Two major milestones for the Banner Administrative System implementation were met in July 2008. The finance and advancement project teams both celebrated their hard work and accomplishments as Phase I of their respective implementations moved into production.

The advancement module implementation, led by project manager Janice Linkous, includes new and improved structures for campaigns, updated designations and reporting for gifts/pledges/donor information, improved processes and real-time access to information for development officers, improved trend analysis, and reporting. The advancement team began Phase II activities in September 2008, including prospect and solicitation management, memberships, and self-service for alumni.  Congratulations to Janice Linkous and project team members Wendy Lowe, Albert Mah, Patty Simerly, Angelique Baldwin and technical lead Rebecca Pennington on their success with Advancement Phase I.

The finance implementation, led by project manager Evelyn Wilson, includes a new and improved chart of accounts structured for university and foundation accounting, budget, accounts payable, check management, vendor management, purchasing, self-service for budget transfers and queries, and real-time integration with the Commonwealth’s eVA e-procurement system for the requisitioning and receiving of goods and services.  The finance team also trained more than 175 departmental users on Banner Finance and eVA during July and early August. Additionally, the finance team began work on Phase II activities in September 2008, including budget development for the new fiscal year, fixed assets, grants management, and year-end financial statements and reporting.  Congratulations to Evelyn Wilson and project team members Bill Shorter, Hubert Barton, Pam Simpkins, Suzy Bledsoe, Lisa Ridpath, George Chatneuff, Gwen Hughes, and Sharon Hall on the success of the Phase I finance implementation.

Is it eVA, or is it Banner?

For many on campus, the finance module and eVA are the first view of the new administrative systems. Many have asked if eVA is part of Banner. While eVA is integrated with Banner, eVA is “Virginia’s Total e-Procurement Solution.” It is a separate, web-based purchasing system implemented by the Department of General Services and is used by all Virginia state agencies, colleges, universities and many local governments to announce bid opportunities, invite bidders, receive quotes, and place orders for goods and services.  The Commonwealth implemented eVA to maximize the taxpayer dollars; increase access to open, fair and increased competition; improve vendor diversity; and better manage public funds. 

While all Virginia colleges and universities are required to use eVA, RU is one of only three Virginia Banner institutions to implement the real-time eVA to Banner integration and is one of the first to deploy the integration to university departments.  Orders entered by RU departments are routed through electronic approvals in eVA, and once approved, are immediately imported into Banner.  This integration eliminates the dual data entry performed by RU’s Purchasing Department prior to the Banner implementation. During the months of July and August, 964 orders totaling $3,770,488 were processed through eVA.

For more information about eVA, visit http://eva.virginia.gov.