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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Workday?

Workday is a cloud-based system that brings together Human Capital Management (HCM), Finance, Payroll, and Student information in one easy-to-use platform. It’s designed to simplify everyday tasks and make things more efficient for everyone. With real-time access to key information, faculty, staff, and students will be able to quickly find what they need. Plus, Workday is flexible, so it can grow and change as our needs evolve.

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Macalester is transitioning to Workday to enhance administrative efficiency and better support our strategic goals. Workday will replace Banner as our core system for finance, human resources, payroll, and student information management. This change is part of a multi-year initiative to provide a modern, user-friendly platform that simplifies everyday tasks, improves access to real-time data, and adapts to our evolving needs. By making this transition, we are ensuring that our technology can better support students, faculty, and staff now and in the future.

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When is Workday coming to Macalester College?

Phase One (Human Capital Management and Finance), which includes HR, Payroll and Finance, starts on 08/01/2025 and goes live 05/29/2026. 

Phase Two (Student), which includes data for the student experience (e.g. registration, student financial services, and course management), will begin summer 2026, more details to come.

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What will Workday bring to Macalester?

Workday will offer many benefits to the College including:

  • Simplifying complex, paper-based procedures into one solution
  • Improving data visibility, reliability, & usefulness
  • Providing easy to use modern technology

Ultimately, Workday will create a better experience for staff, faculty and students. Updating our systems and processes will help alleviate inefficiencies, increase job satisfaction, and allow employees to spend more of their time on work that advances the mission of the College.

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How does this benefit me?

The individual impacts of this change will vary depending on your role at the college and the work that you do. There are some general impacts that will be felt by everyone including:

  • User friendly processes that are consistent, efficient, transparent and accessible.
  • A modern user interface that leverages computer and mobile device accessibility.
  • Better informed decision making by improved and easier access to information.
  • Improved efficiency in collaboration and reporting through a single unified system supporting Human Resources, Financial and Student data and processes.
  • Reduced institutional risk generated by outdated on premise enterprise systems.
  • Reduction in the number of redundant third party systems used to support processes.

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How will this impact my work?

The aim of the Workday project at Macalester is process improvement, streamlining processes, automating tasks, and facilitating direct access to data whenever possible.

Initially, using Workday may present challenges and require more time as users adjust to the new system. However, as familiarity grows and tasks are completed, using Workday will become more intuitive. Training and help materials will be available to ensure that the community is knowledgeable about the new tools and processes and has the skills and resources to effectively navigate their work.

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Will students use Workday?

Yes, initially, only student employees will use Workday for tasks such as submitting timesheets and managing work schedules. However, as part of the Phase 2 of this project, Workday for students will be rolled out to all students, expanding its usage beyond employee-related functions to encompass broader student needs. This phased approach ensures a gradual and thorough implementation tailored to the specific requirements of our student community.

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I have a general idea of what Workday is, but what are the specific processes that will be done in Workday? 

There are many processes which currently occur in Banner or related systems which will be completed in Workday in the future (e.g., requesting and approving time off, expense reports, budget planning, hiring new staff, viewing your employee profile and organization charts, open enrollment). We’ll continuously assess how Workday affects our current processes as we design and test the system. The Change Management team will provide communication and training regarding changes to processes.

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What is Change Management? 

Change Management is a structured approach to transition people from a current state to a desired future state, it is about helping people to adapt to change, in this case to implement this project, Workday processes. 

The Macalester Change Management Team is a group responsible for guiding and supporting this implementation, their main goal is to help people adapt to change effectively, minimize resistance, and ensure the change is successful and sustainable.

Membership includes:  

  • Change Management Lead:  Jenn Haas, CIO
  • Student:  Jonathan Cardenas
  • Faculty: Kelly MacGregor
  • Staff:  Kara Zetzman
  • Academic Affairs:  Claire Sislo
  • Business Service Systems: Aimée Baxter
  • Communications & Marketing: Michelle Benson
  • Change Advisor: Lea Green

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Why does the Student system go live so much later than the HR/Payroll and Finance systems?

Implementing a new ERP system is a significant task, so it’s more efficient to divide it into phases. The student system will be done gradually over the course of a complete student lifecycle. This approach ensures a smoother transition and allows us to focus on each component thoroughly.

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What other colleges and universities use Workday?

There are over 100 colleges and universities currently using Workday with many more moving toward Workday just like Macalester. A partial list of CLAC School includes: Amherst College, Bowdoin College, Bryn Mawr College, Bucknell University, Carleton College, Colby College, Denison University, DePauw University, Dickinson College, Furman University, Hamilton College, Haverford College, Mount Holyoke College, Rhodes College, Smith College, Trinity University, Union College, Vassar College, Washington and Lee University, Wellesley College, Wesleyan University, Williams College, Wofford College.

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How can I ask questions?

If you have questions about this work, we want to hear them!  Send your question to [email protected] and a member of the project team will get back to you.

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How do I get more information?

This website will continue to offer up to date information regarding the project status and opportunities to engage with the project teams.  Check back throughout the project to learn more about what’s happening.

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What is ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)?

An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform is the backbone of campus operations, integrating and supporting essential functions such as:

  • Budget and financial planning
  • Hiring and payroll
  • Student records, registration, and advising
  • Procurement and purchasing

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