On 21 November this year, the VPC organised a Student Information System Day with the support of Salesforce at the University of Latvia’s House of Nature. The event was opened by VPC Chair of the Board Inese Šteina, who emphasised the importance of a unified and modern Student Information System for the development of higher education in Latvia. The event was dedicated to higher education institutions, providing an opportunity to share experience in the development, architecture, and implementation of modern Student Information Systems (SIS), as well as the latest trends and solutions that help universities manage study processes and data more efficiently.
“A Student Information System is more than technology — it is a shared approach and a bridge connecting people, data, and the quality of education,” emphasised Inese Šteina.
The event also included information about the project activity “Digitalisation of the Study Process,” which is related to the development of shared SIS components. J. Saulītis, Director of the University of Latvia’s Study Service Department, outlined the vision for the development of the national study system, presenting the functional selection of solutions, system architecture, and preliminary concept. Each higher education institution that chooses to use the national SIS solution will be able to independently develop the necessary modifications while ensuring access to these changes for other users.
Innovative solutions in this field were presented by representatives of Salesforce—an international provider of such services—including industry expert Jean Pembleten, solutions development engineer Marc Casanovas, and Regional Vice President Bas Ten Holter. Salesforce is the world’s leading provider of customer relationship management technology solutions, supporting the purposeful development and improvement of relationships with clients. Since 2016, the company has also focused on implementing innovative digital solutions in the education sector. Their higher education cloud services enable institutions to manage relationships with all of their stakeholders—students, alumni, academic staff, employees, and corporate partners—and to combine the data generated through these interactions into a unified view. Modern solutions support targeted and personalised recruitment of prospective students, long-term engagement through alumni, mentoring, and lifelong learning, as well as optimised study system solutions and effective use of artificial intelligence tools. The speakers shared practical solutions, examples, and experience from the implementation of Denmark’s national SIS.
The event was attended by more than 60 participants representing both public and private universities and colleges—over 30 institutions in total.
The event was organised within the framework of the project “Digitalisation of the Study Process,” project No. 4.2.2.11/1/25/I/001. The aim of the project is to introduce digital solutions, including shared solutions, to modernise study management systems and processes, ensure a student-centred and flexible study environment, and enhance the competitiveness of Latvia’s higher education institutions. The project will be implemented until 30 November 2029.
