Dear Members of the Barnard Community,
I am very happy to announce that we are embarking on a project that will ultimately transform how students experience Barnard beyond the classroom: Workday Student.
Across the College, too much of our energy is occupied by systems that require manual work and translation across multiple platforms. As part of Bold History, Fearless Future, we are investing in our technological infrastructure and capacity to create more time and space for connection, support, and engagement throughout our community.
The implementation of Workday Student is a key step in this process. Workday Student will offer a more connected and simplified student experience by bringing together key academic and administrative functions so that students may more easily access information – such as degree progress – and engage in the advising process. This foundational investment will enhance how students apply to Barnard and, once they enroll, how they understand academic requirements, engage with advisors, access policies, meet deadlines, and understand their financial aid awards and financial obligations.
Beyond what is visible to students, this modern student information system will also streamline and systemize staff work in all of these areas, ultimately freeing more College resources for individualized forms of student support. When these systems function well, they remove friction and allow students, faculty, and staff to focus on intellectual exploration, mentorship, and community.
Preparation for Workday Student will start next month, when we begin a two-year effort to design, build, and test Workday Student before its launch at the beginning of the Fall 2028 semester. A new Workday Student website will serve as a central hub for information, updates, and opportunities for engagement with the project. Beyond the website, I invite you to learn more about our vision and what to expect by watching the video below.
As part of this work, we will continue to optimize our current Workday platform and other systems and tools that we rely on every day. We will also invest in emerging technologies that will better connect our systems and improve the experience of students, faculty, and staff. We will build on the foundation of Barnard College Information Technology (BCIT) while expanding our technological leadership to navigate a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
We will continue to share updates as all of this work progresses. For now, I want to express my deep appreciation to the project teams and others across the College who will be dedicating their time and energy to this important work over the next two years. You may learn more about everyone involved on the website.
Workday Student is a mission-critical platform that will reflect Barnard’s academic values and commitment to student success. With these investments in technology, we will strengthen the student-centered, relationship-driven experience at the heart of our liberal arts tradition.
Laura
