NextGen & Workday Update
Dear Campus Community,
I want to share an update on Minnesota State’s NextGen initiative and ongoing efforts to improve Workday.
Workday Improvements Underway
Minnesota State is supporting additional Workday expertise to address areas of Workday Finance and Human Resources that are not yet working as effectively as they should.
Since the 2024 launch of Workday Finance and Human Resources, employees across the system have identified processes that remain difficult, inconsistent, or overly complicated. This next phase of work will focus on improving those processes, resolving ongoing issues, and making the system more reliable and user-friendly.
Key areas of focus include:
- Finance: cash reconciliation, payroll accounting, payment processing, and financial reporting.
- Human Resources: reviewing and simplifying processes, and continuing improvements to performance management and faculty workload systems.
These challenges have created real frustration and additional work for employees at Winona State and throughout Minnesota State. I am grateful to our faculty and staff who have helped to identify issues, share feedback, and develop solutions. Bringing additional expertise to this effort is an important and necessary step.
CRM Implementation Delay
Minnesota State has also decided to postpone implementation of a systemwide Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
A CRM would support student recruitment, communication, engagement, and success efforts across the system. However, rather than introducing another major enterprise platform now, Minnesota State will focus its resources on improving Workday Finance and Human Resources and preparing for the successful implementation of Workday Student.
This decision should help reduce competing priorities and avoid creating systems that do not integrate effectively with one another.
The CRM has not been canceled. It remains part of Minnesota State’s long-term plans, but it will be implemented later and in coordination with Workday Student.
Workday Student Timeline
Workday Student implementation continues to move forward. Minnesota State currently plans to begin phased implementation in fall 2028, with full implementation expected by fall 2029.
When complete, Workday Student will replace many of the systems currently used for admissions, registration, advising, financial aid, student accounts, and academic records. Significant planning, testing, communication, and training will occur before these changes affect campus operations.
Looking Ahead
This work aligns closely with the goals of Winona State 2035 and our Warrior Shield pillar, which emphasizes being good stewards of our financial and human resources and providing our campus community with data-enabled, reliable, effective, and sustainable environments. Improving Workday processes, strengthening system performance, and preparing for future implementation of Workday Student are important steps toward building the operational foundation needed to support our students, employees, and university well into the future.
We will continue to share updates as decisions are made and as changes begin to affect campus processes. As we proceed through this work, we will advocate for thorough testing, training, support, and campus involvement.
Thank you for your patience, engagement, and continued commitment to serving our students and community.
Sincerely,
Robin Honken
CIO for Information Technology
rhonken@winona.edu