On October 15 of this year, Penn’s Next Generation Student Systems (NGSS) project reached an important milestone with the launch of the first full release in its Pennant suite of systems: Pennant Accounts.
Pennant Accounts comprises the core student-profile and accounts-receivable application based on Ellucian’s Banner software, along with the Pennant Accounts Feeder Application, Pennant Graduate Funding, and Pennant Plus utilities (including the Pennant Student Account Summary), as well as a new Data Warehouse collection. Pennant Accounts replaces the legacy Billing and Receivables System (BRS), the related billing functions in SFS EASI, and the BRS Data Warehouse collection.
Hundreds of members of the Penn community have worked to make possible this first of three transformational advancements in Penn’s student-related electronic infrastructure. From identification of the University’s unique and varied requirements to the reconceiving of business processes; the evaluation of vendor products; the design, development, and testing of supporting applications; and readiness activities including extensive outreach and training; the team has drawn on the energy and expertise of colleagues in Schools and Centers throughout the University. After a multiyear effort, the successful launch of Pennant Accounts—on time and on budget—testifies to the creativity and commitment of collaborators across campus and beyond.
Pennant Accounts will help staff provide better service, help Schools and Centers make better decisions, and help Penn make a greater impact. It will also establish important foundations for future Pennant releases: Pennant Records, which will modernize student academic records and registration processes, and Pennant Aid, which will support Penn’s leadership in making an unsurpassed education accessible regardless of need.
The NGSS project team thanks everyone who played a part in bringing Pennant Accounts to fruition and looks forward to further collaboration on future Pennant releases.
— Michelle H. Brown-Nevers, Ed.D., Associate Vice President, Student Registration and Financial Services
— Thomas H. Murphy, Vice President, Information Systems and Computing and University CIO
— Beth Winkelstein, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Education