Shaping Our Future Together: Results from CEMI-DEEP’s first Readiness Pulse Check
As we work together to modernize and unify Cornell’s development and engagement technology across our campuses, understanding how you feel about this transformation is our top priority.
In May, we launched our first Readiness Pulse Check. This survey is designed to establish an early baseline of staff awareness, concerns, and preparedness. By administering these pulse checks quarterly, we will track trends, measure our progress, and adjust our change strategy based directly on your feedback.
Who We Heard From
Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts! We had fantastic engagement on this first check-in:
- 127 total respondents participated, representing an overall 29% response rate.
- The Breakdown: 106 respondents from Ithaca-based Alumni Affairs and Development (AAD), 11 from Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM), and 10 from the Lab of Ornithology.
- A Solid Foundation: The survey showed a very strong foundation—staff understand why CEMI-DEEP is happening and have high trust in leadership’s support for the initiative.
- The Clarity Gap: Because the majority of staff have not yet had hands-on exposure to the new system, our lowest scores were around understanding personal, day-to-day impact.
- Want to learn more? Here’s a detailed summary (pdf).
You Said, We Are Doing: Our Action Plan
Your feedback is driving our next steps. Over the next quarter, the CEMI-DEEP team is actively working to address your top priorities:
- Concrete Role Clarity: You asked to see how the system will actually affect your day-to-day work. We are prioritizing role-based views and day-in-the-life system demonstrations so the impact is concrete long before go-live.
- Protecting Staff Capacity: Balancing a project of this scale with a full workload is a major concern. Project leadership is working with unit leaders to establish clear capacity trade-offs, identify what work can be paused or deferred, and prioritize hiring and backfill support.
- Streamlining Communications: To prevent anyone from feeling out of the loop , we are leveraging our central website as a single source of truth and activating our newly launched Change Network.
Meet Your Change Network
The Change Network serves as a vital two-way bridge between your unit and the Core Change Team, ensuring your voice is represented and your unique needs are met.
If you have questions, feedback, or want to know more about what’s coming, please reach out to your designated Change Network leaders, pillar representatives, or area members:
Change Network Leadership
- Tracy Cary (AVP of Operations, Alumni Affairs and Development / DEEP Change Management Lead)
- Trish Davis (CEMI Cornell Wide Change Management Lead)
- Jeffrey Wat (DEEP Change Management Lead, Huron)
- Wes Reel (DEEP Change Manager)
Communications & Training Pillars
- Andrew Gossen (Communications Pillar)
- Scott Burroughs (Training Pillar Co-Lead)
Change Network Members
- Nicole Cook (Annual Giving – Ithaca AAD))
- Heather Wells (Alumni Affairs – Ithaca AAD)
- Angela Tracy (College/unit fundraising leader – Ithaca AAD)
- Casey Lucier (Events – Ithaca AAD)
- Adam Murtland (CMP – Ithaca AAD)
- Tyler Willcox (Data Strategy and Reporting – Ithaca AAD)
- Leigh Robert (Technology – Ithaca AAD)
- Maria Vallejo-Nguyen (Major Gifts – Ithaca AAD)
- Catie Fleming (Principal Gifts – Ithaca AAD)
- Denise Ward (Prospect Development – Ithaca AAD)
- Fran Farrell (MGA – Ithaca AAD)
- Brandon Thomas (Principal Gifts Associate – Ithaca AAD)
- Bobbi Smith (Advancement Services – Ithaca AAD)
- Brandy Hoover (Finance/Advancement Services/QA – Ithaca AAD)
- Anna Woods (Development Associate – WCM)
- Javier Pinto (Prospect Development – WCM)
- Emily Anderson (Principal Gifts – WCM)
- Jeff Stulgis (Finance – DFS/WCM)
- Liz Kinast (Gift Planning Admin & Stewardship – Lab of O)
- Jessica Cassidy (Membership and Annual Giving – Lab of O)