A prospective GCC student wants to upload his information onto the GCC homepage via the internet. He logs on, types in a few characters and in an instant, all of his information has been entered and dispersed among the appropriate departments. At the same time, another student is checking her financial aid status on the same browser. With the newly adopted Oracle ERP system, virtually any task can be accomplished on one shared environment, making life a bit easier for students and faculty staff members.
The system is designed to make GCC readily available to students and staff on the school browser. Program Manager Linda Welz says the new system, which is still in the process of implementation, promises to improve many services.
“The new system is going to put GCC ahead in terms of service,” Welz said. Thanks in part to a grant of over $2 million, which was approved by the Board of Trustees and a group of designers, Welz is able to be a part of this innovative project.
The Oracle system was designed to improve services to students by making online applications more convenient, more frequently updated class lists to keep students updated on what classes are still open, progress data-driven decision making, expand data analysis capabilities, advance reporting to state and federal agencies and manage resources more effectively. As of right now, various parts of the financial aid department and applications can be accessed from the school browser.
Another advantage of the Oracle system is its ability to have everything in one shared environment.
This means every department will be connected to each other on the school browser. This connection means one piece of information will be sent to all of the necessary destinations, instead of having to be resent several times. For example, a student who changes his/her address on the school browser will have the same information changed in all the necessary departments. With important information going across the wires, GCC has taken precautions to keep the database safe from hackers.
A username and password will be required as part of a security measure, which will let students and staff access only their own accounts. Each account will also have limitations in what they can and cannot access. This will prevent anyone from tampering with sensitive information such as financially related material. The secure connection with the new program will allow the system to remain useful and long lasting.
In an age were computer managing programs are a dime a dozen, Oracle was made specifically for the GCC campus. Only time will tell the full capabilities of the new system. “We plan to work with Oracle for years to come,” said Welz, who hopes the system will be fully implemented within the next two to three years.