Running head: ERP IN HIGHER EDUCATION ERP in Higher Education

This paper examines the use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions by institutes of higher education. In particular, this paper examines the cost, technical, and customer risks of implementing ERP solutions by universities. ERP is an information technology solution that integrates enterprise functions such as planning, financials, sales, purchasing, human resources, logistics, customer service, and manufacturing. For universities, ERP is an information technology solution that integrates and automates recruitment, admissions, financial aid, student records, and most academic and administrative services. By some estimates, 7.5 out of 10 or 75 % of ERP projects fail, giving rise to a large body of literature. Thus, this paper examines three successful cases from small, medium, and large universities, and numerous problematic ERP implementations. In doing so, this paper lays a foundation for a general management framework for implementing ERP solutions in institutes of higher education