A number of universities in the UK are using TerminalFour, so building a network of colleagues shouldn’t be difficult. (Who on earth can be more approachable and willing to exchange ideas than university folks?..) Consider yourself lucky there!
There is an open blog about TerminalFour implementation and maintenance at:
http://scottishwebfolkt4.wordpress.com/
This is published by web developers from University of Strathclyde and University of St Andrews. I’m not aware of any open discussion groups or forums, so this is an opportunity for you to start one and grow your personal-level network even further.
Another natural step to get up to speed with the new software is to use vendor’s own consultancy. Get a quote from TerminalFour on the amount of time you need to setup/configure a small(-ish) pilot together. Be involved in the process as much as possible but let them guide you - this way you will pick up on a number of things that you would otherwise discover three months down the line. TerminalFour provides some consultancy and training as part of their standard package, so you may not even need to spend any extra money on this early on.
Also, remember to take care of and grow your relationships within the organisation. The technical side of a CMS project is a fraction of your organisation’s objectives, with cultural change being a major hurdle. So keep in touch with the project manager, web authors, heads of departments and other influencial people across the organisation. Two years isn’t that long to grow good relationships so the earlier you start the better!
By the way - very curious as to what you mean with regards to the interface not being pretty. I was under impression that TerminalFour has a reputation of very nice and tidy (but perhaps not the most straightforward or clear) interface...
Hope this helps and good luck with your project!
Regards, Marianne.