And the winner is… PULSE
by Sharron Walls
No more lines. No more waiting on hold. PULSE is here!
Congratulations to Daniel Ketterer, a second-year student in the School of Medicine, who pockets a new 30-gigabyte color video iPod for coming up with the winning entry in the MCG Banner Name Contest. Three finalists, selected by the Banner SUCCESS core team subcommittee from the many creative entries sent in by staff, students and faculty, were voted on through the My MCG Portal. PULSE, an acronym for Personalized Universal Live Student Environment, edged out its closest competition, BONES, while leaving MILTON far behind.
With PULSE, the student information arm of the Banner system, set to begin beating strong on July 5, MCG held its last old-fashioned face-to-face registration June 19. The move to online registration brings MCG in line with other University of Georgia institutions enabling students to register for classes, verify schedules, pay tuition, confirm grades, change account information, print unofficial transcripts, check financial aid status and more online, according to Lisa Stamper, Banner training coordinator. Students will soon receive notices by mail and e-mail detailing changes in registration and payment procedures for the fall semester.
Preparations for going online have been under way since 2004. Implementation of Banner has been a collaborative effort between the SUCCESS project, Information Technology Support and Services, the Admissions, Cashier’s, Registrar’s and Student Financial Aid offices, and consultants from Sungard SCT, makers of Banner, the most widely used student information processing software.
Faculty and staff members are excited about the changes Banner has brought, said Ms. Stamper. And, as most MCG students are familiar with the program from previous institutions, a smooth transition with PULSE is expected. To get acquainted, go to www.mcg.edu/pulse.