August 4, 2026
Dear SRJC Community, 

Over the past several years, SRJC has been navigating one of the most significant technology modernizations in our history: the transition to Ellucian's Banner, our new student information system.  This change has touched nearly every aspect of how we serve students, from admissions and financial aid to registration, counseling, operations, and instruction. 

I want to begin by saying that I am sorry for the frustration and disruption many of you have experienced, and are experiencing, during our Banner transition. I hear your concerns and continue to address the challenges as they surface, advancing our work towards a more streamlined system. As Superintendent/President, I am committed to ensuring that we address these challenges, learn from this experience, and continue to provide the support our students deserve. 

Since the project's relaunch in 2021, SRJC leadership has communicated that the demands of an implementation of this size would be challenging. A full overview and timeline of the identification, implementation, and launch of Banner is available online. While we anticipated challenges, we also recognize that some of the issues have been more difficult for our students and employees than expected.  

I would like to thank every one of you who has stayed late to help a student register, answered one more phone call, solved one more technical issue, or simply showed grace to a frustrated colleague or student. I especially want to thank the Implementation team for their work in migrating our old system to our new one. Even when it was hard, your resilience and commitment to serving students have kept us moving forward.  

One question I've heard from many employees is, "Why did we move forward with Banner when there were still issues?". The reality is that Banner was never intended to be a single "go-live" event where every process was completed on day one. Like most enterprise system implementations, it was designed as a phased rollout, with different areas coming online over time and improvements continuing after launch. Before moving forward, we confirmed with the Ellucian team that the system could support the core functions that mattered most, including student registration, financial aid, and other critical compliance requirements. We knew the user experience in some areas still needed improvement and expected to continue refining the system throughout the implementation. 

We also had to balance the risks of moving forward against the risks of waiting. The project had already been delayed twice; implementation funding and vendor contracts had been extended; regulatory changes made our homegrown system unsustainable; and postponing another year would have delayed important services while increasing costs. Once Banner was live, returning to the previous system was not a viable option because the data conversion is irreversible. As new issues emerged, including some we could not fully anticipate during testing, they were prioritized and addressed as quickly as possible. 

It's important to recognize that SRJC is not alone. Colleges across California implementing Banner and other modern student information systems have experienced similar challenges, and statewide CEOs have been sharing experiences and solutions. On May 28, 2026, I helped author and sign a letter to Laura Ipsen, CEO of Ellucian, outlining challenges and missteps, and requesting immediate resolution for the 35 colleges with experiences like ours. On June 12, 2026, the Community College League of California (CCLC) received a response, which was shared with us on July 27, 2026.  

I am committed to holding Ellucian leaders accountable for the product's limitations and software customizations. We recently met with a team of Ellucian executives and customer support on July 28, 2026, to convey the impact on students and employees and the urgency in receiving solutions to the myriad of challenges that have surfaced during the live transition. They have committed to drafting a strategic response to address every challenge point and are planning a visit to SRJC this week to offer additional support. 

While there is still work ahead, the good news is that we are making progress. 

Every day, our implementation teams continue to identify issues, gather feedback from employees and students, and make improvements. Throughout the rollout, we've adjusted processes, created training materials and guides for employees and students, and addressed technical issues as they have been identified. Here are a few examples of how that has occurred: 

• Add codes were not working on the first day of summer classes, but were resolved the same business day through a system configuration update. 
• Financial aid award notifications were initially delayed in Banner, but are now fully operational, with more than 10,300 students notified. 
• VTEA holds were blocking registration, so we disabled the rules that prevented registration.  

Across SRJC, we have mobilized nearly every department to ensure students receive the support they need to register for fall. A few examples of how we are supporting students to encourage fall enrollment include: 

• The Welcome & Connect Centers have expanded one-on-one assistance to help students navigate Bear Cub Hub, complete registration, and resolve individual challenges with special Wednesday evening and Saturday support. Additional information, support locations, hours, and available services can be found on the Rock Enroll & Bear Cub Hub Support website. If you know of students needing assistance, please refer them to the Welcome & Connect Center. 
• The Admissions and Records team is supporting newly admitted students in completing the application process and beginning enrollment.  
• The Counseling Department continues to provide personalized guidance to students with questions about enrollment, ed plans, or next steps. 
• Faculty and staff training for Banner is available on PDA day, through live training sessions, in a self-paced Canvas course, and through walk-in and Zoom drop-in support at the CETL, 3rd Floor, Doyle Library. More information to come later today with these details.  
• The SIS website continues to be updated with FAQs, user guides, and instructional videos to support employees and students. 
• Employees throughout Student Services, Academic Affairs, and Finance and Administrative Services are supporting individual students in identifying and removing barriers to enrollment. 

At the same time, we continue to communicate with our college community through weekly Banner updates from Vice President of Student Services Molly Senecal and Vice President of Academic Affairs Robert Holcomb sharing important tips, trainings, and updates for faculty and staff. These communications are one of our primary ways of sharing timely guidance and important updates, so I ask everyone to take a few minutes each week to read them thoroughly. 

Our Marketing and Communications team has also expanded its annual fall enrollment campaign to reach more students through additional digital advertising, social media, emails, and messaging to previously enrolled, currently enrolled, and prospective students, as well as parents. We are reinforcing that SRJC offers a high-quality, affordable, and accessible education and that personalized support is available to help students enroll and succeed. 

As we prepare for the Fall semester, I ask each of us to continue doing what SRJC has always done best: support one another, extend patience to our students and colleagues, share feedback that helps us improve, and celebrate the progress we are making together. I will continue to update the Board of Trustees on Banner at our next meeting on August 11th and share more during my PDA plenary session on August 17th.  

SRJC has successfully navigated challenges like devastating wildfires and a global pandemic. We know how to come together to support each other and our students so they can continue accessing higher education and reach their goals. The work we are doing today is building a stronger foundation for the future of SRJC and, ultimately, a better experience for the students we serve. 

I want to thank each of you for showing up for each other, for SRJC students, and for the greater Sonoma County community so that we can continue to build upon the success of SRJC for years to come.