The bill will be about $75 million during the course of the next six years, but the University of South Carolina considers its technology and software overhaul to be a long-term investment in the institution and its students. The school’s computer system will not be called Self Service Carolina, and it completely revamps the interface that students use to connect with the school online. From this new portal, students will be able to register for classes, work with financial aid and contact an academic adviser, among other things.
According to The State, the overhaul is much needed at the university. The current software system that students are using dates as far back as the 1970s, and things have drastically changed since that time. University officials feel that the new technology will hopefully attract and retain more students, as today’s college students consider efficient technology to be a huge asset to the institution that they choose to attend. Ultimately, these students will need to be prepared to use and adapt to technology throughout the rest of their lives, and they prefer to use this type of software program to interact with officials anyway.
Ultimately, officials hope that the overhaul will help students get to the information and resources that they need quickly and easily. Students, professors and administrators alike would be frustrated by going through five, six and seven pages in order to get to the information that they need in order to move forward. This software program will be used on all eight USC campuses, so that every branch of the university can easily connect and interact with the other. It will streamline the system and promote efficiency within the entire organization. This same software system will be the basis for the new online university associated with USC, Palmetto College.
Work on this software program started three years ago in 2010. The university contracted with Ellucian for the new software program. Ellucian is based out of Fairfax, Virginia and has worked on software programs for other colleges and universities including the University of North Carolina, the University of Georgia and the College of Charleston, to name a few.
In addition to updating the software program, USC is making several other strides in order to attract new students and retain the best students in the country. Other projects that are in the works including updating dormitories, hiring more professors to teach new and unique classes and also beginning an online program to help students finish a bachelor’s degree that they previously started. The university wants to stay ahead of the curve and remain competitive in a world that is changing faster than ever before, making it difficult for other higher education institutions to keep up. These advancements and specifically the technology advancements are sure to make USC more attractive to more students across the entire country, ensuring that the best and brightest consider it to be a top pick. The technology upgraded will have new installments rolled out each year, with the project coming to a completion in 2016.