The Only Constant is Change As the vibrant colors of summer give way to the crisp air and golden hues of fall, we welcome a new season of change and opportunity. Fall is always a time for reflection and preparation, and this year is no different as …
NeSIS eNews - October 2025
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The Only Constant is Change
As the vibrant colors of summer give way to the crisp air and golden hues of fall, we welcome a new season of change and opportunity. Fall is always a time for reflection and preparation, and this year is no different as we gear up for the upcoming Fall 2025 Campus Solutions Maintenance period. This important initiative will help ensure our systems are up to date and secure to continue to perform at an optimum level. A huge thank you goes out in advance to all team members for dedicating their time and expertise to testing—your commitment makes a real difference. and your efforts are the backbone of our progress and help us deliver the best possible experience for our campus community.
Special recognition is also due for the outstanding work that continues to happen on a daily basis across all campuses - specifically the FA PRPs that were recently tested and applied, the Stellic project for both the NU and SC schools, and the work that has been done on the Accessibility project. These accomplishments showcase our dedication to innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
As we move forward together, let’s continue to support one another and keep our focus on serving the faculty and students who rely on us every day. Here’s to a productive and inspiring fall season!
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Fall 2025 Campus Solutions Maintenance Kicks Off!
They say that the only things that are sure in life are death and taxes, but as a member of the NeSIS community, you can add two other items to the list - maintenance and testing! Between PeopleTools updates, Campus Solutions PUMs (patches), Enterprise Tools enhancements, PRPs, system mods, enhancements and bug fixes, along with campus Eforms and dashboard projects, testing is a never-ending task - on top of all of your other regular duties. While testing seems to be a never ending and sometimes unnecessary task, it is vital to the ongoing health and wellness of the overall NeSIS ecosystem.
Why so much maintenance?
The NeSIS ecosystem is made up of many moving parts and each part requires maintenance to remain at optimal performance. Some of this maintenance is just routine patches for known issues and security vulnerabilities and some are major upgrades that contain new features and enhancements and more major changes. Whether big or small, each change can have an impact, and while these impacts are usually identified and communicated ahead of time, sometimes they aren't seen until the system is being used in a normal capacity.
What types of maintenance are there?
There are many different types of maintenance and acronyms/terms that you may hear about:
* Campus Solutions PUMs (PeopleSoft Upgrade Manager) - PUMs are released by Oracle three times a year and contain enhancements, changes and bug fixes for the Campus Solutions applications. Some of these changes are necessary to allow us to comply with regulations, such as annual changes to be able to produce and distribute 1098T tax forms to students. We are sometimes able to delay applying a PUM if it is not needed right away.
* PeopleTools Upgrades/patches - PeopleTools is the underlying structure of PeopleSoft and contains many of the common tools that are used across all areas of Campus Solutions such as PS Query and Process Monitor as well as the overall look and feel of the system. Upgrades and patches may contain new functionality, as well as fixes to bugs and known security vulnerabilities. Recently, NeSIS has been upgrading PeopleTools every year or so and applying smaller PeopleTools patches more frequently with the Campus Solutions PUMs.
* PRP (PeopleSoft Release Patchset) - A small, targeted patch that provides a fix or specific new functionality. These don't require the same degree of testing as a regular PUM and can be migrated to PRD quickly.
* Exadata maintenance - Exadata is Oracle's Cloud at Customer infrastructure which includes the database that stores PeopleSoft data and other layers. Maintenance is applied approximately quarterly by the NeSIS Database administrators and typically doesn't have any impact or require any testing.
* Enterprise Tools changes/enhancements - The Eforms and Dashboard tools have matured and become pretty much stable, but still require some bug fixes or have occasional enhancements made that need to be tested.
* NU ITS Infrastructure changes/upgrades - Even though the NeSIS team maintains the PeopleSoft system, it utilizes many infrastructure components that are maintained by the NU ITS team. So any changes to items such as SailPoint, Duo, Proofpoint, VPN, VMware, firewall, federation, networking, Grouper, etc. may have potential impacts to the NeSIS system and/or its users. Some of these changes may require prior testing to ensure everything works as anticipated.
* Change Requests (CRs) - Any change that is made to the system requires a CR to be submitted/approved. The change could be as small as a change to a field name or it could be an entirely new process or integration. Any change that is made could have an impact other places that is not always identified initially, so testing is always required as it migrates.
Why so much testing?
The goal of applying any change or maintenance is to be able to perform your normal processes in the system after the change has been applied with as little interruption as possible. In order to do that, the system needs to be thoroughly tested whenever a change is applied to ensure that everything is performing as expected. As part of preparation for a PUM or PeopleTools upgrade, the NeSIS team spends time evaluating the change to determine its impact and mitigating any issues or errors. But, since the campuses are the biggest experts on their data and processes, it is crucial that they test those processes, report any issues they discover and work with the NeSIS team to get them resolved.
