Northwest Regents approve software maintenance agreements

All of the Northwest Missouri State University Regent’s seats are filled with Mel Tjeerdsma’s recent gubernatorial appointment.

Northwest Missouri State University’s Board of Regents approved a pair of multi-year contracts for software at the university during a brief regular meeting on September 5.

The Regents authorized the university to renew software maintenance agreements with Ellucian Banner, for a contract not to exceed $2,025,000 over a five-year term and an implementation cost not to exceed $100,000, and Evisions, for a contract not to exceed $90,000 over a three-year term.

Northwest employs Ellucian Banner as a student information system. At its June meeting, Vice President of Finance Stacy Carrick noted the Regents approved a renewal agreement for the software not to exceed $1.12 million over a three-year term with a six percent annual escalation factor. However, Carrick said, the university continued negotiations to reduce the annual escalation factor while also evaluating and securing additional software functionality, before she brought the proposal to the Regents.

Evisions provides specialized software for Northwest to address the design and delivery of documents such as student transcripts and tax forms as well as efficiencies in its payment processes.

Two staff members, John Carr and Ruth Kemper, were recognized for their achievements and representations of the university.

In other business, the Regents approved faculty appointments of the 2019-20 academic year presented by Dr. Michael Steiner and reviewed Northwest’s FY21 state appropriations requests brought by Carrick, which the university annually submits to the state. Regent Jason Klindt asked for clarity on the priorities which were submitted to the state’s coordinating board for higher education.

Within the reports portion of the meeting, Chair Dr. Marilou Joyner noted the meeting was the first for Mel Tjeerdsma, who was appointed to the Regents last month to succeed Dr. Pat Harr, and the agenda committee had little to report on their task of suggested processes for the Regents.

Other reports were given from the student senate, staff council, faculty senate, AASCU and Dr. John Jasinski, who noted the Missouri Army National Guard is planning to aid in the funding of MOERA improvements and soon the public phase of the Forever Green campaign will kick off.

The Regents went into closed session to speak to the topics of litigation, real estate dealings and personnel.