IT Custom Solutions team developed a WorkflowGen for incomplete contracts that students submit to instructors. The original product has been modified to route to all five campuses and incorporated feedback received from council members. The decision to make the electronic form available on the One Stop forms page is a campus-by-campus decision.
System Student Finance Council (SSFC) updates (July 2018)
Nelnet Release 2018.1 delayed
Nelnet had a new release ready to deploy in June and the SSFC group wanted to get this in production prior to the busy fall activity for payments. However, the early adopter schools testing the release have encountered issues (based on past experience we chose not accept an early adopter role). The go-live date is now delayed and we will be working on a new plan for later in the fall once Nelnet can provide a more stable test environment updated with the new release. Upgrade changes include:
Update on credit card payments and Nelnet
We are still awaiting the returned “redlined” version of the terms and conditions from Nelnet. There is no indication that the current stop-gap measure Nelnet employed will be retired so credit cards still remain a viable option for paying tuition and fees. We remain optimistic that this issue will get resolved prior to the start of fall term.
Nelnet had a new release ready to deploy in June and the SSFC group wanted to get this in production prior to the busy fall activity for payments. However, the early adopter schools testing the release have encountered issues (based on past experience we chose not accept an early adopter role). The go-live date is now delayed and we will be working on a new plan for later in the fall once Nelnet can provide a more stable test environment updated with the new release. Upgrade changes include:
- Regulatory changes related to credit cards
- Changes for payment reports
- Added usability such as, more pages used by institutional users have been made responsive (meaning they should react to the device being used to view them.)
- Bug fixes - in particular there are two that relate to payment report bugs that are now said to be corrected
Update on credit card payments and Nelnet
We are still awaiting the returned “redlined” version of the terms and conditions from Nelnet. There is no indication that the current stop-gap measure Nelnet employed will be retired so credit cards still remain a viable option for paying tuition and fees. We remain optimistic that this issue will get resolved prior to the start of fall term.
System Financial Aid Council (SFAC) updates (July 2018)
2018-19 aid offers
As Sue noted above, packaging for the 2018-19 academic year is underway for all campuses. Once notifications start being sent, we will look at the next round and what needs to be changed going forward.
Annual portfolio prioritization
Like the Student Finance Council, the System Financial Aid Council has been focusing on prioritizing projects from the portfolio for the coming year. Compliance-driven items rise to the top of the priority list.
Last Date of Participation (LDoP)
With the transition to Canvas from Moodle there will be changes to the display of the Last Date of Participation (LDoP) field. When courses convert to Canvas, the LDoP field will no longer fill in automatically. This is due to the fact that the LDoP defaults to the last time a student logged into the course, not the last time a student engaged in a significant educational activity.
Courses that remain in Moodle for the 2018-19 academic year will still have the LDoP field auto-filled with the last date a student logged into the course. Staff are working with OIT and the Canvas/Moodle teams to have a way to check if the faculty member simply left the field as is or if there are other data points available to verify that the student did engage in an educational activity. This field is very important in helping calculate Return of Title IV (R2T4) funds for students who earn all F, N or W grades in a term.
As Sue noted above, packaging for the 2018-19 academic year is underway for all campuses. Once notifications start being sent, we will look at the next round and what needs to be changed going forward.
Annual portfolio prioritization
Like the Student Finance Council, the System Financial Aid Council has been focusing on prioritizing projects from the portfolio for the coming year. Compliance-driven items rise to the top of the priority list.
Last Date of Participation (LDoP)
With the transition to Canvas from Moodle there will be changes to the display of the Last Date of Participation (LDoP) field. When courses convert to Canvas, the LDoP field will no longer fill in automatically. This is due to the fact that the LDoP defaults to the last time a student logged into the course, not the last time a student engaged in a significant educational activity.
Courses that remain in Moodle for the 2018-19 academic year will still have the LDoP field auto-filled with the last date a student logged into the course. Staff are working with OIT and the Canvas/Moodle teams to have a way to check if the faculty member simply left the field as is or if there are other data points available to verify that the student did engage in an educational activity. This field is very important in helping calculate Return of Title IV (R2T4) funds for students who earn all F, N or W grades in a term.
