Our Student Information System (SIS) is the ecosystem of people, processes, & technology that empower teaching, learning, and administrative activities.
We’re embarking on this SIS Enhancement Initiative to create a user-friendly and accessible SIS that enables Vassar students, faculty, and staff to efficiently manage academic records, collaborate effectively, and contribute to the institution’s mission of delivering “the means of a thorough, well-proportioned and liberal education*” that inspires each individual to lead a purposeful life. Without this critical initiative, we risk increasing user frustration and falling behind in meeting growing maintenance demands, compliance requirements, and cybersecurity challenges.
Current SIS State
Our existing SIS comprises numerous interconnected systems and workflows, serving various unique needs within our community. To identify the many functions of the SIS and areas for improvement, a steering committee—composed of faculty and representatives from campus offices and groups that rely most heavily on the SIS—partnered with Huron Consulting to conduct a preliminary assessment. We encourage you to review the resulting SIS Assessment report on our Community Guidance page to gain insight into the current concerns and considerations that prompted this enhancement project. Additionally, we have created, and will continuously update, an SIS Crosswalk that outlines the various components of the SIS today and highlights potential changes throughout this enhancement project.
Enhancement Initiative Timeline
We anticipate launching our Ask Banner replacement, MyVassar, in January 2027. Once this phase is complete, we expect to enter additional phases to introduce further features. Throughout this development phase, we will actively gather community feedback, as it will be essential for identifying and prioritizing future enhancements.
Planning & Preparation (11/2024 - 3/2025) Completed
- Project kickoff completed with vendor and campus teams
- Technology environments prepared and tested
- Core systems upgraded and validated
Requirements & Process Design (3/2025 - 12/2025) In-Progress
Campus departments engaged in discovery workshops
Current-state processes documented; future workflows designed
Initial data migration activities underway
System Configuration & Integration (11/2025 - 8/2026) Upcoming
- Core modules (Admissions, Enrollment, Financial Aid, etc.) configured
- Identity and access systems integrated
- First round of data migration testing begins
Testing & Training Preparation (1/2026 - 9/2026) Upcoming
Comprehensive system testing across departments and modules
Support documentation and training materials developed
Change management and user readiness efforts expanded
Final Testing & Training (8/2026 - 12/2026) Upcoming
End-user training delivered campus-wide
Final data migration and testing cycles completed
Go-live preparation and system freeze executed
Go-Live & Transition (1/2027 - 3/2027) Upcoming
Official system launch
Hypercare support model implemented for early issue resolution
Transition to long-term support teams initiated
Continuous Improvement & Training (Post-Launch) Upcoming
User feedback collected and analyzed
Enhancements prioritized and implemented
Long-term training and support structure established
Projects News & Updates
We’re committed to keeping you updated without overwhelming you with messages. These updates are also available on their own News & Updates page for easier browsing and bookmarking.
Students pick MyVassar as the AskBanner replacement system name: the project team brainstormed names for the new system, and students completed a survey to select their name preference. MyVassar received the most student votes and is the new name for the AskBanner replacement system! Course Match full-campus rollout: Following a...
On 11/7, the SIS Enhancement Initiative project team announced the new SIS name: MyVassar. The email was formatted as a newsletter to make the information as digestible as possible. Read the complete email in the original formatting here. The SIS Enhancement Initiative is replacing AskBanner with a streamlined central hub...
On 11/7, the SIS Enhancement Initiative project team announced the new SIS name: MyVassar. The email was formatted as a newsletter to make the information as digestible as possible. Read the complete email in the original formatting here. The SIS Enhancement Initiative is replacing AskBanner with a streamlined central hub...
On 10/29 the Registrar shared information about Phase I Pre-Registration with Course Match for all students. The email was formatted as a newsletter to make the information as digestible as possible. Read the complete email in the original formatting here. As you may have heard, we’re launching a new Pre-Registration...
Course Match full-campus rollout: Following a successful pilot with first-year students this summer, we are preparing to launch the Course Match preregistration platform campus-wide in November for Spring 2026 preregistration. More information and training materials at go.vassar.edu/coursematchinfo. Updated project timeline: To allow thorough testing and training, our go-live date has...
Beginning July 1, 2025, TouchNet will replace Nelnet Quikpay, offering a more streamlined, secure, and user-friendly experience. With features like real-time payment tracking, on-demand statements, enhanced security, and seamless integration with student accounts, TouchNet will make it easier for students and parents to view and manage tuition, housing, fees, and...
Training Materials
Although training materials won’t be available until later in the SIS Enhancement Initiative implementation, we want to assure you that a wealth of resources will be provided. Please let us know your training format preferences below. Our community research has shown that effective training is crucial to the success of this project, and we are committed to delivering a comprehensive program that meets the needs of our community.
Primary Goals
Streamline operations
- Implement updated SIS to enhance faculty and staff engagement
- Provide a personalized experience through technology
- Support high-touch interactions while maintaining academic excellence
- Streamline processes for improved effectiveness and transparency
- Optimize operations and reduce administrative burdens
Support the Vassar experience
- Simplify interfaces and navigation for better usability
- Improve faculty experience and reduce inefficiencies so that faculty can focus more on teaching, advising, and research
- Enhance data access and synchronization for informed decision-making
- Foster meaningful student connections through improved awareness of student success indicators
Provide a cloud-based experience
- Enhance user experience for students, faculty, and staff
- Replace outdated on-premise systems with contemporary cloud-based solutions
- Improve information security
- Enable data-driven decisions and reduce operational risks
- Expand data analytics and reporting capabilities
- Reduce downtime and maintenance costs
For the Community by the Community
Community guidance has been vital in shaping our goals. As we implement a unified solution, we’ll seek ongoing input and invite you to participate in ways that suit your commitment level. Your role will remain central throughout the SIS Enhancement Initiative implementation, and we appreciate your continued involvement.
Guiding Principles
- Transparent: We are committed to open communication and collaboration with the Vassar community. We will proactively share information, decisions, and progress, while also actively seeking and valuing your input. To facilitate this open dialogue, we will utilize a variety of communication channels, including email, our project website, digital signage, updates at forums, and other community events.
- Community-driven: We will respect all contributions and facilitate feedback to ensure Vassar community opinions are heard and incorporated into decisions.
- Streamlined and Supportive: We will leverage technology to streamline student academic record related processes to create a more seamless user-friendly experience. We will consult with faculty on any changes that would impact academic relationships, ensuring that technology supports and strengthens, rather than replaces, those vital connections.
- Sustainable: To ensure long-term stability, security, and efficiency, we will prioritize utilizing the robust functionality within the Banner system and other standardized applications. This approach will allow us to retire outdated, custom applications, reducing potential risks and streamlining our technology infrastructure.
Contact the SIS Enhancement Initiative Team
If you have feedback on project implementation or processes, please use one of the feedback forms on the Get Involved page. For general questions for the project team, use the form below. We’ll do our best to respond quickly, but please note that our cross-functional team has complex scheduling, so it may take time to provide a meaningful response. We will only review messages from Vassar email addresses, so please double check that you are using the correct address before submitting your message.