Several years ago, student administration activities at Duke
depended on inefficient work processes and aging information systems
that were expensive, poorly coordinated and inflexible. These
arrangements had worked satisfactorily in their prime but created
headaches as the University became a much more complex organization.
Early efforts to assess information systems campus-wide at Duke originated
with senior staff involved in the issue and in the Office of Information
Technology (OIT) and its predecessor organization. The results can be
found in these seminal documents produced by OIT and its Information
Technology Advisory Council.
The Student Information Services and Systems (SISS) Project vision
arose from the growing realization among many leaders that the existing
system of administration simply did not support the mission of the University.
The Vision Team found:
- Processes that have evolved in piecemeal and isolated fashion, spawning
numerous "shadow" systems so that many routine tasks are
still manual, time consuming and error-prone.
- Many redundant activities among the units involved in these processes.
- Frustration and irritation by students who: receive confusing mailings,
such as bills, or do not know where to go or how to get problems solved,
must visit or call several places to complete a "single"
transaction, see updates to records, accounts or status delayed or
not happen at all, are unable to access the information they need
from where they live or work or even at all.
- Uncertainty about who has the most up-to-date or accurate information.
- Poor service delivered as a result of misinformation or unnecessary
administrative work.
- Excessive effort expended to ensure the accuracy and consistency
of information.
- Significant timing lags in passing key information from one system
or office to the next.
The Vision sought to: (click here
for 
pdf format
- Requires Acrobat
Reader )
- Adopt a thorough service orientation that would minimizes the effort
required to provide help to those served by SISS.
- Eliminate redundant activities by storing common data in only one
place.
- Optimize the centralization and decentralization of work activities
and customer services.
- Align information entry with ability to verify that information.
- Provide real time access to information.
- Create close coordination and communication between the functions
and offices involved in the SISS processes.
Phase One of the SISS implementation commenced at about the same time
as the 1998-1999 academic year and continued through the 1999-2000 terms.
"Go Live" is when the system comes to life and users begin
processing real transactions with actual data. The go-live dates for
the first phase:
| Admissions |
| Undergraduate |
September 1998 |
| School of Law |
September 1998 |
| School of Nursing |
November 1998 |
| Nicholas School |
November 1998 |
| Fuqua School of Business |
March 1998 |
| School of Medicine |
April 1999 |
| Divinity School |
May 1999 |
| Graduate School |
October 1999 |
| |
|
| Financial Aid |
| School of Law |
February 1999 |
| Nicholas School |
February 1999 |
| Divinity School |
February 1999 |
| Student Loan Office |
April 1999 |
| Institutional Loans |
June 1999 |
| Undergraduate |
October 1999 |
| Fuqua School of Business |
February 2000 |
| School of Medicine |
February 2000 |
| School of Nursing |
March 2000 |
| Graduate School |
April 2000 |
| |
|
| Student Records |
| All Schools |
February 2000 |
| |
|
| Student Accounts (Financials) |
| All Schools |
February 2000 |
Summer 2003, Duke University upgraded the SISS system with
PeopleSoft Student Administration version
8. The “look and feel” of STORM (web access
for Staff/Faculty) has also changed and some new functionality
has been added.
