Purdue News

January 27, 2003 Purdue first to transmit data to INS tracking system Purdue University was the first in the nation to successfully submit international student data using a batch-file transmission method, according to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Purdue enrolled in SEVIS, Student & Exchange Visitor Information System, on Tuesday (1/ 21) and successfully transmitted data using the batch method the next day. "The batch option is the preferred transmission method for larger universities like Purdue," said Michael Brzezinski, director of the Office of International Students and Scholars. "Our success proves it's possible for other schools in the country to utilize this option." Last fall Purdue was the first to successfully transmit test data using the SEVIS batch method. SEVIS is the government's national database that stores information on international students, faculty and staff. Universities will use the federally mandated tracking system to send student information to the government, and the data will then be used by the INS to track international students. Michael Ivy, director of international programs information technology, said that Purdue will now be able to simultaneously submit up to 250 student records in each transmission. "The batch system will save hundreds of hours of manual data entry every semester for our international student office staff," Ivy said. "Our successful transmission also is a tribute to Newfront Software and to the Immigration and Naturalization Service/Electronic Data Systems Information Technology (INS/EDS IT) relationship. We've all worked very hard to develop, test and utilize this option in a very short time span." All universities and colleges are required to use SEVIS on or before Jan. 30. Purdue currently has 5,015 international students – 2,101 undergraduates and 2,914 graduate and professional students. A related story on Purdue's use of the new student tracking software and SEVIS is available on the Web. The Newfront software press release is available on the web. CONTACT: Brzezinski, (765) 494-7084, mbrzezinski@purdue.edu; Michael Ivy, director of International Programs Information Technology, (765) 496-6421, abadon@purdue.edu.