Michigan State University was recognized for “moving higher education forward” by Oracle Corporation at its annual CloudWorld conference in September 2024. The Forward Together award was accepted by Dave Weatherspoon, vice provost of Enrollment Services, on behalf of President Guskiewicz, Interim Provost Jeitschko and MSU. 

In fall 2021, MSU became the largest four-year public university to implement Oracle’s Student Financial Planning, or SFP, software, a cloud-based platform for managing student financial aid, as part of Student Information System, or SIS, modernization efforts.  

The university’s diverse population of more than 52,000 students and over 400 areas of study was a challenge for the relatively new product in its first year of use at MSU. The Office of Financial Aid and the SIS Modernization Project team worked closely with Oracle developers to help evolve SFP and make the financial aid experience as seamless as possible for MSU students and families. 

This year, MSU surpassed its previous record for disbursement of student financial aid, delivering over $350 million in student financial aid by the first day of fall 2024 classes. By the completion of the 2024-25 financial aid year, MSU expects to deliver over $900 million in total financial aid. This $900 million includes scholarships, grants, student loans and work-study. For Keith Williams, the Office of Financial Aid’s executive director, this record disbursement is emblematic of the teamwork between MSU and Oracle. 

“In 2021, the implementation year for SFP, MSU and our students certainly faced challenges with the aid delivery process,” said Williams. “Every semester since, the MSU and Oracle teams have worked together to enhance the software and modify internal processes to improve the delivery of student financial aid.” 

For Weatherspoon, the timely delivery of financial aid plays an integral part in recruitment and retention of Spartans. 

“When families trust MSU to deliver timely, accurate financial aid, they’re able to focus on academics and community,” said Weatherspoon. “MSU experienced a record enrollment for the current fall semester, and we are very pleased that students do not need to worry about potential financial barriers.” 

Deb Dotterer, who directed SIS modernization efforts and serves as director of the SIS Transition and Operations team, said the SIS and SFP teams, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make necessary system enhancements to help streamline the financial aid process, have truly transformed how MSU delivers financial aid to students. As a result, other institutions now look to MSU for guidance in their own implementations of SFP. 

“Because of our deep understanding of SFP, our ability to internally develop workarounds, and the commitment our teams have to student success, we are well resourced for ongoing and future collaborations with other institutions implementing the SFP product,” said Dotterer.  

Even in a year when aid delivery was affected by FAFSA delays, the strong relationship between MSU and Oracle was evident. The efforts of the offices of financial aid and admissions, in cooperation with Oracle, were instrumental in the delivery of financial aid award letters to thousands of students earlier than many other schools. 

In addition to the challenges posed by changes to the FAFSA, this year saw the rollout of a brand-new MSU scholarship program, the Spartan Tuition Advantage.  

“Most people don’t realize the amount of effort required by both MSU and Oracle to incorporate a large-scale initiative like Spartan Tuition Advantage,” said Weatherspoon. “That financial aid packages were accurate and on time is a testament to the strength of our partnership. This award reflects that.”