The Ohio State University WWW weather server Graphical Services Suspended because of Y2K bug.

http://asp1.sbs.ohio-state.edu/

-- fplassman (plassfc@ibm.net), January 13, 2000

Answers

Here's another article about OSU. We should watch for further updates of glitches. Cleveland State University is also having Major problems with the same software made by PeopleSoft.

Ohio State struggles with its computers

Upgrade of university administrative software costs significantly more in time and money than expected

Associated Press

COLUMBUS: Overhauling Ohio State University's business computer system has cost twice as much as predicted and taken nearly twice as long to complete as expected.

The delays and cost were unavoidable, said Laura King, director of marketing for government and education for PeopleSoft of Pleasanton, Calif, which won the contract for the project in 1995.

``Ohio State University is an enormous university,'' she said. ``It's equivalent to a small city.

``I think, if we look at where they are today, they are running their university with our software and are much more efficient.''

When PeopleSoft was awarded the contract to integrate OSU's internal business systems, the conversion was forecast to take less than three years and cost $52.5 million. The price tag has topped $85.7 million, with completion expected in the summer.

Counting the $21.1 million Ohio State has spent to run the new system and upgrade software packages, the bill has reached $106.8 million. The old system consisted of a complex patchwork of homegrown programs that linked poorly with one another and with outside systems.

University officials realized they needed something more comprehensive. However, they didn't know how complex the changeover would be.

Larry Lewellen, OSU's associate vice president for human resources, said there have been times that his staff had to deliver late paychecks to employees' homes.

Once, an employee received a $1 million check and tried to cash it, but a bank caught the error.

``We went live with the human-resources system on Aug. 1, 1997 -- and, boy, it was so difficult that in September we actually had cash trucks poised around campus because we were not sure we were going to make some of the payrolls,'' Lewellen said. ``If we didn't, we were going to hand out cash.''

Most of the bugs have been fixed, but it took nearly two years.

``Could it have been more difficult?'' Lewellen asked. ``I'm not sure how.''

-- Published Monday January 3, 2000, in the Akron Beacon Journal

http://www.ohio.c om/tech/news/docs/008429.htm

-- Lee Maloney (leemaloney@hotmail.com), January 17, 2000.

UPDATE: Even though PeopleSoft software has been shown to be non Y2k compliant, Ohio State will comtinue to use the software.....

OVERRUN, DELAY DON'T SCARE OSU AWAY FROM FIRM

Date: Friday, January 7, 2000

Section: NEWS, Page: 02B, Byline: Scott Powers

Source: Staff Reporter, The Columbus Dispatch; Columbus, Ohio

Despite a $32 million cost overrun and three-year delay in getting business-operations software working satisfactorily, Ohio State University is considering buying more software from the same company. The university has joined six other Big Ten schools in asking PeopleSoft of Pleasanton, Calif., to improve its student-tracking programs that handle things such as registration, financial aid and grades.

Even though many schools are having problems with PeopleSoft's student-information-system software, officials of OSU and the other Big Ten schools say the company has the best products on the market to overhaul and replace outdated, home-grown, patchwork computer systems at big, complex universities.

"For schools of our magnitude, I think they remain the only game in town,'' said Bob Kvavik, associate vice president of the University of Minnesota.

"It's just that it's so much. This is a beta product. It's brand new. They can only build it so fast,'' Kvavik said. "The Big Ten schools, by the nature of their size, just have needs that a lot of PeopleSoft customers don't have.''

Ohio State might buy PeopleSoft's student system but wants to see it improved first, said Edward J. Ray, executive vice president.

The business-systems software that PeopleSoft sold Ohio State in 1995 was to cost $53 million and take three years to install. It is costing $85 million and taking six years.

OSU officials, who also spent $21.1 million on operating costs and upgrades for the package, now say they are pleased.

Cleveland State University is among schools that have reported problems with the PeopleSoft student-information system -- specifically, delays in getting financial aid to students.

However, company officials said the Cleveland State situation is unrelated to the concerns of the Big Ten schools, which mainly have had problems with installation and the software's speed.

In November, the seven Big Ten schools jointly signed a letter to PeopleSoft's president, Craig A. Conway, saying the "performance of the systems, in terms of responsiveness, is simply unacceptable.'' "We are eager to work with you to solve many of these problems and have begun to create multi-institution working groups with that purpose in mind,'' the letter stated.

Ray signed the letter along with his counterparts at the universities of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan and at Northwestern University.

"The point of this letter is not to complain but to say there really is value in our getting together,'' Ray said. "We told them we could kind of collaborate to see how we can get you faster to our needs.'' PeopleSoft officials said they have been working well with the schools already and see the letter as constructive, not critical.

"We're delighted,'' said Laura King, the company's director of marketing for government and education. "We need this kind of feedback from our customers.''

King said the letter shows that the seven schools endorse PeopleSoft's products as the best available to serve their complex needs.

PeopleSoft engineers are working with some of the schools, and Conway will meet with the schools later this month, she said.

Kvavik said the student-information systems are much more complicated than the business systems Ohio State struggled with.

http://libpub.dispatch.com/cgi- bin/slwebcli.pl?DBLIST=cd00&DOCNUM=367

-- Lee Maloney (leemaloney@hotmail.com), February 18, 2000.