The University of Windsor is engaging in a process to update its software infrastructure to support the long-term needs of the institution. The campus will be embarking on an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation.  The initial focus of the project will be on a Student Information System, a new Financial Information System, and a Customer Relationship Management System.

This initiative reflects the reality that the University’s current software backbone no longer meets the needs of students today and into the future.  Systems that support student success will be the primary focus of this initiative.  In addition, the current Financial Information System (FIS) will be upgraded to provide improved financial support for the University’s stakeholders.      

The system solution will be guided by the following University strategic priorities:

• Exceptional undergraduate experience – Build a student support network that emphasizes independent learning, interdisciplinary opportunities, flexibility in degree completion pathways, and successful year-to-year transition.
• Strengths in research and graduate education – Provide a system to support the needs of graduate education that allows administrators to track student progress, properly comply with research grant requirements, and ensure flexibility in degrees and programs. 
• Recruit and retain the best faculty and staff – Provide faculty with a cohesive view of student information not currently available and empower faculty to manage administrative activities such as course management, thus lessening the administrative burden. 
• Engage the community in partnerships – Provide a system that can track and give insight to data from community partnerships and joint initiatives. 
• Promote international engagement – Support and enhance the University’s global recruitment and use administrative systems to improve efficiencies for international applicants. 

A Steering Committee has been established to provide oversight to this important initiative for the campus.  Members of the ERP Steering Committee include:

1. Sandra Aversa, Co-Chair, Vice-President, Planning & Administration
2. Alice Miller, Co-Chair, Registrar
3. Douglas Kneale, Provost and Vice-President, Academic
4. Rita LaCivita, Vice-President, Human Resources
5. John Coleman, Director, Public Affairs and Communications
6. Bala Kathiresan, Executive Director, Information Technology Services 
7. Ryan Kenney, Assistant Director, Information Technology Services (Project Lead)
8. Jaydee Tarpeh, President, UWSA

A Core Working Group has been established for this initiative and includes individuals from across the campus.  This Working Group will be dedicated to the project on a full-time basis and will work with the students, faculty and staff during the implementation. Members of the Core Working Group include:

1. Ryan Kenney, Assistant Director, Information Technology Services – Project Lead
2. Cathy Crowley, Systems Analyst
3. Elizabeth Felet, Financial Systems Supervisor
4. Lorraine Grondin, Assistant to the Dean – Administrative & Financial
5. Chris Lanoue, Manager – Student Accounts & Receivables
6. Paula McAllister – Office of the Vice-President, Planning & Administration – Special Projects
7. John Osborne, Internal Audit Manager
8. Part-time Communication Person – to be appointed

The Steering Committee is committed to engaging the campus as it works through the implementation.  A website is currently under development and will seek to provide updates on this initiative.  At the current time, the Steering Committee is developing a Request for Proposal that will identify the best system solution for UWindsor.  This stage of the project is targeted for completion by Winter 2016.    

We look forward to working with the campus on a system solution that will meet the needs of the University’s students, faculty and staff in delivering an exceptional student experience. 

UWindsor graduate assistants (GAs) and teaching assistants (TAs) and students interested in teaching and learning are invited to register for a full-day professional development event, the 9th annual GATAcademy, taking place Thursday, September 3, in the Odette Building and Lambton Tower.

Organized by the Centre for Teaching and Learning, the GATAcademy is a faculty-sponsored event organizing workshops tailored specifically to both new and returning GAs and TAs.

“Since 2008, this event has helped more than 1,000 students from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines prepare for careers as teachers, researchers, and scholars,” says GATA Network Coordinator, Gregory Paziuk

Led by a group of experienced and award winning GAs, TAs, and instructors, this year’s workshops will feature a range of topics, including tips for surviving your first day as a student teacher; teaching to a multicultural audience; navigating copyright laws; and managing the University of Windsor’s new Blackboard learning management system.

The Graduate Studies GA/TA Orientation will also take place on September 3, immediately following GATAcademy. This orientation will offer practical information about entering into a new GA/TA role.

More information and online registration for GATAcademy are available at the CTL’s webpage. Workshops are free to GAs and TAs.

UWindsor Science Dean Marlys Koschinsky has accepted the position of Executive Director at Western University’s Robarts Research Institute and will leave the University of Windsor September 30.

Dr. Koschinsky joined UWindsor in 2008, following a 17-year career at Queen’s University, where she served as the Director of the Cardiac, Circulatory & Respiratory Research Program and Acting Head of the Department of Physiology.  

“Marlys has done a wonderful job as Dean of the Faculty of Science,” said Alan Wildeman, President and Vice-Chancellor. “She has helped to position Science strongly within our Strategic Mandate Agreement and has been an unwavering advocate for students.  She will be missed and I wish her the very best as she takes on the exciting new role at Western.”

Established in 1986, Robarts Research Institute at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is a world leader in biomedical knowledge – at the forefront of innovating, educating and translating research discoveries into clinical applications for patients across the globe.

“I have greatly appreciated Marlys’s leadership of the Faculty of Science and her many contributions around the table at Deans’ Council,” said Douglas Kneale, Provost and Vice-President Academic. “I know that she will provide similar academic direction at Western, and I wish her all the best as she takes on her new responsibilities at the Robarts Research Institute.”

In addition to her duties as Dean, Dr. Koschinsky has been involved with a number of organizations in Windsor. She is vice-chair of the Board of Directors for WEtech Alliance; a senior leadership volunteer with the Heart and Stroke Foundation; Chair of the Windsor-Essex Mission Committee; and has served as a member of the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation’s Life and Health Sciences Task Force. She is also a member of the steering committee for the South West Academic Health Network and says she is very proud of the numerous achievements made by UWindsor’s Faculty of Science.

“Our strong commitment to excellence in research and experiential teaching and learning underpin a culture of innovation, inspiration and dedication,” Dr. Koschinsky said. “Although I will miss the many friends and colleagues that I have made both at the University and in the broader Windsor-Essex community, I am very excited to start a new chapter in my academic career at the Robarts Research Institute.”

Charles Macdonald has been appointed Acting Dean in the Faculty of Science effective immediately. The University will also conduct a formal search for a new Dean.