First Course Input Process in Banner
January, 2008
We “rolled” our fall 07 courses (the first term we entered into the Banner system) to fall 08. Procedures were developed by the Registrar’s Office for departments and deans’ offices to follow to enter and update course information in the Banner system. The Banner forms for the course input are significantly different than our home-grown legacy system, STARS. As a result, there was a steep learning curve for those involved in the process. Baseline Banner also does not have the specialized reports that STARS had for validating the data entered for each course. In spite of these challenges, course information is being entered and we appreciate all the effort that those involved have put into this task.
Banner to become System of Record in Spring 08
October, 2007
The Banner Project leadership team has determined that best time to establish Banner as the official system of record would be spring 2008 instead of fall 2007. STARS will remain the system of record until all processes associated with student data are migrated to Banner in the spring. Once those processes are tested and operational in Banner, student academic history will be migrated and Banner will become the official system of record. Until that time, users can expect that data in STARS and existing data sources (student work file, etc) will be up to date. As the details of dates for the system of record cutover are finalized, the campus will be notified. See more details in this summary document (PDF file).
Undergraduate Admissions goes live in Banner
October, 2007
The Undergraduate Admissions office began using Banner to process spring 08 applications. This "quiet" go-live is the culmination of many months of implementation efforts on the part of the Undergraduate Admissions office as well as Computing and Technology Services.
Student Accounts Cutover to Banner Completed
July, 2007
The Buffalo State Student Accounts office, working closely with Computing and Technology Services, successfully reach a major milestone in our migration to the Banner system. All open balances from the REVAC accounting system were moved to the Banner student accounts system. The Student Accounts office spent months defining and testing all the setup steps in Banner to allow this cutover and the CTS crew did a great job in making sure the financial data was accurately transferred. This allowed the first bills for fall 2007 to be generated out of the Banner system.
Fall Registration Goes Live in Banner
April, 2007
On April 11, 2007, Buffalo State opened early registration for fall 2007 using the new Banner system. Students enrolled in the usual order and no significant issues were reported with using the new system. The Banner Project team, including functional and technical team members, as well as many members of the academic departments, worked hard to address issues leading up to and after the go-live. Buffalo State should be proud of its performance during this time of large scale change.
Preparation for Go-Live/Banner Training
March, 2007
As the start of early registration on April 11 approaches, the Banner system is being prepared for access by students, faculty and staff. The Banner Project team is working hard to assure that all of the data that has to be transferred from the STARS system to Banner for registration is accurate and complete. Banner is already accessible for students who have applied for Financial Aid. Over 250 faculty and staff members have been trained in the use of Banner. These include faculty instructors, advisors (faculty and staff), department chairs and secretaries, and those who may have the opportunity to assist students during registration.
Financial Aid Begins Interaction with new Students in Banner
February, 2007
The Buffalo State Financial Aid office began sending letters today to new, accepted students who have applied for Financial Aid. These letters are for those students who have outstanding requirements that must be fulfilled before we can determine the students' financial aid award amount and send an award letter. Applicants with email will be asked to visit the Banner self service web pages to see their outstanding items. All processing for this activity has been run in Banner. Great job Financial Aid and CTS staff!
Financial Aid to Begin Processing Award Letters in Banner
January, 2007
The first of the Banner modules to go live is Financial Aid. Using Banner, the Financial Aid office will package and send award letters to new, accepted applicants starting in mid-February. In preparation for that, financial aid data received from the federal government for students who indicated Buffalo State as one of their schools of interest will be loaded into Banner. That data will be processed to identify outstanding requirements for determining need. Letters will be generated from Banner and sent to those applicants via email or the US Postal Service. Applicants with email will be asked to visit the Banner self service web pages to see their outstanding items. The financial aid award letters will be generated and sent via email or USPS in mid-February.
The process will be repeated for continuing students in preparation for their financial aid award letters to be sent in mid-March.
Banner greatly reduces the workload on the Financial Aid staff, eliminates opportunities for human error, and will allow Buffalo State to be competitive with other schools by getting financial aid award letters to prospective students as early as possible.