The recent combination of two education technology leaders, Datatel and SunGard Higher Education, has a new name: Ellucian™.

Datatel and SunGard Higher Education have combined businesses and are now one company focused exclusively on serving global education. The strategic combination brings together two education industry specialists into one company with increased breadth and scale to meet the needs of institutions worldwide

Datatel Inc., the software company owned by Hellman & Friedman LLC, set the interest rate on $1.195 billion of loans it’s seeking to finance its acquisition of SunGard Higher Education, according to a person with knowledge of the transaction. A $1.07 billion term loan B due in 2018, will pay 5 percentage points more than the London interbank offered rate, said the person, who declined to be identified because the terms are private. Libor, a rate banks charge to lend to each other, will have a 1.25 percent floor.

Hellman & Friedman, Datatel, SunGard Data Systems and SunGard Higher Education today announced that the proposed combination of Datatel and SunGard Higher Education has cleared Department of Justice review and the companies are preparing to close the transaction in the first quarter of 2012. As a result of this combination, over 3,000 employees will be dedicated exclusively to delivering solutions to education institutions in 40 countries.

Datatel Inc., the software company owned by Hellman & Freidman LLC, is seeking $1.195 billion in loans to finance its acquisition of SunGard Higher Education, according to a person with knowledge of the transaction.

Changing an ERP to SaaS is a large investment in time and cost for any vendor to address. Therefore the challenge for the vendors is how to get the ERP, with its slow development and implementation cycles, to provide the solutions to the new needs of the institution.

This morning, Datatel, Inc. and SunGard Higher Education announced that the companies have entered into definitive agreements to combine businesses and form one company. I am confident that this combination will deliver great benefit to Datatel customers and to the education community world-wide. Together, over 3,000 employees will be dedicated to delivering solutions to meet our mutual clients’ future needs.

FAIRFAX, Va., MALVERN, Pa. and WAYNE, Pa. August 4, 2011 — Datatel and SunGard Higher Education announced today that they have signed definitive agreements to combine businesses and operate as one company focused exclusively on serving education institutions. This strategic combination brings together two education industry specialists into one company with increased breadth and scale to meet [...]

Does the ORACLE know what lies ahead?
Can a big ERP merger truly deliver more value to Higher Education?
Could this be a stepping stone to even larger consolidation?
Will there be more writing on the Blackboard?
Is an Enterprise Education Platform far behind?
Do recent investor transaction activities signal the “Dawn of the .EDU Era?”

Datatel and SunGard Higher Education announced today that they have signed definitive agreements to combine businesses and operate as one.

Join Datatel Chief Client Officer Liz Murphy on Tuesday, May 18 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (EST) for an engaging discussion about the future of higher education’s technologies — The Enterprise Education Platform. By merging administrative and academic systems, you can decrease the redundancy of data, eliminate unnecessary technology expenditures, and see a unique view of a student’s complete educational experience from recruitment to endowment.

Intelligent Learning Platform concept from Gilfus Education Group core to Datatel and Moodlerooms Strategy. Read the white paper at: http://www.gilfuseducationgroup.com/white-papers/enterprise-education-platform