ASR-IT updates
ASR-IT BAs are putting the final touches on 9.2 Upgrade items and planning for our next initiatives: the Oracle database upgrade in September and a PeopleTools upgrade for next spring. We are also participating in the evaluation of an auto-testing tool (Telerik) to try to make our copious amounts of testing more efficient.
Destiny One updates
The integration between Destiny One and Canvas was completed as of June 14. While program staff do not need to create new course profiles, it is recommended that new course sections be created to integrate with a Canvas course.
Custom Solutions—app dev
The Custom Solutions team on the TC campus has been assisting uAchieve implementation staff with automated quality testing of some proof-of-concept progress toward degree (PTD) encoding for system campus programs. The benefits of PTD encoding include:
Student Data and Analytics
The SDA team is exploring additional ways to model retention risk with students. Currently the team is adding Program-Plan data to the retention data set and has outlined additional variables that would assist in evaluating differences between colleges and plans.
Additionally, the advising leadership working group members have been given access to two dashboards that are accessing production-like data in a QAT environment. We are looking for their feedback on whether the dashboards are able to answer questions that their collegiate leadership has around student degree progress.
Destiny One updates
The integration between Destiny One and Canvas was completed as of June 14. While program staff do not need to create new course profiles, it is recommended that new course sections be created to integrate with a Canvas course.
Custom Solutions—app dev
The Custom Solutions team on the TC campus has been assisting uAchieve implementation staff with automated quality testing of some proof-of-concept progress toward degree (PTD) encoding for system campus programs. The benefits of PTD encoding include:
- Ability to provide more targeted service to students in their final year.
- Ability to identify and anticipate program bottlenecks.
- Foundational work for more innovative data analytics over time.
Student Data and Analytics
The SDA team is exploring additional ways to model retention risk with students. Currently the team is adding Program-Plan data to the retention data set and has outlined additional variables that would assist in evaluating differences between colleges and plans.
Additionally, the advising leadership working group members have been given access to two dashboards that are accessing production-like data in a QAT environment. We are looking for their feedback on whether the dashboards are able to answer questions that their collegiate leadership has around student degree progress.
Crookston updates (July 2018)
Senior vice Chancellor search update
John Hoffman, PhD, accepted the position of vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Minnesota Crookston, pending approval by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. He is scheduled to begin his employment on July 30. Hoffman holds a PhD and an MA in educational policy and administration, both from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Hoffman comes to Crookston from California State University, Fullerton.
John Hoffman, PhD, accepted the position of vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Minnesota Crookston, pending approval by the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. He is scheduled to begin his employment on July 30. Hoffman holds a PhD and an MA in educational policy and administration, both from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Hoffman comes to Crookston from California State University, Fullerton.
Morris updates (July 2018)
Morris named in Fiske Guide to Colleges for 8th time
The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2019 names the University of Minnesota, Morris one of "the best and most interesting" colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and the UK. This is the eighth consecutive time Morris has made the cut. The Fiske Guide to Colleges to gives college-bound students and their families better information on which to base their educational choices.
One Stop Student Services has two counselor openings
The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2019 names the University of Minnesota, Morris one of "the best and most interesting" colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and the UK. This is the eighth consecutive time Morris has made the cut. The Fiske Guide to Colleges to gives college-bound students and their families better information on which to base their educational choices.
One Stop Student Services has two counselor openings
- One Stop Student Services Counselor
- One Stop Student Services Counselor & Financial Wellness Coordinator for Native American Student Success
Rochester update (July 2018)
New Vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and Innovation hired
The three candidates for Rochester’s vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and Innovation visited campus on May 21, 22, and 23. Candidate Jeff Ratliff-Crain was offered and has accepted the position and will begin August 15th. The Board of Regents approved his appointment as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Innovation at the University of Minnesota Rochester at the July meeting.
The three candidates for Rochester’s vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and Innovation visited campus on May 21, 22, and 23. Candidate Jeff Ratliff-Crain was offered and has accepted the position and will begin August 15th. The Board of Regents approved his appointment as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Innovation at the University of Minnesota Rochester at the July meeting.
