In the fall of 2016, we launched Cornerstone, a multi-year strategic initiative to transform the administrative and student information systems and processes for Rutgers University. Since then, we have taken numerous measures to lay the groundwork to modernize, unify, and simplify operations and technology for finance and accounting, human resources, payroll, procurement, expense management, travel, and student experience. This pivotal effort will guide our work to standardize practices, improve data analytics and reporting, align services and deliverables with the university community’s needs, and support collaboration across all campuses.
In the fall of 2022, the University Finance and Administration Project Management Office led a reprioritization of the Cornerstone projects portfolio to align with current resources. As a result, some projects will slow down or pause to allow the project teams to focus on the following initiatives:
Constituent Relationship Management (CRM): Scarlet Journey – Scarlet Journey will enable the implementation of a CRM platform to drive engagement and manage relationships across the entire lifecycle for prospective students, alumna/e, donors, and athletic supporters. CRM for Enrollment Management supports application intake, processing, and decisions launched for the 2021 and 2022 academic year. Additional enhancements will be developed for the next application cycle for the fall 2023 class. Deployment of Rutgers Foundation integration with CRM is underway.
CRM for Common Application – Common App will be available for the first time ever at Rutgers University for first-year undergraduate students applying to any Chancellor-led area – Camden, New Brunswick, Newark, and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS). Leveraging Common App universitywide will enable more students to easily apply to all Rutgers campuses with a single application and fee, attracting quality applicants and increasing applications. The application is expected to launch in the summer of 2023 for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Human Capital Management (HCM): HR/Payroll Transformation – Through this initiative, we will create a more consistent employee experience by redesigning human resources (HR) and payroll processes. To increase efficiency and consistency, combining existing platforms into a single system, and implementing the Oracle HCM cloud-based software solution will further transform how we work at Rutgers. Coordinating the Chart of Accounts (CoA) Phase 2 project with the HR/Payroll transformation initiative will drive greater efficiency across university systems, provide more consistent and robust financial reporting, enhance transaction management and tracking capability, and simplify and standardize project accounting.
Student Experience Improvement Initiative (SEII) – This project advances the university’s dedication to providing seamless, integrated, and responsive services that meet Rutgers students’ needs. A major element of the SEII implementation for one universitywide student information system began with the launch of Oracle Student Financial Planning (OSFP) to replace our financial aid system in September 2022. OSFP functionality included financial aid awarding, loan origination, and aid disbursement from two processes into a unified system. System enhancements and improvements to improve efficiency are in progress, preparing for the 2023-24 financial aid year.
Coming soon, we will relaunch Cornerstone newsletters to keep you – members of the Rutgers University community – more informed about the progress of the four projects listed above as well as other pertinent information to support your involvement in these activities.
Later this year, we will hold events that will be open to all administrators, faculty, and staff to provide hybrid forums where you can obtain updates and interact with senior leaders and project team members.
Thank you for your continued support.