Ripon College Days

The implementation of a new technology system later this year will result in increased capability for web-based interactions at the college.

For three years college officials have been working with the Information Technology Services (ITS) department to prepare for the final implementation of the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, the system that holds all of the college's data and pertinent information.

The college's current ERP system has only limited web capabilities, but the new system will provide the opportunity for using the Internet in lieu of face-to-face interactions within the college's various offices.

"Students don't see this right now because our old system didn't really have an interactive web environment that you could actually go online and look at your grades, or that I could go online and get my budget, or any features like that," Director of ITS Ron Haefner says.

Even if students were previously unable to directly interact with the ERP system, it is a system that touches every person on campus, as it contains such information as financial records, grades, addresses and phone number information, among others.

"The new system will have the ability to have students go online and look at what's important to them that they have access to," he continues.

He says the web component is something that will be customizable, comparable to My Yahoo!

Although the information that could potentially be made available online is already available to students, currently students have to go to the business office to get their financial information or the Registrar's Office to check grades, and so forth.

The new system could potentially cut down on the run around. "For example, when students sign up for classes we can automatically populate the classes that they're in so they can log in and have their calendar right there for them," Haefner says.

He stresses that even though there will be an increased ability to do more online, it will be up to each individual office to decide whether they want to utilize the new technology, and to what degree.

"I think it should cut down on paperwork and that kind of stuff, but it's only if the offices move toward using the technology," Haefner says.

Whether offices decide to adopt a more web-based operation will depend on the level of comfort with the new system as well as each office's philosophy toward technology.

"Sometimes people look at technology of the college and wonder why we don't have certain things. For example, why don't we have online registration? That's not always a technological problem on this campus. That's more of a philosophical problem. Do we want online registration at Ripon College?" Haefner explains.

Although the online registration is growing in popularity at larger, state institutions, and the new ERP system would make online registration more of a possibility at Ripon College, Registrar Michele Wittler says students shouldn't expect to see the current registration method change too drastically in the near future.

"I think the new system and the web interface may provide us with some electronic tools useful in the registration process, but we're not sure how we're going to be leveraging those tools because our whole system is designed to foster that relationship between students and academic advisors, so that's something that we're keeping in mind and we're not sure how that's going to shake down yet," Wittler says.

Any online registration method would likely maintain the the student-advisor relationship.

"Online registration would be better for me because I actually know what I'm doing and I'm not an idiot when it comes to making my schedule," senior Andy Schulz says. "But, for kids who don't know what they're doing, having the paper and talking it over with their advisor makes it so that you don't screw up or you don't pick something that you don't need."

Senior Ed Hansen points out a benefit to the current system over online registration, having all the people you need to talk to in one place.

"I think it's pretty simple the way it is now, especially having access to all the professors in the same place," he says. "I never had a problem in the four years I was here, so online registration would not be a high priority for me."

Aside from the Registrar's Office, current students also interact with data contained in the ERP system when they visit the business office.

The new ERP system also increases the possibility for moving more of those transactions to the web.

"The biggest thing that jumps out at me about Ripon is the amount of progress it's made since my freshman year, and I think having access to our records and things on the Internet would be a step in the right direction," Hansen says.

Schulz would like to see more web features in the business office, such as online bill pay, direct deposit and the ability to access personal financial information.

"The more that's online the better, I think," he says.

The new ERP system will replace the existing system, which has been used for about seven years. Each ERP system has about a five to 10 year life cycle, Haefner says.

He says students should begin to see changes in the amount of web access sometime next fall.

"Whether the ERP system is in when the students get here, or later after the semester starts, it'll happen sometime in the fall," Haefner says.

"It's been a long process with lots of people involved," Haefner says. "This system touches everyone on campus, but an online web experience is nothing unless it's meaningful to you, and that's the goal of it."

Wittler says the Office of the Registrar is currently exploring how they'd like to use the new web component.

"We are anxious for members of our various constituencies to have electronic access to information."

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