Admissions:
Upload, manually input, and update data for various admissions contingencies (leads, prospects, applicants, high schools, counselors, alum volunteers). Retrieve and utilize data through reports in CARS, Impromptu and Power Play for informing (statistics), decision making (admissions decisions, travel planning, admit numbers), recruitment (off-campus interviews, samplers, travel), communicating (email, phone, web, letter), application tracking (school groups, file status, progress in reading), and maintaining data integrity (report checks).
Advancement:
Management of all information related to proactive and reactive connection with MacalesterÕs alumni parents, friends and organizations. The system must support all operations of the alumni and development office and be able to process detailed information related to:
1. The individuals profile and relationship with the College
2. Gift and pledge processing and campaign reporting
3. Campaign development, projection and prospect tracking
Alumni:
The Alumni Relations office uses the advancement services database to research and communicate with alumni.
Business Services:
Record and analyze all financial transactions of the College and present financial information in various specified reporting formats and mediums.
Human Resources:
Operate a human resources information system that supports employment, compensation, benefits, training, and other HR activities. Receive data on applicants and employees (address, EEO information, salary, benefit, and other information), communicate with the applicants, employees and management about applicants, salaries, budgets, FTE, benefits, etc. Set up all time benefits including vacation and medical accruals. Information used to make policy and budget decisions.
Payroll:
Payroll inputs benefits and adjustments, time cards and benefit hours for the processing of the Macalester College, WPI, ACTC student, faculty and staff payrolls. Maintain necessary records to legally comply with the IRS and other departmental regulations and send payroll data output to vendors, the bank, tax services and the Macalester College, WPI and ACTC employees, students and departments.
Purchasing:
Our main function is to place orders for the college using purchase orders and to pay all the collegeÕs bills. We are using credit cards and the web to do more and more purchasing.
Registrar:
The Office of the Registrar and Student Academic Records is responsible for class scheduling, maintenance of academic records of all students, and the collection and dissemination of certain institutional data. In addition, the office administers all student registrations; processes changes of course registration and grading options; publishes fall and spring term final examination schedules; endorses teacher licensure applications; evaluates transfer credits; acts upon applications from students not seeking a degree from Macalester; issues transcripts and statements certifying full-time attendance and/or good academic standing; and certifies to the faculty those students eligible for graduation.
Student Accounts:
Student Accounts bills students for comprehensive fees as well as posting charges/credit adjustments from various other departments. We are responsible for the accounts receivable, outside payment plan, Perkins and Institutional Loan programs, complying with state and federal regulations as they apply to refunds, tax incentives and collection laws.
Admissions:
1. Prospective students and applicants (and other submitting application information) increasingly expect on-line services to enhance ability to retrieve information and apply, also expect on-line security.
2. SAT I Verbal tests will be modified to include a written portion which we foresee as needing to be uploadable (and easily retrievable for file reading.
3. Substantial increase in application numbers due to increased interest and application changes that make it easier to begin process (two part application, possible elimination of application fee as some of our competitors have done).
4. Increasing quantities put pressure on data entry and necessitates uploading of applicant information into system.
Advancement:
Further development and expansion of the on-line web directory (what constituents will have access to and in how much detail)
Privacy issues related to legislation on data collection, data storage and telemarketing, as well as balancing any ÒrightÓ we have to contact, with the stewardship of alumni relationships.
Document imaging/electronic filing to better accommodate users and possibly resolve some space issues.
1. Increasingly sophisticated expectations of alumni for web-based services and programs.
2. Technology improvements that will improve our ability to communicate with alumni electronically.
Alumni
1. Increasingly sophisticated expectations of alumni for web-based services and programs. [follow up: web casts of lectures, events, commencement, live reunion coverage - photos, live cam, on-line learning opportunities]
2. Technology improvements that will improve our ability to communicate with alumni electronically.
Business Services:
1. Increase in demand from users for information in general and for information that is in increasingly varied formats. One significant item that falls into this category is reporting that would be meaningful for grant administration.