Do I really need to test everything?
Since Oracle provides release notes outlining the changes that are being delivered in the PUM and the NeSIS team does their initial analysis to see how our customizations will be impacted, it is tempting to only concentrate on testing just those items and assuming everything else will be all right - or to wait for another campus to test a process and accept their results as your own. However, experience has shown that many times there are unanticipated impacts or things that were missed because campuses do things differently. So it is important that each campus test all of their business processes and scenarios to ensure that nothing gets missed.
For this PUM cycle, it is more important than ever to test all of your Eforms and dashboards since we are using that as a way to identify items that need to be addressed as part of the WCAG 2.1 AA Accessibility review. A tool is being used to scan each page and identify items that don't meet accessibility standards, but that page needs to be touched for the scan to be performed. So unless every page in every eform and dashboard is accessed, there is a chance that not everything will be found and corrected.
What can I do to prepare?
Here are some things you can do to get ready to jump into Fall 2025 testing:
* Visit the Fall 2025 Maintenance info page<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://uofnebraska.sharepoint.com/sites/Enterp… > in SharePoint which contains the migration schedule, testing dates and links to documentation and training resources. Any known issues or other items related to the Fall 2025 maintenance cycle will be listed here, so check back often to see what's new.
* Watch the Testing Best Practices<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://uofnebraska.sharepoint.com/sites/Enterp… > webinar to learn more about maintenance and testing along with some best practices, tips and tricks.
* If you find an issue while you are testing, submit it to the Issue log using this form<https://nusupport.nebraska.edu/TDClient/33/Portal/Requests/TicketRequests/N… > and choose “PUM” for the Maintenance Cycle.
* If you have questions about what to test in your area, contact your functional coordinator.
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Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Cyber threats are constantly evolving, but by practicing a few simple habits, we can strengthen our defenses at work and at home.
This year’s theme from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is “Practice the Four Essentials.” These steps are easy to follow and have a huge impact on our security.
The Four Essentials
1. Update software promptly
Install updates as soon as they’re available to close security gaps.
2. Use strong, unique passwords
Long, complex, and never reused. A password manager can help.
3. Enable multifactor authentication (MFA)
Add an extra layer of protection on accounts—especially email and financial logins.
4. Recognize and report phishing attempts
Pause before clicking links or opening attachments. If it looks suspicious, report it to the Security Team.
What You Can Do
* Put the Four Essentials into practice every day
* Share cybersecurity tips with your coworkers and family (Practice these four essentials to stay safer online<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-0… >)
* Report suspicious activity right away—early detection is key
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The NeSIS STAMP Team would also like to take this time to recognize the dedicated professionals who keep our Student Information Systems safe year-round: our Campus Security Coordinators!
These behind-the-scenes champions play a vital role in protecting academic and operational data by configuring, monitoring, and enforcing application access controls. Their work is critical to maintaining a secure digital environment where teaching, learning, and research can thrive.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment to cybersecurity. Your expertise and vigilance make a difference not just in October, but every single day of the year. We appreciate everything you do!
State College Security Coordinators
* Joby Collins- Chadron State College
* Curtis Karel and Gene Beardslee- Peru State College
* Jeremy Nelson and Kirk Christian- Wayne State College
NU System Security Coordinators
* Venkatesh Namachivayam and Mitch O'Neill- University of Nebraska- Kearny
* Melissa Clanton and Scott Krienert- University of Nebraska- Lincoln
* Paulo Shila, Steve Rogers, and Khiem Tran- University of Nebraska Medical Center
* Christy Tilford and Andy Jacobsen- University of Nebraska-Omaha
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Taylor Kimbrough
NeSIS Application Security Analyst
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A New Face at NeSIS
Thi Nguyen joined the NeSIS Team as a Programmer Analyst on the TAST Team on September 2. Thi moved from Vietnam to the US 4 years ago and recently graduated from UNO with a major in Computer Science and a minor in Math. In her spare time, Thi enjoys running, traveling and doing puzzle games.
Welcome Thi!
HEUC 2026 Planning is Underway!
