Brock is one step closer to implementing a new student information system (SIS).

A kickoff event planned for Thursday, Sept. 20 will address the project’s strategic mandate, goals, timelines and opportunities for stakeholder engagement.

Students, staff and faculty are invited to register to attend the event at TH253 inside Brock’s Thistle Complex from 1 to 2 p.m. Those unable to attend can watch it live online.

Questions can be submitted in advance via the project website’s Contact Us form.

Speakers will include Gervan Fearon, President and Vice-Chancellor; Greg Finn, Acting Provost and Vice-President, Academic; James Mandigo, Vice-Provost, Enrolment Management and International; and Camille Rutherford, Associate Vice-Provost, Student Information Services.

Rutherford said although the University’s current SIS meets existing needs, the decades-old system will not address future process requirements of students and administrators. The new SIS will provide a unified, dynamic and student-centric platform.

“It will operate more like a smartphone,” she said. “It’ll be more intuitive, transparent and responsive.”

Key functions of the new system will include student access to program information and degree progress, course registration and streamlined access to faculty and staff assistance.

“Supporting student success and retention is at the forefront of the project,” said Rutherford. “The new system will provide students, faculty and staff with easy access to the information they require.”

While the presentation room can accommodate 50 people, those who cannot attend are encouraged to watch the event live online. A video recording will be uploaded to the Student Information System Modernization website after the event.

Students, staff and faculty are also asked to complete a survey that will help identify existing challenges of the University’s current SIS and suggest opportunities for the new system.

“Feedback from our users is very important to us,” said Rutherford. “It allows us to build a new platform that will proactively address day-to-day needs.”

The current SIS is a constellation of more than a dozen individual applications and databases that includes more than 1,000 different functional pages. Maintaining the system beyond 2020 would require significant capital and human resources to provide any substantial improvements in functionality, stability or security.