Twin Cities update (July 2018)
Staff updates
New hires
Open positions
- Aileen Lively's last day of work with ASR-IT was June 29. She retired from full-time employment as a business/systems analyst 4 in July 2015, and she returned to work in ASR as a part-time business/systems Analyst 4 in September 2015. We wish Aileen the best of luck in her future plans.
- Rebecca Kroening, One Stop counselor, retires this month after 37 years at the University of Minnesota. We thank her for her service and wish her well.
- Hasan Malik's last day as executive office & admin specialist with the Office of the Registrar was Friday, July 6. We appreciate his service and wish him the best with his future plans.
- Jennifer Czeck has left her position as Developer 2 with ASR-IT. Her last day at the University was Friday, June 29. We wish Jenn well in her future plans.
New hires
- Kendall Spase was hired as a business/systems analyst 2 and is assigned to the uAchieve Implementation. She began work on June 18.
- Matthew Plachejo was hired as a business/systems analyst 2 and is assigned to the uAchieve Implementation. He began work on June 25.
- Annalee Tomsicek was hired as a business/systems analyst 2 and is assigned to the uAchieve Implementation. She began work on June 25.
- Cori Syring was hired as a business/systems analyst 3 and is assigned to the uAchieve Implementation. She began work on July 9.
- Lanny Linehan was hired as a part-time delivery service driver for CTS. He began work on June 27.
Open positions
- ASR-IT director (Job Code 9383M4 - P&A) - This position is a replacement for Grant Clavelle who will be retiring in September. This job posting is currently only open to internal employees.
- Service coordinator for CTS (Job Code 8227P1 - Civil Service)
- Developer 2 for ASR-IT (Job Code 9790D2 - P&A)
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Eleanor’s update (May 2018)
Seems to be that time of year again, spring. Along with many annual updates like doing performance reviews, working on individual development plans, updating and signing the data privacy pledge, and taking the mandatory sexual misconduct training there is that whole other business of graduating students. As you can see from this month’s newsletter there is a lot going on and we often forget to celebrate our mutual successes. I hope that somewhere in your day you can find a moment to reflect on your contribution and celebrate a little bit of the success of those graduating students.
Sue updates (May 2018)
We are headed into the summer months which brings a lot of activity, not all realized by many outside of our work. It is so rewarding to see the success of students and the entry of the next class on our campuses. Our work is rewarding and worthwhile. I love seeing students in their regalia with friends and family taking pictures. I saw a graduate in the airport wearing their regalia which made me smile. Another student entered a restaurant with regalia on and I took the opportunity to send over a beverage. All of us should feel gratitude that we have contributed in helping students like these.
As we work to close the 9.2 Campus Solutions PS project, there have been some setbacks. The teams are working to resolve these and not hinder future projects. The uAchieve implementation project is close to kickoff and the team has been meeting to prepare and get this moving forward. Plus we have hosts of other projects to start moving ahead on in short order.
As many of you know, Ted Skogman from student finance has retired after more than 40 years of service to the University. He has been a terrific colleague and we wish him well. Also, Grant Clavelle has announced his retirement date for this September. I am working to get this position posted very soon. Grant has been instrumental in moving the University forward in the technology world and in putting students first. Thank you to both Ted and Grant.
As we work to close the 9.2 Campus Solutions PS project, there have been some setbacks. The teams are working to resolve these and not hinder future projects. The uAchieve implementation project is close to kickoff and the team has been meeting to prepare and get this moving forward. Plus we have hosts of other projects to start moving ahead on in short order.
As many of you know, Ted Skogman from student finance has retired after more than 40 years of service to the University. He has been a terrific colleague and we wish him well. Also, Grant Clavelle has announced his retirement date for this September. I am working to get this position posted very soon. Grant has been instrumental in moving the University forward in the technology world and in putting students first. Thank you to both Ted and Grant.
May Board of Regents meeting
President Kaler presented his recommended FY19 (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019) annual operating budget. Here are a few items of interest:
- Twin Cities: A proposed tuition increase of 2% on the resident undergraduate rate maintains its position in the middle of the Big 10. (Some or all of this $258 increase may be offset for students who qualify for the Minnesota State Grant Program. The Office of Higher Education intends to make formula changes that will benefit students up to $120.)
