Confirmare, the Fordham’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project launched in 2006, has reached a milestone in March with the beginning of student registration for fall classes using newly implemented Banner software. The rollout is an introduction for students and faculty to the new system, which includes the my.fordham.edu University portal, a main access point for University online functions.
“We are very excited about the introduction of the portal,” said Frank Sirianni, Ph.D., vice president for technology and chief information officer. “It is a main entry point for students and faculty that will allow us to integrate many University functions into a single location. Student registration through the portal has gone flawlessly- there have been no service interruptions or issues relating to the system, which is a positive indication of the direction we’re headed. We look forward to taking advantage of the many exciting new options that are available to the portal.”
ERP (also called enterprise systems) are software systems that support information technology (IT) services used across the University, and on which individual applications may depend. The system is used to centrally manage Fordham’s data and functions.
Using My.Fordham portal, members of the University community can access calendars, an online directory, campus announcements, e-mail, academic course and enrollment tools for faculty, discussion groups, and registration, financial aid, bill payment and academic course information.
“Registration has gone smoothly thus far and there have been very few issues,” said Gene Fein, director of academic services. “Once the students have gotten used to some of the new aspects of registration, like the enhanced course search feature, they’ve found it to be very helpful. Most importantly, students are now provided with 24-hour access to the Banner system, which was a high priority for them.”
The portal provides an interactive video tutorial for students on how to register, provided to ease the transition to the new system. The IT department is also providing training sessions to acquaint students, faculty and staff with the functions of the new system.
“I like it. The video shows me what I need to know to register and isn’t too complicated,” said Victor Okon, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill. “It also goes over what a lot of people had problems with last time or might have questions about. Though it’s a new system, I think this video makes everything user friendly for everyone.”
