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.
Thursday, July 19, 2018
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)
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