- In addition, the current guidance from the federal government indicates a $175 increase in the maximum Pell grant for the 2018-19 academic year. Pres. Kaler requested a 15% increase in the undergrad non-resident/nonreciprocity (NRNR) tuition rate as approved by the Board of Regents in December. This represents another step in a longer-term strategy to move this rate from the bottom of the Big 10, while maintaining NRNR enrollments.
- Morris: A proposed tuition increase of 1% ($126) on the undergraduate rates for the Morris campus to recognize both their competitive position for recruiting, but also some of the cost pressure they face related to the American Indian Tuition Waiver requirement.
- Crookston, Duluth, Rochester: Flat resident undergraduate rates to bolster recruitment and retention opportunities.
Recall that beginning in FY14, President Kaler announced a goal to reduce administrative costs throughout the institution, across all funding sources, by $90 million over six years. FY19 is the final year of that plan. This budget continues to meet that goal to internally reallocate funds for higher spending priorities. In total, it includes $22.3 million of internal reallocations for FY19 across all funds. With the implementation of this budget, the University will have achieved the $90 million goal by reducing $91.3 million in administrative costs as part of the annual budget balancing process over the last six years.
CS PS 9.2 Upgrade Project Phase II heads toward completion
The work continues on the Phase II projects. The Parent/Guest Access project and the fit/gap analysis of the delivered Admissions Application Tracker were completed in April. The Payment Plan, Health Professions Entrance Counseling, and One-Term Automated Packaging projects are all on track for completion in May.
In June, the Gender Identity, Preferred Name, and Pronouns; Education Abroad; Guide to Graduation; Communications Review and Standardization; and Veterans Benefits Pages projects will be completed.
The 1098-T project is gathering and documenting information for the work that will happen beginning in June. The GPAS project has proven to be even more complex than first expected and a recent review with OIT developers has revealed the need for more development time, delaying its completion beyond June.
In June, the Gender Identity, Preferred Name, and Pronouns; Education Abroad; Guide to Graduation; Communications Review and Standardization; and Veterans Benefits Pages projects will be completed.
The 1098-T project is gathering and documenting information for the work that will happen beginning in June. The GPAS project has proven to be even more complex than first expected and a recent review with OIT developers has revealed the need for more development time, delaying its completion beyond June.
Training Hub, Google Meets, and Duo
ULearn transition to the Training Hub
Google Hangouts are changing. You will need to convert any existing meetings with a Google Hangout to be a Google Meet. See OIT’s site for more information.
And coming soon: Google Hangouts Chat available May 23. Whether in a 1:1 conversation or a dedicated group workspace, Hangouts Chat makes it easy to collaborate with teams in an organized way. Slack or HipChat users may find the features of Hangouts Chat to be familiar.
Duo Two-Factor Authentication
Duo Two-Factor Authentication is now available for University sign-in pages (Shibboleth). Enabling Two-Factor at Shib helps protect your email, your password, and ultimately your paycheck and identity. Visit z.umn.edu/2factor for instructions.
- May 7 at 8 a.m. - Training administrators gained access to the Training Hub.
- June 1 at midnight - Learners no longer have access to ULearn.
- June 5 at 8 a.m. - Learners gain access to Training Hub.
- June 30 at midnight - Training administrators no longer have access to ULearn and all content and data in ULearn is no longer available to anyone at the University.
Google Hangouts are changing. You will need to convert any existing meetings with a Google Hangout to be a Google Meet. See OIT’s site for more information.
And coming soon: Google Hangouts Chat available May 23. Whether in a 1:1 conversation or a dedicated group workspace, Hangouts Chat makes it easy to collaborate with teams in an organized way. Slack or HipChat users may find the features of Hangouts Chat to be familiar.
Duo Two-Factor Authentication
Duo Two-Factor Authentication is now available for University sign-in pages (Shibboleth). Enabling Two-Factor at Shib helps protect your email, your password, and ultimately your paycheck and identity. Visit z.umn.edu/2factor for instructions.
