Getting ERP Right the First Time

Milligan University’s Strategic Path to Digital Transformation

When Milligan University’s legacy system, PowerCampus, approached end-of-life, the institution faced a critical decision: how to modernize its enterprise ecosystem while minimizing disruption to students, staff, and institutional momentum. New President Dr. Stephen Waers, a former CIO himself, recognized the stakes and sought expert guidance from CampusWorks to ensure a smooth transition.

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Partnership with CampusWorks

ERP transitions are high-risk, high-visibility endeavors, and institutions often underestimate the internal bandwidth required to manage them effectively. Milligan University recognized this—and turned to CampusWorks as a trusted partner to fill strategic gaps in project management, functional backfill, data governance, and change management.

CampusWorks designed a comprehensive ERP implementation success support plan to help Milligan prepare for a seamless migration to a new suite of enterprise solutions: Jenzabar One (ERP), Jenzabar Financial Aid, and Slate (CRM).

Key Services Included:

• Process Reimagine & Redesign (PRR): CampusWorks facilitated PRR efforts across key functional areas, helping Milligan document current workflows and envision optimized future-state operations aligned with the new systems.

• Data Governance Assessment & Readiness: An onsite evaluation revealed that much of Milligan’s institutional data lived outside the ERP in siloed Access databases—an often-overlooked barrier to successful data migration. CampusWorks helped the university centralize, clean, and document its data, ensuring that critical information would be properly migrated into the new systems.

• Enterprise Architecture Strategy Services: As Milligan transitioned from an on-premises to a cloud-based environment, CampusWorks worked with campus IT leadership to assess and upgrade infrastructure to support the performance demands of a cloud ERP.

• Contract Negotiation Support: CampusWorks reviewed the University’s contract with Jenzabar, helping leadership secure the right project management structure, define what the “data lake” would include (ensuring it covered all relevant data, not just ERP data), and avoid costly surprises.

• CRM and Financial Aid Implementation Support: When Milligan decided to adopt Slate CRM and Jenzabar Financial Aid, CampusWorks provided continuity and subject-matter expertise. Consultants helped translate PRR insights into system requirements and supported the university during key staffing transitions.

Transformative Results

Instead of rushing into implementation, Milligan took a deliberate, strategic approach—investing early in planning, process improvement, and data readiness to pave the way for a smoother rollout and lasting institutional success.

With CampusWorks’ support, the University is on track to implement its new ERP system on time and on budget—without burning out its internal teams or compromising its mission.

Already Realized Benefits:

• Preparation: Entered implementation with clean data, defined business processes, aligned teams, and cloud-ready infrastructure.

• Foresight: Avoided pitfalls by anticipating long-term needs and student impact.

• Accountability: Addressed vendor performance issues quickly to keep the project on track.

Lessons Learned: Advice for Presidents Leading Digital Transformation

From Dr. Stephen Waers, President of Milligan University

1. Start with Strategy, Not Software: ERP transitions aren’t just about replacing systems—they’re about reimagining how your institution operates.

2. Ask the Questions You Don’t Know to Ask: Have a partner who’s been there before and knows the landmines.

3. Invest Early to Save Later: Early investment in planning, process redesign, and data governance prevents downstream problems.

4. Don’t Underestimate the Human Impact: Staff burnout is real—fill gaps strategically.

5. Own the Outcome: Be visible, engaged, and accountable as president.