Student: Julee Ferguson
Classification: December 2007 graduate
Hometown: Evadale
Major: Management Information Systems
Research topic: Enterprise Resource Planning: A Study of the Usage and Challenges of Implementing ERP Software into University Curriculums
Synopsis of Work: When Ferguson asked her mentor, Dr. Cynthia Barnes, to supervise an independent study in Summer 2007 so she could graduate in three-and-a-half years, Barnes had the perfect project to assign. Ferguson, who describes writing research papers as her hidden passion, researched journal articles and academic studies to see how universities are implementing enterprise resource planning software. She found that the challenges Lamar University has faced in implementing SAP R/3, an ERP software program, have been reported at other institutions. The information supplements Barnes’ ongoing research on ERP. The work led to a joint paper.
Dates of Research: Summer 2007 to December 2007
Publications/Presentations: Accepted for presentation at Federation of Business Disciplines Southwest Decision Sciences Institute on March 7, 2008, in Houston and publication in the SWDSI Conference refereed proceedings.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cynthia Barnes
Julee Ferguson: “It’s done nothing but help me network. It’s been the best experience academically that I’ve had at Lamar.”