We touched in October on some trouble with KU’s new online job-application system, which launched that month along with a new online human-resources/payroll infrastructure.

It turns out those problems may have been a bit more than just growing pains. Provost Jeff Vitter wrote in his biweekly eNews dispatch on Wednesday that the administration is looking into alternatives for the new system, which is called the Oracle “talent acquisition management module.” He wrote that the module “is not how we want to present KU to prospective faculty and staff,” and the “situation has been frustrating.”

More than 10 percent of people who’ve tried to apply for jobs since the Oracle system went into place weren’t able to turn in complete applications, Vitter wrote. Back in October, KU HR director Ola Faucher told me that a number of applicants were apparently submitting their online forms before they had clicked all the way through the multiple pages required, and the office was trying to correct that by posting more detailed instructions.

Until some long-term solution is put into place, the Provost’s Office is taking some steps to make sure that faculty searches, in particular, continue smoothly. Faculty hiring is, of course, a big focus at the moment as the university seeks to fill 64 newly created positions.

Though changes may be in store for the job-application system, Vitter’s letter suggests the new payroll system is here to stay, saying the system is “stabilizing” after a few initial bumps.

I’ll see what more I can find out about what the problems have been, exactly, with the Oracle application system. In the meantime, if you’d like to share your experience with either of these new systems, drop me a line (merickson@ljworld.com).