Barnard College Embarks on Two-Year Transition to New Student Information Platform
Barnard College has officially announced a comprehensive two-year transition to a new student information system called Workday Student. This strategic move is part of a broader institutional effort to modernize and update its technological infrastructure, as reported by the Columbia Spectator.
In an email to the college community earlier this month, Barnard President Laura Rosenbury detailed the initiative. The new Workday Student system is designed to consolidate numerous academic and administrative functions that are currently fragmented across multiple disparate platforms. This consolidation will encompass critical areas such as degree audits, academic advising, and financial aid information management.
System to Combine Multiple Functions into Unified Platform
According to the Columbia Spectator report, Workday Student will integrate services that are presently handled by various separate systems. These include platforms like Colleague, Slate, Salesforce, and Columbia University Student Information Services. Barnard College initially introduced Workday in 2022 for administrative functions, including human resources, finance, payroll, and student employment.
Kelli Murray, Barnard’s executive vice president for strategy and chief administrative officer, emphasized that the college is still in the process of determining which specific systems will be replaced. “This is not going to be a one-for-one swap,” Murray stated, as quoted by Columbia Spectator. “Determining what we will bring in and what we want will be an integral part of the transition process.”
Advisory Groups to Guide System Rollout and Design
The college plans to actively involve students and faculty through advisory groups to assist in designing and testing the new system. Murray confirmed that these groups will provide essential feedback to refine the platform before its full-scale rollout, ensuring it meets the needs of the Barnard community.
Notably, Vergil, the platform currently used for course registration across both Barnard and Columbia University, is not expected to be affected by this transition. Murray explained that maintaining Vergil unchanged will help preserve the seamless cross-registration process between the two institutions, which is crucial for academic collaboration.
Costs and Financial Context of the Transition
The transition to Workday Student will require a significant upfront investment. However, the college anticipates that costs will decrease over time as it reduces the number of systems it needs to maintain and support. Murray indicated that it is still too early to determine the exact financial impact of this initiative.
This rollout occurs against a backdrop of financial pressure at Barnard College. The institution’s long-term debt increased to $274 million in fiscal year 2025, up from approximately $184 million in fiscal year 2024. In response to these financial challenges, Barnard has implemented cost-reduction measures, including staff layoffs and tuition increases.
Focus on Reducing Administrative Burden and Enhancing Efficiency
Currently, student information at Barnard is dispersed across multiple systems, which often complicates access and requires staff to compile records from different platforms to maintain a cohesive student profile. President Rosenbury highlighted in her email that “too much of our energy is occupied by systems that require manual work and translation across multiple platforms.”
The new Workday Student system is expected to streamline administrative workflows significantly, allowing staff to dedicate more time to direct student support. “When you’re spending time doing things, it’s harder to spend time with people,” Murray remarked. “Technology is supposed to relieve pressure so that we have less time on that, more time on people.”
Part of Broader Institutional Strategic Plan
The implementation of Workday Student is a key component of Barnard’s “Bold History, Fearless Future” plan, which was introduced in 2024 as a long-term strategic framework for the college. This plan emphasizes improving infrastructure and centralizing systems to enhance operational efficiency.
Murray noted that this shift reflects a wider institutional effort to adapt to evolving technological trends and data management practices. “Workday is one of the first steps in the bigger picture,” she said. “But it’s not the only step in the bigger picture.”
Several details of the transition remain under development, including the final system design and the comprehensive list of platforms that will be replaced. The transition is scheduled to commence next month, with the full system launch set for the beginning of the fall 2028 semester.
