The next step in the implementation of the PeopleSoft Student System, a program that will replace the current student information system and WebConnect, is expected to begin in September, said Steve Pace, associate director of computing services for Finance and Facilities.

The plan, which will cost about $2.2 million, includes the purchase of software and maintenance hours, some installation, some training for faculty and staff and the hiring of an outside consulting firm to plan the implementation of the system.

The NIU Board of Trustees approved the plan at its meeting June 17. Eddie Williams, executive vice president and chief of operations for Finance and Facilities, presented the board with four options ranging from taking no action to full implementation. The board took NIU’s recommendation and adopted a half-scale approach. The system will not be fully functional until the BOT takes further action.

The new system is a suite of applications that will include admissions, records and registration, financial aid and the bursar’s office, Pace said. Students can access their grades, register for classes, view account information and pay their bills online.

Also included as part of PeopleSoft will be an Enterprise Portal, which will allow visitors to personalize the NIU homepage to fit their interests, as My Yahoo! or MSN allow, Pace said.

Students can personalize their NIU Web site to show their class schedule, assignments, student organizations and news items of interest, he said

“When you log in to NIU, it will be customized to what you are interested in – the topics you want to know about in regard to NIU,” Pace said.

Pace said the university acted now in order to lock in discounts that were available only until June 30. The discounts apply to software, training and maintenance for the software.

However, an ongoing lawsuit between the Department of Justice and PeopleSoft’s competitor, Oracle, will be a factor in determining a timetable for the project, Pace said. The Department of Justice ruled that Oracle’s takeover bid of PeopleSoft violates antitrust laws and blocked the merger.

The system will not be implemented until the Oracle case is resolved, Pace said. However, NIU has guarantees in place so that it won’t lose anything if Oracle acquires PeopleSoft and then chooses not to support the student system, he added.

It will take 18 to 30 months to implement the student system and make it fully functional, Pace said. Williams told the BOT that full implementation would cost about $6 million.

Pace said 650 universities and colleges worldwide use PeopleSoft systems, including Northwestern University in Evanston and Marquette University in Milwaukee.

“The student system will be a great benefit to the university and to the students,” Pace said. “It’s been exciting to watch what other universities that use PeopleSoft have been able to do.”