Saint Joseph University projects savings of ‘millions’ after launch of new education software

Saint Joseph University projects savings of ‘millions’ after launch of new education software

NNA - A new, locally developed software package that improves university governance is set to save Saint Joseph University (USJ) “millions of dollars per year in possible expenses to foreign software vendors,” Dany Mezher, Rector’s Delegate for IT Affairs at USJ, said Thursday.

Speaking at a conference hosted by the USJ on ‘Technology and Innovation in the Future of Education,’ Mezher explained that the software in question is a Student Information System (SIS). The software is designed to enable data-driven decision-making at education institutions by centralizing all student and operational data and placing it at the fingertips of administrators. USJ’s new SIS was developed by tech company CME Lebanon, in partnership with the university, and was launched in September 2022.

According to Mezher, development of the SIS started in late 2020 and provided USJ with a viable alternative to signing a contract with one of the foreign SIS vendors in the market, which charge expensive annual licensing fees to use their software. In doing so, it prevented the flight of vital hard currency from Lebanon as the Lebanese Lira collapses.

Addressing the audience alongside Mezher, the co-founding CEO of CME, Wissam Youssef, added that the SIS “has the potential to be rolled out at