FCoP—challenges of online meetings
Based on governance feedback, it’s become apparent that many across the University experience challenges in successfully facilitating and attending meetings online. In response, an FCoP was formed to bring together staff and faculty from a variety of roles across the system to help us understand challenges posed by online meetings, and propose how University can improve the experience. The FCoP has identified five focus areas:
- Best practices and meeting etiquette
- Resources
- Standards and design
- Support by staff
- Support of TeleHealth
System Registrar Council (SRC) updates (May 2018)
New Incomplete Grade Contract workflow
A new Incomplete Grade Contract (WorkflowGen) is now available for students to use when receiving an Incomplete (I) grade. The goal was to make a form that students and instructors could choose to use if their academic department or college does not already have a process or form in place.
When a form is submitted, a copy is sent to Perceptive Content. Twin Cities collegiate stakeholders and the SRC weighed in last fall on common contract language. The next step in this project will be to update the form’s logic to route to separate drawers for the system campuses, making it usable by students and instructors system-wide.
2020 calendar change—move spring break for Twin Cities
SCEP approved the moving of spring break for March 2020 and forward. Spring break is currently scheduled for the second week of March with A-term before break and B-term following spring break. The move would result in the final Monday of A-term being after spring break. While there was no perfect option, this was the one that worked best for the A-term/B-term split. If approved by the Faculty Senate, the change would start with the spring break in 2020. The calendars currently published for 2019-2020 onward will be updated with any changes.
Diplomas
As students graduate this spring, their diplomas are now ordered weekly and processed each Monday. Batch posting of degrees starts May 18 and diploma orders for those degrees starts. Previously, the order would have been placed after the June 11 posting date. This means that the earlier students are cleared, the earlier they get their diploma.
A new Incomplete Grade Contract (WorkflowGen) is now available for students to use when receiving an Incomplete (I) grade. The goal was to make a form that students and instructors could choose to use if their academic department or college does not already have a process or form in place.
When a form is submitted, a copy is sent to Perceptive Content. Twin Cities collegiate stakeholders and the SRC weighed in last fall on common contract language. The next step in this project will be to update the form’s logic to route to separate drawers for the system campuses, making it usable by students and instructors system-wide.
2020 calendar change—move spring break for Twin Cities
SCEP approved the moving of spring break for March 2020 and forward. Spring break is currently scheduled for the second week of March with A-term before break and B-term following spring break. The move would result in the final Monday of A-term being after spring break. While there was no perfect option, this was the one that worked best for the A-term/B-term split. If approved by the Faculty Senate, the change would start with the spring break in 2020. The calendars currently published for 2019-2020 onward will be updated with any changes.
Diplomas
As students graduate this spring, their diplomas are now ordered weekly and processed each Monday. Batch posting of degrees starts May 18 and diploma orders for those degrees starts. Previously, the order would have been placed after the June 11 posting date. This means that the earlier students are cleared, the earlier they get their diploma.
System Student Finance Council (SSFC) updates (May 2018)
Still able to use credit cards
We had an unsettling few weeks as we prepared to disable the option to use credit cards to pay current bills due, due a change by Nelnet. However, we were able to convince Nelnet to put in a stop-gap using another processor until the new payment processor’s terms and conditions can be negotiated. We anticipate that the stop-gap will need to be in place for about one month; the user experience should remain the same. We have had no issues reported by users. When the new credit card processor, PaymentSpring, is in place, the user experience should not change.
Uncashed credit balance checks
We are now canceling aid and reversing credit balance checks for students/parents who have uncashed checks (induced by financial aid disbursements) nearing 240 days in age. Thus far, we have seen a couple for Duluth and about ten for the Twin Cities. For some student accounts, this may create a small owing balance (all less than $1) due to rounding on loans. If the outstanding balance is not paid after the allotted amount of time, the balance will be added to the University’s accounts that are written off as bad debt.
The Twin Cities will take the lead on reversing checks as needed for all campuses and will contact the appropriate financial aid staff at campuses where financial aid needs to be adjusted. Procedures are still being adjusted and Twin Cities will conduct an analysis of the model and the resulting aftermath to assess if any changes for improvement should be made. This is an ongoing process as uncashed checks near the 240 day mark. Students/parents are sent a series of three communications encouraging them to cash the checks well in advance of any cancellation.
