by Rachael Alaimo-Monson
Daily Lobo
The headaches and hassles that come with registering for classes are nothing new for UNM students.
However, whether the hang-ups are technical or results of a miscommunication between University offices, they make the registration process more tedious and time consuming than necessary.
To streamline student-related services, an increased integration of key information systems is a must, University officials say.
One major contributor to these registration problems is that student data are contained in 138 independent information databases across campus.
Project LINK, a Universitywide enterprise, will re-engineer and redesign the technology component of major business processes at UNM. The project's purpose is to bring the scattered information together.
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Project LINK, which will take an estimated five to seven years to implement, has been quietly in motion since August 2002.
"Student systems at UNM are 20 years old and not well integrated," said Project LINK Coordinator Fred Youberg. "This results in a lot of frustration for everyone involved."
The large number of independent databases processing information from the University's student-related services is one problem project officials cite. If those databases could become better integrated, faculty, staff and students would save time.
As part of the project, UNM has purchased software from the SCT Corp., a global information technology solutions company servicing more than 1,300 educational institutions and 200 energy and utilities clients worldwide. The software is designed to integrate and automate the core administrative systems of educational institutions.
When the project is completed, student systems will be like "one-stop shopping," with registration, advisement, financial aid and more all accessible on the Web, Youberg said.
He outlined the goals, purpose and progress of the project to a crowd of about 30 staff and faculty members at Dane Smith Hall on Friday.
There are five more scheduled information sessions designed to "brace the University for the implementation of these programs," said Frank Martinez, director of communications for Project LINK.
Students aren't the only ones who will benefit from the project's undertaking.
Officials are also planning to include advancement systems such as Alumni relations and development in the project's schedule.
The first phase, finance, will "go live" in July 2004, project coordinators said. Its objectives include reducing transaction processing turnaround time and making data more consistent, accurate and less redundant, Youberg said.
The second phase, recruiting and admissions, is scheduled to become operational in October 2005.
"We've never done anything like this at UNM," Youberg said. "We have 160 to 200 people working on finance alone. Project LINK will impact every single person at UNM."
The next information session open to students and staff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., Nov. 19 in Dane Smith Hall, room 120.