2. The capability to do transactions on-line.
3. A system that easy to use by employees within our department and by users of the data outside the department. Also see the need to keep more current with technology to attract and retain top level staff.
4. Increasing in regulations and regulations are changing rapidly.
Human Resources:
Web-based benefits enrollment process. Employee and Management expect to be able to access information via the web regarding pay and benefits.
Provide overall individual benefit summaries for our employees on an annual basis as many other employers do to show a ÒtrueÓ compensation package.
The ÒownerÓ of the data maintains the data. For example, simple HR transactions such as an address or name change should be entered by the employee into screens that directly update the database. No HR middleman necessary. If the information is incorrect, the employee is held responsible. Employee and Management expectation of on-line, "paperless", transfer of data.
Privacy policies and procedures mandated by legislation like HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
Payroll:
1. Macalester College is known to cater to international students. As the IRS steps up their auditing of educational institutions and the tax issues regarding payments to foreign nationals it becomes crucial that Macalester College maintain an accurate database according to IRS regulations and to report this information to the IRS.
2. Currently time cards/sheets are completed by students and non exempt staff manually and payroll keys this information manually. The auditing and keying of data for these time cards/sheets takes four hours for the biweekly payroll and 28 hours for the monthly student payroll. For accuracy, time saving and employee/student satisfaction reasons Macalester would benefit from an electronic time reporting system.
3. Employees and students require access to payroll information such as year to date data, benefit balances, adjustment and benefit elections and personal data. We are currently limited and in some cases unable to report this type of information other then manually to the employee. An employee has the right to expect access to their payroll data. Web reporting of this information would service this employee requirement. A system that not only offered employee Òlook upÓ of information but also offered the employee the capability of making a change to certain information would be beneficial. The system would need to only allow changes that are within the required parameters.
4. Trends in payroll relating to how an employee receives their pay include a debit card instead of a paycheck and receiving your direct deposit stub via the web versus a paper copy. New technology such as this gives an employee flexibility and could save the College money.
Purchasing:
1. Online ordering is becoming mainstream. Web ordering with vendors is increasing and paperless invoicing is out there (but not being used by Macalester yet). We also have our online RPA system Ð this technology needs to be utilized more fully.
2. Purchasing card (a type of credit card) programs are now widespread and are in demand by Macalester staff & faculty. They would aid in web ordering and other small dollar purchasing.
3. The ability to make payments via direct withdrawal from our bank account and other methods than paper checks.
4. The IRS is watching foreign visitors and payments to them more closely. We need a system that will assist us in making these payments according to IRS regulations.
Registrar:
1. There is an increasing number of requests for transcripts to be sent electronically.
2. There is an increasing demand for 24/7 web-based services.
Student Accounts:
1. Our customers are requesting on-line access to their accounts, with the ability to waive out of programs such as health/accident insurance. They should also have the ability to print their tax forms.
2. Customers are requesting the ability to pay via the web with credit cards and to do direct deposits or on-line payment of bills.
3. The U.S. Department of Education has begun encouraging e-signatures on Perkins Loan promissory notes. A few large public schools are already doing this. Security and archiving of these documents are major issues.
4. Having the ability to show charges, completed aid and pending aid on customers bills.
3. If your work unit had the ability to introduce up to three changes in the current administrative computing system that would make your work more efficient or provide needed user service, what would they be? For example, Ò1. A web-interface between financial aid package data and aid recipients would provide recipients with up-to-date information about their package. 2. ....Ó
Admissions:
1. Inquiries and applicant information accurately being uploaded, scanned, or entered through web applications directly into database would reduce data entry and enabling quicker access to information for admissions and consumer.
