After four years, three requests for proposals (RFPs) and much consideration and discussion, the contract for a new student information system (SIS) has been awarded to invenioLSI, SAP’s North American distributor for their Student Lifecycle Management (SLcM) product.
Significant work has been done by stakeholders throughout the university to define the campus’ needs and select the best system for UC San Diego. We acknowledge that much of the university community is aware of the long-awaited replacement for ISIS and may understandably have concerns regarding the implementation of this new system. The goal of all those involved in this project is to implement this new system thoughtfully, applying lessons learned from past projects, and SLcM was chosen with this in mind. As we move forward with this project, we will continue to prioritize the needs of our faculty, staff and student users, seek to improve and optimize the user experience and ensure the system allows users to do the work they need to do within the system.
Project planning is already underway and kickoff is currently expected to be held within the coming months, pending the readiness of the implementation team members and other key stakeholders. Go-live for SLcM is currently targeted for 2026, and a more specific date will be shared with the university community once it has been confirmed.
Continue reading for more information and the next steps for the project.
About the Decision
The SIS Project was launched in February 2019 as part of our campus Enterprise Systems Renewal (ESR) program with the goal of implementing a comprehensive, modern solution to support academic and business transactions throughout a student’s academic lifecycle and to provide analytics to help improve the student experience and student educational outcomes. After closing two different RFPs without award, a third RFP was opened seeking a currently available student information system that could meet the campus’ evolving, post-pandemic needs.
Conference room pilot sessions were held with vendors who responded to the third RFP. Each vendor was scored on their system’s ability to execute real UC San Diego processes that were demonstrated to subject matter experts from across the university, and on their system’s technical architecture and security. Each vendor was also scored on cost, strategy, service, sustainability and equity. The result of this lengthy and comprehensive process resulted in the selection of SLcM as the best choice for the system to replace ISIS.
Next Steps
The SIS Project core team is preparing the formal kickoff of the SLcM Project, currently anticipated for early 2024. Preparation activities underway include:
- Measuring the readiness of the university and those involved and affected by the project to undertake this transformational change
- Forming the committees, coalitions and teams that will support and execute the project
- Meeting with the vendor, invenioLSI, to develop change management plans to ensure communications, training and resourcing are integrated into the overall project plan
- Completing an initial risk assessment and developing risk management plans
- Meeting with stakeholders impacted by upcoming change freezes to address any questions or concerns they may have
The university community can expect to receive regular updates from the SIS Project team on readiness for the kickoff and project progress. As we move closer to the go-live of SLcM, expect more frequent communications from the team. To receive the most comprehensive and up-to-date information, please subscribe to the SIS project newsletter.
The project executive sponsor, Executive Vice Chancellor Elizabeth H. Simmons, as well as the governance committee and core team thank the entire university community for their continued participation and support of this ongoing effort.
