Press Releases
Thompson Rivers University Selects SunGard Higher Education Solutions to Help Meet Needs of Different Constituencies
August 28, 2008 — Malvern, PA
SunGard Higher Education (http://www.sungardhe.com) announced today that Thompson Rivers University (TRU) has selected the Banner Unified Digital Campus (UDC) to help it provide a seamless learning experience for its different constituents, ranging from students taking courses within an open learning program to those participating in the traditional classroom environment. By migrating to the Banner UDC, the university hopes to provide a seamless experience for all its learners, and help them feel connected to the university.
Founded in 1970, TRU became a full status provincial university in 2005 when the University College of the Cariboo was granted ownership and access to the programs and courses of the former British Columbia Open University, creating British Columbia’s newest university. TRU brought together traditional classroom environments and an open learning organization that were served by three different ERP systems from SunGard Higher Education and two other vendors. After a long and formal evaluation and procurement process, TRU decided SunGard Higher Education’s Banner UDC was the most cost-efficient, flexible, and best overall solution set for meeting its strategic goals.
“As a comprehensive university, we meet the needs of different students who may be in various learning modes,” explained Brian Mackay, TRU associate vice president, IT Services, and CIO, “Our students learn through our Kamloops and Williams Lake campuses, throughout parts of British Columbia, and via our BC Centre for Open Learning. TRU has also established itself as an international university, and has become the educational choice for students from across our region and from around the world. As a result of our diverse demographics, many students choose a combination of our learning methods. Our course offerings range from certification and trade and technical training to masters programs. Our goal is to provide a seamless and satisfying experience for all our learners, and help them feel connected to Thompson Rivers University.”
By standardizing on the Banner Unified Digital Campus, the university hopes to gain simplicity and reduce the complexity of its administrative systems and services; improve access to information and increase the accuracy of data; and increase self-service functions to its constituents, all while preserving its investment in its existing open learning environment.
“We expect that the Banner Unified Digital Campus will give us the ultimate flexibility in our IT infrastructure and help us to expand and modify it as needed, all the while working within the best practices provided in the SunGard Higher Education application suite,” emphasized Mr. Mackay. “SunGard Higher Education’s vision for a unified digital campus and its industry leadership make us feel confident that this will continue to be a leading technology platform for higher education.”
“Implementing the Banner Unified Digital Campus will help TRU transform into a university that is more productive and better serves the needs of its many constituents,” said Brian Madocks, chief executive officer, SunGard Higher Education. “In addition, migrating to a common administrative platform will help TRU access the accurate reporting and analytical data it needs to make executive decisions in support of its students, faculty and staff.”
About Thompson Rivers University
Thompson Rivers University, based in Kamloops, BC is the fourth largest university in the province, is a primarily undergraduate, teaching-focused university, offering a personal university experience built on the ability of students to get to know their faculty and fellow students and to be involved in their education in many different ways. TRU is also different from traditional ‘degree-only’ universities because of the comprehensive range of 100 different programs offered, the openness of access to the university, and ability to connect degree and diploma programs.
About SunGard Higher Education
SunGard Higher Education provides software and support, systems implementation and integration, strategic consulting, and technology management services to help colleges and universities build, unify, and manage their digital campuses. Bringing together people, processes, and technology, SunGard Higher Education assists more than 1,600 customers worldwide to strengthen institutional performance through improved constituent services, increased accountability, and better educational experiences. www.sungardhe.com.
About SunGard
With annual revenue of $5 billion, SunGard is a global leader in software and processing solutions for financial services, higher education and the public sector. SunGard also helps information-dependent enterprises of all types to ensure the continuity of their business. SunGard serves more than 25,000 customers in more than 50 countries, including the world’s 50 largest financial services companies. Visit SunGard at www.sungard.com.
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