2. Create custom web pages for applicants with information that theyÕve indicated they are interested in on application that applicant can further enhance as a tool for getting information about Mac to applicant
3. One screen for entering and seeing key application information such as what has been received is missing along with specifics of test scores (dates, scores), school name, and gpa information that includes ability to enter in whether the gpa is weighted or not. This would reduce amount of time it take to enter information and prevent information from being missed as it would all be on one screen rather than in multiple locations. By having weighted information for gpas included it would not be necessary to do duplicate entry of gpas as is currently done for applicants.
4. Ability for admissions staff to access database to look up individual information or pull reports (Cognos tools and CARS) from home or road would assist in enabling counselors to answer specific questions of prospective students, applicants, counselors and would enable them to retrieve up to the moment information from home to help in file reading process. This would help better services admissions groups and make the file reading process more efficient.
Advancement:
If the current system had plans to better accommodate alumni information or could link into an alumni system so that there were no dual data entry efforts and there was a better campus-wide understanding of Òdata ownershipÓ beyond the student relationship with the College.
Since we mainly upload information from the current system, I donÕt have a great deal of input for this question.
Alumni:
Improvement in the timeliness of the budget reports.
Business Services:
1. Web interface for journal entries.
2. One login for all CIT applications so that one central position would maintain permissions.
3. We are seeing that the more the other places (outside the College and other departments in the College) are automating their transctions through the use of increased technology, the more manual the work becomes in accounting. We would like to see a more flexible system coupled with more CIT technical software support. Ideally the CIT technical software support would act as a consultant to assist departments with utilization of the existing technology to streamline work flows and increase the integrity of the information. For example, recording and reconciling credit card transactions is a very manual process for Accounting. We may have the ability to download credit card activity from the bank in an Excel spreadsheet. If we had someone on campus that was an Access expert, they could assist us in designing an Access application that would take the information from Excel and prepare an analysis of the information that could be useful and save time with a bank reconciliation.
Human Resources:
Ability to analyze compensation with system-based forecasting tools.
Ability to generate and analyze workforce metrics for strategic decision making.
Web look-up for employee and managers. (Managers and employees able to view salary, address, vacation/Medical balances.)
A systems package that can handle both faculty and staff contracts/compensation records.
Ability to track Leaves of Absence with actual dates and pay breakdown.
Ability to track fte changes with dates and history.
(Sorry, six!)
Payroll:
1. Electronic time reporting.
2. Data storing area and reporting of foreign national tax information for compliance reasons.
3. Secure site for employees to access information on their pay, benefits, and vacation and medical balances.
Purchasing:
1. A web module for RPA would help us move toward the goal of requiring RPA use. This would eliminate dual-processes (paper and online), help us track spending more closely, and help save money.
2. The ability to scan invoices and send them to a department for review/approval electronically, and have them send invoices to us electronically instead of paper (for example to attach the scanned receipts or quotes to their online requisition).
3. Easier and broader Òlook upÓ capabilities for departments to access their purchasing and accounts payable transaction data.
Registrar:
1. More training available to end users so that they are empowered by their direct knowledge, less dependent on a single individual, and able to use any system in more sophisticated ways.
2. More seamless processes among individuals and offices, such as fee tracking, hold tracking, scheduling & reservations, and clear delineation of data responsibilities.
Student Accounts:
1. On-line statements and tax forms would provide up-to-date information for our customers, eliminate telephone calls, waste of paper and assist International families who have problems receiving mail.
2. Ability to add comments to a student account by various departments would eliminate confusion on a students status and allow employees to be more effective in resolving problems. (i.e. If a student were to withdraw it could be marked on an account and qued to the departments that need to be aware of the situation.) The screen(s) would have the flexibility and the capability of creating fields to display information by individual students. This would also assist us to remain incompliance with FERPA.
3. Have all of the various campus departments utilize the same system so all departments would have real time information, would eliminate cost of supporting various systems, data transfer problems, and the timing of data transfers. Not all departments are sensitive to the peak times of other departments. This would eliminate the need to interrupt staff in other departments during these times.
Survey for Administrative Departments/ 2/11/03