Tim Archer - University of St. Francis

Bio

Tim Archer is an experienced software engineer with 12 years of extensive software development experience in complete life cycle methodologies, including analysis, high level & detailed technical design, programming, testing, implementation and maintenance of enterprise systems. Tim's primary technical strengths include: Java, Swing, SQL, PL/SQL, Oracle Forms & Reports, Oracle Database, Web Application Development, and UNIX.

Tim currently holds the position of Director of Information and Administrative Services at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL where he has been employed for the past 4 years. He is responsible for the overall operation, architecture, and usage of the university's Banner ERP system and its enterprise portal. Furthermore, Tim's department performs a majority of the custom application development, systems integration, technical process support, database administration, and Unix systems administration for the university.

Prior to his position with the University of St. Francis, Tim worked as a consultant for a systems integration and software engineering firm which focused heavily on leveraging open source software packages in delivering its solutions. Tim has an extensive background developing custom software applications and system integration solutions, workflow, and document imaging systems using a variety of technologies.

Tim holds both a BS in Computer Science and an MBA from the University of St. Francis.

Tim's passion for technology and for finding creative uses and applications of it cannot be understated.  He is one of those people whom are wired to code, and in his spare time can usually be found at home staying up late into the night coding one of his pet projects of the day ranging from home automation, robotics, building web sites for public organizations, or just reading up on the latest technology trends.

 

Platform Statement

Many thanks to the nominating committee for their support in recommending me to serve on the JA-SIG board of Directors. It is truly humbling to be nominated to be on the board of an organization of this caliber.

If elected to the JA-SIG board of directors, I first and foremost see myself using my skill set to help the JA-SIG ERP integration group build useful applications in the areas of ERP and CMS integration. While uPortal and CAS are some of the best engineered products I've used, I believe that they need a suite of out of the box, practical ERP integration components that a school will find instant value in so that they can see the power of JA-SIG products and the potential application within their own institution. These components should allow any developer to download the uPortal software and within a few hours connect it to the school's ERP and CMS systems reflecting their own data. For example, imagine if within a few hours of a uPortal download that it could show a student's schedule, tuition bill, or financial aid info from the schools own systems. Or allow a faculty member to see their class list online or transparently enter their blackboard courses.  With these components in place, any developer should be able to show management that an expensive proprietary portal is unneeded, and that JA-SIG products can fit the bill.

I also see myself using my board position to help further permeate the benefits of using open source into the IT shops of educational institutions. I've seen in higher education that open source software seems to have a stigma of being complex, unsupported, and of lesser quality that software purchased directly from a vendor. However, in my experience, I have found the exact opposite to be true in that the open source versions are usually more flexible, better engineered, and often provide a better user community for advice and answers. I believe that within our own higher education institutions the usage of open source software can help us utilize our student tuition dollars more effectively and responsibly, providing for a better student experience in other areas of the university rather than just buying expensive software.

I hope you will consider electing me to the JA-SIG board member position and am honored just at being nominated.  I feel that my experience with and passion for technology will be an asset that synergizes well with the JA-SIG community.

Thank you for your consideration.Tim Archer
Director of Information and Administrative Services
University of St. Francis, Joliet, IL