The Daily Bulletin Archive

Faculty and staff are experiencing an easier way to manage student information, thanks to the new Banner system. The online interface replaces the SABRE system and helps users keep track of student records, student accounts, financial aid, and admissions functions.

The project is on schedule, and, according to Don Erwin, associate vice president for information services and systems, initial implementation has been relatively smooth.

“Continuing, incoming, and transfer students used Banner to register for fall classes,” said Erwin, who is overseeing Banner’s rollout. “They found the interface very simple and intuitive to navigate.”

Faculty and staff also are giving the system high marks.

“I have been pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to use the Self-Service Banner system,” said Karen O’Quin, associate dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences. “Faculty members have more power in Banner to grant overrides of course restrictions than they have had in the past. And once Banner includes students’ academic history, we will begin to see its real potential.”

Developed by SunGard Higher Education, Banner is the world’s most widely used collegiate administrative suite of student, financial aid, finance, human resources, and advancement systems. The Oracle-based system is used at campuses across the country, including more than 45 SUNY schools. In fact, earlier this month, a group from the University at Buffalo met with Buffalo State’s Banner implementation team to learn about best practices. UB faculty and staff are currently evaluating various student information systems in preparation of a potential change to their current program.

To help ensure that Banner answers Buffalo State’s academic needs, a group called the Banner Academic Stakeholders convenes regularly to share feedback and address any potential changes they should make to the system. Erwin meets monthly during the academic year with about a dozen representatives from various departments.

One of the system’s immediate benefits is that students can view financial aid award packages quickly. “Banner allowed our office to send award letters to new freshmen in late February,” said Kent McGowan, director of financial aid. “Usually, we got these out in mid- to late March. Oftentimes the best and brightest students get things done early, so I think it’s fair to say that Banner was one factor for the positive impact on enrollment this year.”

Erwin said that faculty and staff accustomed to SABRE for class registration would notice two changes with Banner. First, there is no function for instructors to receive communication from students who need permission to enroll in specialized classes. That option, however, may eventually be part of the Banner system. Second, there are no wait lists in Banner. Instead, the system makes regularly scheduled reports available to department chairs to allow them to see which classes are filling up and which sections are closed. This helps departments to better meet student demand and plan instructor workload accordingly.

Banner also will enable users to manage billing, fees, and student accounts. Eventually, students will even be able to pay their bills online. As early as October, Banner also will manage the graduate and undergraduate admissions process for fall 2008. Use of the current degree audit system, Degree Navigator, will continue for advisement until it has been determined that Banner’s own degree audit system can be implemented. Banner should be fully compatible with ANGEL. In addition, faculty will begin tosubmit grades in Banner at the end of fall term.

Students’ academic history will be migrated from the legacy system, STARS, to Banner as early in the fall semester as possible. According to Erwin, this will be especially helpful for advisers. “Banner will have many other noticeable benefits, too,” he said. “With grading, for example, there will be a built-in field showing ‘last attendance date,’ which should be a bit more intuitive than it was in SABRE.”

As new features become part of the system, Erwin urges faculty and staff to participate in Banner training classesand asks the campus community for its patience with the changes. “Implementing all the features this system has to offer is a high priority for the administration,” said Erwin. “For example, prerequisite checking for class registration has not yet been enabled, and there is still much to set up and test before we understand its impact on the system’s performance and enrollment.”

Faculty and staff are encouraged to visit the Banner Project Web site for updates throughout the fall semester. Frequently asked questions and information for faculty and staff also may be found online. For general Banner support, call ext. 3434 or send e-mail tobannerhelp@buffalostate.edu.