We had an unsettling few weeks as we prepared to disable the option to use credit cards to pay current bills due, due a change by Nelnet. However, we were able to convince Nelnet to put in a stop-gap using another processor until the new payment processor’s terms and conditions can be negotiated. We anticipate that the stop-gap will need to be in place for about one month; the user experience should remain the same. We have had no issues reported by users. When the new credit card processor, PaymentSpring, is in place, the user experience should not change.
Uncashed credit balance checks
We are now canceling aid and reversing credit balance checks for students/parents who have uncashed checks (induced by financial aid disbursements) nearing 240 days in age. Thus far, we have seen a couple for Duluth and about ten for the Twin Cities. For some student accounts, this may create a small owing balance (all less than $1) due to rounding on loans. If the outstanding balance is not paid after the allotted amount of time, the balance will be added to the University’s accounts that are written off as bad debt.
The Twin Cities will take the lead on reversing checks as needed for all campuses and will contact the appropriate financial aid staff at campuses where financial aid needs to be adjusted. Procedures are still being adjusted and Twin Cities will conduct an analysis of the model and the resulting aftermath to assess if any changes for improvement should be made. This is an ongoing process as uncashed checks near the 240 day mark. Students/parents are sent a series of three communications encouraging them to cash the checks well in advance of any cancellation.
System Financial Aid Council (SFAC) updates (May 2018)
Summer awarding
As of May 10, summer packaging has been completed for all campuses and is on the batch schedule. Packaging runs on the batch schedule every night, Monday-Friday. The Borrowing History and Accept/Decline Awards have been turned on as well as the summer notices; FAANs along with the “you aren’t eligible for any aid” communications are also on batch.
Summer Pell
Good news for our Pell-eligible students attending summer at least half-time: the federal Pell grant eligibility has been expanded to year-round attendance for students who are enrolled 6 or more credits in the summer. In the past, many Pell-eligible students used up their full Pell awards during fall and spring semesters and had none or little left for summer. Thus far, summer Pell awarding has gone well and required little manual intervention.
As of May 10, summer packaging has been completed for all campuses and is on the batch schedule. Packaging runs on the batch schedule every night, Monday-Friday. The Borrowing History and Accept/Decline Awards have been turned on as well as the summer notices; FAANs along with the “you aren’t eligible for any aid” communications are also on batch.
Summer Pell
Good news for our Pell-eligible students attending summer at least half-time: the federal Pell grant eligibility has been expanded to year-round attendance for students who are enrolled 6 or more credits in the summer. In the past, many Pell-eligible students used up their full Pell awards during fall and spring semesters and had none or little left for summer. Thus far, summer Pell awarding has gone well and required little manual intervention.
ASR - IT updates (May 2018)
Oracle database upgrade
The new date for the previously canceled Oracle 12.2 upgrade is Saturday, September 22. Based on input from all campuses and all business areas Sevis, Financial Aid, Admissions, Finance, Student Records, Student Finance, and Portal.
The tentative plan for that weekend:
- Begin Oracle 12.2 upgrade to PRD around 6:00 p.m. on Saturday
- Anticipated to be tested and complete by midnight Saturday
- System would be up and available from midnight to 6:00 a.m. on Sunday
- Normal outage on Sunday morning from 6:00 a.m. to noon with a PeopleSoft migration and an Image update.
Critical Patch Update (CPU)
A request has been made to University Information Security (UIS) to further delay the postponed CPU (PT8.5.23) until the next CPU (PT8.5.25) planned for production on August 12. Mitigation is in place for the identified issues with currently installed PT8.55.21.
A request has been made to University Information Security (UIS) to further delay the postponed CPU (PT8.5.23) until the next CPU (PT8.5.25) planned for production on August 12. Mitigation is in place for the identified issues with currently installed PT8.55.21.
E-forms tool replacement
In November 2017, OIT discontinued the enterprise roll out of Perceptive Transform as an E-Forms solution. The product was unable to meet accessibility standards of the University and Section 508 regulations, despite updates the vendor said should address gaps in functionality.
