The University of Florida is launching an effort to replace its current myUFL system, run on Oracle’s PeopleSoft application, with a new, more capable, and streamlined central information system that will better serve faculty and staff in their diverse work.

The multiyear effort, part of an initiative called Empowering UF, has as its goal replacing the 19-year-old PeopleSoft application with a new system that meets today’s expectations for security, data reporting, and other functions – while also serving employees’ varying needs across UF’s many administrative functions, from human resources and research administration to finance and procurement.

“We are a large, comprehensive and dynamic university, and we need a large, comprehensive and dynamic central information system,” said Charlie Lane, senior vice president and chief operating officer. “However, we also need everyone who uses the system to know that it is intuitive, robust, secure, and helpful to them as they seek to reach their goals – both today and in the future.”

To help ensure that outcome, the Empowering UF initiative is tapping the knowledge, experience, and suggestions of stakeholders throughout the university community via workshops, focus groups, and interviews. UF also contracted with Deloitte’s Higher Education practice as a partner consultant to guide its evaluation process for the new system. After selection of a new product, work to implement a new system will begin in the summer of 2023, with the goal of replacing PeopleSoft by 2026.

A trend that is occurring across higher education is to move to a cloud-based system. UF is conducting peer research and holding discussions to understand the potential advantages of such a move, including better access to data and reporting and an increased capacity to continually upgrade technology and security.