Bismarck Tribune - North Dakota News - ConnectND fix approved

ConnectND fix approved

Jan 19, 2007 - 04:01:30 CST

By JAMES MacPHERSON
Associated Press Writer

New positions and other changes totaling about $9.5 million are needed to improve the ConnectND software system that has drawn complaints from North Dakota college campuses, the system's executive director says.

The state Board of Higher Education voted to adopt the recommendations Thursday "subject to the money being available." The recommendations include 11.5 new positions, as well as technical and security upgrades.

Bonnie Neas, the executive director for ConnectND, said all but $3 million of the cost could be found in Gov. John Hoeven's budget recommendation and the current base program budget. The 10 consultants' recommendations could be spread over time, she said, but if the rest of the money is not found to pay for them, services would have to be cut or student fees would have to be raised.

Students now pay a fee to help support the software system, which is designed to link colleges and government offices. It has been plagued by complaints it is slow and not user-friendly, and auditors have said students' Social Security numbers and credit card accounts could be compromised because of the system problems.

Neas estimated the cost of adding 11.5 positions at about $825,000 a year. They would join 61 already working on the system, which is "woefully understaffed" at present, she said.

Neas said hiring the additional workers is a key to fixing ConnectND's problems.

"Without them, the rest will be very hard to accomplish," she said.

Some schools have complained about the system's ability to handle accounting for research grants and contracts. Neas said a separate software system may be needed to correct that problem.

Otherwise, she said, "It's like putting a Band-Aid on a wound that doesn't want to heal."

Neas told board members Thursday that no system is perfect, but if the recommendations are put in place, "the satisfaction level should raise considerably" in two or three years.

Neas and Randall Thursby, a former chief information officer for Georgia's university system, were hired to fix the problems with ConnectND. They said they talked with representatives of some of the 645 similar programs around the country.

"We have to do everything possible to implement this," Dickinson State University President Lee Vickers said in an interview.

News > State

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Comments

Here We Go Again!!! wrote on Jan 20, 2007 8:08 AM:

" The Disgovenator has been given very bad advice by the State's Computer Department "IDD"..."IDD" stands for "I Didn't Do-it". ... Mr. Wrestler needs to Clean House, and replace "IDD"s current Management. They don't have a 'Clue'. "

fixNOT4ConnectND wrote on Jan 19, 2007 8:35 PM:

" Putting more money into the current ConnectND is like repairing a house roof that's been beaten in with baseball sized hail stones in 75 mph wind -- replacing one shingle at a time will do nothing - a new roof is the only the that will work and the only thing that is cheaper and will actually accomplish the goal...... stop making scapegoats - no more excuses - admit mistakes and get on with the "FIX"! $825k for 11.5 employees - this I gotta see - that's "management" wages in the HECN/NDUS and government - not "tech services" - GET REAL! "

Nostradamus wrote on Jan 19, 2007 5:25 PM:

" ...the year.. 2010 the ConnectND progam has finally been fixed!....In other news...State of North Dakota goes Bankrupt unable to manage money properly. "

Haas wrote on Jan 19, 2007 4:24 PM:

" The title of the article is "ConnectND fix approved" who is to say it will be "fixed" are they going to work on it, yes but to say for sure they know of a "fix" is a stretch. It should be "ConnectND possible fix approved" "

Extinct Dinosaur Software wrote on Jan 19, 2007 12:51 PM:

" This system is a "parasite" sucking MORE money out of the North Dakota taxpayers. It is a dysfunctional system and should have been replaced years ago. Why is the state so desperately hanging on to this fiasco called ConnectND? There are so many "cheaper" and more dynamic software programs that could replace this dinosaur! "

She's right! wrote on Jan 19, 2007 9:00 AM:

" Mildred called it right-it's a money pit. This software is nothing more than some egocentric person's idea which was crammed down everyone's throat whether they wanted or liked it or not; and now nobody is going to own up and admit that it was a mistake and move on to something better. A TOTAL WASTE OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS JUST BECAUSE OF A REFUSAL TO ADMIT A MISTAKE WAS MADE!! "

enough wrote on Jan 19, 2007 8:30 AM:

" They better not raise student fees to pay for this fix. The students didn't ask for the system & it doesn't help them at all, so why should they have to pay for it? The legislature needs to fund the fix. "

Mildred wrote on Jan 19, 2007 7:29 AM:

" Why not pay these 72.5 people to work as secretaries? You could give them old fashioned typewriters, a telephone, and a filing cabinet. This would be vastly more efficient than this ConnectND Money Pit. "

Buffy wrote on Jan 19, 2007 7:24 AM:

" ...Ha Ha Ha Ha....Grab your ankles Taxpayers.... "

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