Illinois State selects new financial planning and analysis tool

Following a comprehensive evaluation process, Illinois State has selected Anaplan as its new enterprise platform for Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A). During vendor presentations in July, an average of 30 representatives from across campus attended in person, while dozens of additional faculty and staff participated online. This strong level of engagement reflects the campus community's shared commitment not only to adopting a new system, but to fostering a more collaborative, data-driven, and forward-looking financial planning environment for the University.

This investment reflects the University's commitment to improving the accuracy, transparency, and timeliness of financial information that supports planning and decision-making. Anaplan will provide a single platform that will allow fiscal managers to analyze financial information more effectively and efficiently.

Why Anaplan?

Anaplan provides capabilities that are particularly important for a modern public university, including:

• Scenario-based financial modeling to support strategic and operational decisions;
• Integrated budget, forecast, and multi-year planning across funds, units, and initiatives;
• Improved transparency and data consistency across colleges and administrative areas; and
• Reduced manual work and increased efficiency, freeing staff to focus on analysis rather than reconciliation.

What Happens Next

Implementation will begin during the spring 2026 semester, in partnership with TruED Consulting, a dedicated Anaplan implementation partner. Stakeholders will be engaged throughout the process to ensure the system supports both central and departmental planning needs. The implementation will be a phased approach, which will take several months to complete.

What This Means for You

For most campus users, there will be no immediate change to current budget or reporting processes. Timelines and expectations will be communicated as Anaplan is rolled out later this year, and additional updates will be shared as the project progresses.

For questions regarding the FP&A tool or implementation process, please contact Rendi Cottrell, director of Financial Planning & Analysis, at [email protected].