The University of Nottingham Wins UCISA Excellence Award with Portal
London, 18 April, 2005 — The University of Nottingham has won the 2005 University and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA) Award for Excellence for an initiative to extend its student and staff portal environment to include information and services for prospective students. The Award for Excellence recognizes best practice in systems integration within the UK higher education sector. A cheque for £5000 that accompanies the Award was presented to David Ford from The University of Nottingham at the UCISA National Conference, held at the Scottish Exhibition Centre, Glasgow in March 2005. This is the fourth year that SunGard Higher Education has sponsored the UCISA Award, and the first time it has been awarded to a project using SunGard Higher Education products. The University of Nottingham won the Award for its use of the Prospective Student Portal (PSP) concept that was developed collaboratively by Information Services and the Admission Office at the University, with support from SunGard Higher Education. It forms part of a long-term strategy to create a ‘cradle to grave’ portal environment that embraces every stage of a person’s relationship with the university, from enquirer through to alumni.
“We identified portal technology as strategically important for the delivery of a ‘Connected Campus’,” said Alison Rothera, head of portal services at The University of Nottingham. Following a pilot in 2002 using uPortal technology, the University rolled out a comprehensive portal for students and staff over 2003/2004 on the Luminis Platform. “During this time, we expanded our thinking to take a ‘cradle to grave’ approach from enquirers to alumni,” continued Ms. Rothera. “The Prospective Students’ Portal is a first step toward that. It guides applicants through what can be a complex admissions process, providing them with targeted information en route to commencing their studies with us.”
The Prospective Student Portal integrates data from disparate systems throughout the University and externally from UCAS (The University and Colleges Admissions Service) that can then be accessed easily by applicants using a standard Web browser. As applications progress through the University, each applicant is provided with personalized information relevant to that part of the process.
Chris Cobb, UCISA CISG chair and award judge, and director of business systems and services at the London School of Economics, said: “The panel was very impressed with the concept, design and execution of The University of Nottingham’s portal project. The concept goes to the core of many institutions’ recruitment strategies: as well as improving the online experience for prospective students, the development should help improve recruitment and reduce attrition between offer and arrival. In terms of design and execution, it is an excellent example of systems integration and demonstrates how technical boundaries can be stretched to achieve successful outcomes.”
The Award was initiated by UCISA and SunGard Higher Education in 2002 to encourage excellence in technology integration and administration, particularly in the area of student information systems. It is open to all UCISA members within the UK higher education sector.
About The University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a world renowned centre of excellence in Higher Education. It has a community of about 28,000 students from over 130 countries and a growing presence in China and Malaysia. This global profile is reflected in the recognition the University has won for its research and teaching, which is supported by significant investment in IT infrastructure and e-learning. For more information: www.nottingham.ac.uk.
About UCISA
The Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA) is an institutional membership organization based in the United Kingdom. UCISA provides a national and international presence for technology professionals responsible for delivering information systems in universities, colleges, and related institutions. Visit UCISA at www.ucisa.ac.uk.
About SunGard Higher Education
SunGard Higher Education is a leading provider of software and services for higher education. SunGard Higher Education solutions help institutions create the Unified Digital Campus, an environment in which systems, individuals, and communities can interact seamlessly for learning, teaching, and administration. SunGard Higher Education supports more than 1,300 clients worldwide with administrative and academic solutions; portal, collaboration, and content management solutions; information access and business intelligence solutions; and integration solutions. For more information, visit www.sungardhe.com.
About SunGard
SunGard is a global leader in integrated software and processing solutions, primarily for financial services. SunGard also helps information-dependent enterprises of all types to ensure the continuity of their business. SunGard serves more than 20,000 customers in more than 50 countries, including the world’s 50 largest financial services companies. SunGard (NYSE:SDS) is a member of the S&P 500 and has annual revenue of $3 billion. Visit SunGard at www.sungard.com.