It's hard to believe, but it's time to begin planning for our 8th HEUC Conference, scheduled for Wednesday, 9/23 & Thursday, 9/24/2026 on the UNK campus. Once again, we are looking forward to two days of sharing, collaboration and learning with our users across the state. We really want to continue to improve the conference and make it better, so we are including a representative from each campus to help us get the campus perspective on the planning process. We are very thankful for their time and willingness to help and if you have any feedback or ideas, please let them know or use the links below. We are also looking for presentation ideas, so if you have anything to share, there is a link below. Here is the list of campus representatives:
* CSC: Tracy Sommerville
* PSC: Austin Guhe-Egger, Isaiah Spruth-Janssen
* WSC: Britney Hart, Max Lemke, Terri Buck
* UNK: Kim Seitler
* UNL: Jarvis Redwine II
* UNMC: Michaela Grube
* UNO: Lacey Dudash
Stay tuned - there is much more information to come!
Conference Feedback/Suggestions<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://forms.office.com/r/1qUF525DDt__;!!PvXuo… >
Call for Proposals<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://forms.office.com/r/BxmsUTBhZ8__;!!PvXuo… >
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2025 Accessibility Review Project Update
October is finally here! For the past few months NeSIS and the campus portal admins have been fixing accessibility issues found during initial NeSIS testing. More than a dozen different change requests have been submitted for this project thus far. However, we are excited to have you, the campus testing experts, get in there and test PeopleSoft, campus eforms, workflows and dashboards. We know there is a lot to test, and it is very important we test everything, which is why extra time has been allotted in the PeopleSoft PUM schedule, and the functional coordinators have scheduled additional group testing sessions to assist you in allocating dedicated time for this testing. The accessibility scanning software will be running in the background identifying remaining issues while you test. Reports will be generated and provided to the portal administrators so issues can be addressed, and we can reach the accessibility compliance mandate by this spring.
Thank you in advance for your willingness to help us make the University system accessible to all!
For more information, refer to the NeSIS WCAG 2.1 AA Accessibility page<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://uofnebraska.sharepoint.com/sites/Enterp… > in SharePoint.
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Susan Lee
Functional Coordinator, Enterprise Tools
Upcoming Events
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Monday, October 6
3pm - Campus Community Team Meeting
Tuesday, October 7
DEVNU/SC - Apply Fall 2025 Maintenance
9am - Financial Aid Team Meeting
2:30pm - SC Student Financials Team Meeting
Wednesday, October 8
10:30 - NU Student Financials Team Meeting
Thursday, October 9
9am - Enterprise Tools/Dashboard Team Meeting
Tuesday, October 14
TSTNU/SC - Apply Fall 2025 Maintenance
9am - SC Financial Aid Team Meeting
10:30am - SR Team Meeting
1:30pm - Integration Team Meeting
Thursday, October 16 - Friday, October 24 - TSTNU/SC Open for Fall 2025 Testing
Thursday, October 16
9am - WebFOCUS Campus Admin Meeting
3pm - Campus Community Fall 2025 Team Testing - TST
4pm - Admissions Fall 2025 Team Testing - TST
Monday, October 20
8am - QANU/SC Refresh/Apply Fall 2025 Maintenance
2:30pm - Admissions Fall 2025 Team Testing - TST
Tuesday, October 21
9am - Financial Aid Team Meeting
9am - Student Records Fall 2025 Team Testing - TST
10am - Financial Aid Fall 2025 Team Testing - TST
3:30pm - Enterprise Tools Fall 2025 Team Testing - TST
Wednesday, October 22
9am - Admissions Team Meeting/Fall 2025 Team Testing - TST
10:30am - Student Financials Fall 2025 Team Testing - TST
Friday, October 24
1pm - Enterprise Tools Fall 2025 Team Testing - TST
Monday, October 27 - Wednesday, November 12
QANU/SC Open for Fall 2025 Testing
Tuesday, October 28
9am - Student Records Fall 2025 Team Testing - QA
11am - Campus Community Fall 2025 Team Testing - QA
3:30 - Enterprise Tools Fall 2025 Team Testing - QA
Wednesday, October 29
10:30am - Student Financials Fall 2025 Team Testing - QA
Thursday, October 30
9am - Admissions Fall 2025 Team Testing - QA
Friday, October 31
9:30am - Enterprise Tools Fall 2025 Team Testing - QA
Monday, November 3
3pm - Campus Community Team Meeting
Tuesday, November 4
9am - Financial Aid Team Meeting/Fall 2025 Team Testing - QA
1:30pm - Enterprise Tools Fall 2025 Team Testing - QA
2:30pm - SC Student Financials Team Meeting
Wednesday, November 5
9am - Admissions Fall 2025 Team Testing - QA
10:30am - Student Financials Team Meeting
Friday, November 7
1:30pm - Enterprise Tools Fall 2025 Team Testing - QA
Wednesday, November 12
Noon - Signoff Fall 2025 Maintenance → PRD
Sunday, November 18
8pm - PRDNU/SC - Apply Fall 2025 Maintenance
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