A new effort at the University of New Mexico aims to improve university operations to better serve students, faculty, and staff. UNM recently launched Elevate UNM, a multi-year initiative to modernize the school’s administrative systems and processes.
UNM’s faculty, staff, and students rely on a wide range of systems every day. These systems support finances, human resources, student services, and other essential university functions. Many of these platforms have served the university well for decades. However, they have become increasingly difficult and costly to maintain.
Through Elevate UNM, the university is building a stronger foundation for the future. UNM will modernize key administrative systems and rethink how work gets done. These upgrades will create a more connected, efficient, and responsive institution. It aims to better support teaching, research, patient care, and service to New Mexicans.
“This effort is about more than technology,” said UNM Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Teresa Costantinidis. “It is about improving how we work together, reducing administrative burden, providing better access to information, and creating tools that allow faculty and staff to focus more of their time and energy on the work that matters most.”
This fall, UNM will launch the first phase of its transformation by modernizing its finance and human resources systems. It will enhance the student information system and other critical administrative technologies in the future phases. These investments are seen to help UNM’s ability to serve its students, employees, and communities.
Streamlining University Operations
Representatives from across the university participated in a comprehensive procurement and evaluation process. UNM selected Oracle Fusion Cloud to support the first phase of Elevate UNM. The cloud-based solution will replace current finance and human resource systems with a single integrated platform.
UNM reached this decision after months of thorough analysis, collaboration, and careful consideration of its long-term needs. Oracle’s platform will provide enhanced capabilities, improved reporting and analytics, and stronger cross-functional integration. It will also give UNM a flexible foundation that can evolve with the university.
“Implementing a project of this scale will require change, learning, and patience. While some processes will look different in the future, Elevate’s goal is to ensure those changes make our work easier, more effective, and better aligned with the needs of the university,” said Teresa Costantinidis, executive vice president, Finance and Administration.
Benefits of the New Platform
Elevate UNM is about improving the experience of working at the university, according to UNM. The new platform will simplify everyday administrative tasks, from hiring employees to delivering student services. It will also make these processes faster and more transparent.
The new system aims to:
- Streamline administrative processes and reduce manual work,
- Improve access to information, reporting, and analytics,
- Provide more direct-access options for employees and managers,
- Strengthen One University collaboration across Main Campus, Health Sciences, and branch campuses,
- Enhance security, compliance, and data stewardship, and
- Create a sustainable technology foundation for the future.
The improvements will reduce administrative burdens, giving faculty and staff more time to advance UNM’s mission.
UNM will host workshops, testing efforts, training programs, and other engagement initiatives over the coming months. Faculty and staff will have opportunities to participate throughout the process. The university community’s expertise and experience will shape the implementation of the new systems and help ensure long-term success.
