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May 1, 1998

CONTACT: Rick Moore, (619) 594-5204

Informed Decisions Recognizes SDSU

San Diego State University has been recognized for contributions made to the design and implementation of new business software by the staff of its Business and Financial Affairs division.

The recognition came April 16 from Informed Decisions Corporation, an Alameda, California-based developer of business software that simplifies the billing, tracking, and collecting processes. It was presented in San Diego during the firm’s annual user group conference.

The award acknowledges a partnership in which SDSU Controller Dan Gilbreath worked with Informed Decisions President Dan Peterson. The project developed a system for all campus community members to access their account information for billing, payment and management functions unrestricted by location or time of day. The project extends the cashiering system into a comprehensive Campus Billing and Receivables System that can be enhanced to access student fee records, financial aid disbursements and other information.

Each stage of the project is Year 2000 compliant and capable of 24-hour access by telephone and the internet. System extensions could also be used to create e-mailed customer bills and customer statements via the internet.

By partnering with Informed Decisions, SDSU’s Controller significantly reduced the cost of the new software, prepared well ahead of time for the Year 2000 and improved service to customers. "We got exactly what the University needed to meet the business challenges of the next century, and we saved taxpayers more than $200,000 at the same time. The award was a pleasant addition," said Gilbreath.

"San Diego State earned every dime," said Peterson. "This project was a perfect partnership. Each partner contributed its own special expertise. The result is a superior product that reflects the best practices of a contemporary university business office, as defined by university business officers. San Diego State University was able to reduce both their initial costs and their operating costs in years to come. We know of other universities that are spending 10 or 20 times as much but getting far less," he added.

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San Diego State University is the largest campus of the California State University system, with more than 29,000 students. Its Division of Business and Financial Affairs has been consistently recognized for innovative approaches to accounting and financial management challenges.

Informed Decisions Corporation is the nation’s fastest growing provider of comprehensive turnkey billing, tracking and collecting software. The firm has provided software to municipal and county governments and universities throughout the nation, including several other campuses of the California State University system.

Editors:

Dan Gilbreath is available for comment at (619) 594-6420.

Dan Peterson is available for comment at (800) 294-6800.

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