Heriot-Watt, Scotland's most international university, is the latest institution to join SunGard Higher Education's growing list of global customers.

The occasion was marked by a special event held at Heriot Watt's Riccarton campus in Edinburgh on June 27th, 2007, to introduce the SunGard Higher Education team to approximately 60 university users and key stakeholders.

Senior management representatives from Heriot Watt which attended the event included; Phil McNaull, Director of Finance and IT; Kathy Patterson, Academic Registrar and Deputy Secretary; Professor Bob Craik, Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching; Maggie King, Assistant Registrar (Learning Strategies); Gordon Duncan, Business Analyst; and Sean McDonald, Applications Manager.

Introducing the new proposed Student Administration System, Mr McNaull opened the event by saying: “With the help of SunGard Higher Education, we have made a commitment to replace our existing Integrated Student System (ISS) with a commercial package to meet the planned strategic priorities of the University including a move to a semester structure, and the aspirations for further internationalisation of the University. The period ahead contains considerable challenges but offers the prospect, through changes in our business processes, of providing significant improvements in the services we will deliver to students and staff.”

In his opening address, Professor Craik told the audience: "This is our single biggest capital investment in 2007."

Commenting on Heriot Watt's decision to choose SunGard Higher Education, Chris Howgego, Senior Vice President, International, said: "This is another great example of the type of business we are winning regularly both in the UK and worldwide. Given the strategic significance of Heriot Watt's investment in SunGard Higher Education technology, we are very excited to be playing such an important role in helping one of Britain's most internationally focused universities."

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