In November 2017, OIT discontinued the enterprise roll out of Perceptive Transform as an E-Forms solution. The product was unable to meet accessibility standards of the University and Section 508 regulations, despite updates the vendor said should address gaps in functionality.
A group of OIT and University IT partners vetted 12 products through requirement and functionality review and vendor presentations. Three finalists were chosen to present again using a use case which encompassed system requirements and functionality needs of OIT, ASR, Admissions, the DRC, OED, and University Research. The three finalists are NextGen Dynamic Forms, Jadu/Perceptive Content Portal, and Yakidoo.
Each product will be evaluated on pricing/licensing structure, ease of use for end users (departmental form creators/business owners/form processors), complexity of functionality, integration ability, accessibility standards and compliance, and OIT developer intervention needs.
The following is an anticipated timeline for the decision making and implementation process:
- May/June 2018 - OIT Leadership reviews product recommendations and makes purchase decision. OIT works with chosen vendor on contract.
- Summer 2018 - anticipated purchase of replacement product.
- Late Summer 2018 - OIT setup/implement new product and prepare for on-boarding.
- Early Fall 2018 - End User Training begins. Units with forms currently in TransForm will be converted to new product first.
- This includes transitioning previously Twin Cities only piloted processes to system-wide processes, as prioritized by leadership.
- Roll out to larger University community will progress as business and technical processes are established.
- Fall 2019 - Target for full Enterprise/System-wide use; system available for any interested units not already implemented during roll out.
This timeline is subject to change. Any ASR process questions can be directed to pwf-team@umn.edu. Technical and system questions should be directed to OIT Document Management: it-doc-mgt@umn.edu.
Custom Solutions - App Dev and Destiny One
The Destiny One, Custom App Dev, and Salesforce teams continue to work towards integrating learner information collected through non-credit registrations between Destiny One and Salesforce. Having purchased funnel data available in Salesforce will help colleges better understand their leads and target marketing efforts. The project has brought together colleges from across the University to help in defining best practices for a shared use of Salesforce while also serving as an opportunity to expand ASR-IT’s technological capabilities through the implementation of the Apache Kafka data platform that allows for real-time transformation and communication of data between different systems.
Student Data and Analytics
Degree progress dashboard
ASR is working with a working group made up of delegates assigned by associate deans on the degree progress dashboard. They are starting to think about how new knowledge can support collegiate goals. The development team is taking their early ideas and input to see what can be included in the first launch as well as future interactions.
ASR is working with a working group made up of delegates assigned by associate deans on the degree progress dashboard. They are starting to think about how new knowledge can support collegiate goals. The development team is taking their early ideas and input to see what can be included in the first launch as well as future interactions.
Degree progress self-serve reports
The first wave of data for student degree progress is in the development environment and test plans are being written. Reports and dashboards are being prototyped in UM Analytics and the team is also working on the challenges of data surrounding advisors, sex, and ethnicity.
Retention risk predictive analytics
The team has been documenting the build out and performance of baseline analytical models. The baseline is being expanded by introducing more data elements that relate to the students’ time at the University and focuses on the result of second-year retention. This introduces a new set technical challenges that the team is addressing.
The team has been documenting the build out and performance of baseline analytical models. The baseline is being expanded by introducing more data elements that relate to the students’ time at the University and focuses on the result of second-year retention. This introduces a new set technical challenges that the team is addressing.
Created GPAS degree progress report
This report is designed to provide a view of student degree progress within the Graduate Planning & Audit System (GPAS). The report includes information on the units required, taken, and needed, as well as details on whether a student has submitted their GPAS and if it is approved. It may be useful to graduate program staff and faculty in colleges using the GPAS system. It is available in the Reporting Center.
Student degree progress-related initiatives and enterprise reports
- Deployed enterprise enrollment reports including a dashboard that offers a visual representation of long-range trends on how student class enrollment has changed over time.
- Piloted a report with the Duluth campus that recommends by which term a student should take a course within a plan to have a greater chance of being a 4-year graduate then a 5-year graduate.
- Building undergraduate degree progress data into UM Analytics giving authors the ability to independently get answers to their questions using student degree progress data.
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