We are pleased to announce that Workday has been selected and approved as the technology foundation for Cornell’s unified solution to manage the core administrative functions of finance, budget, human resources, research, and student services. This is a major milestone in the Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative (CEMI), achieved through the deep engagement, insights, and expertise of people throughout the university, at all locations, to select the solution that would best support our collective work both now and in the future. 

More than 200 Cornell community members from Ithaca, New York City, and Doha leveraged those insights to define the Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements and evaluate potential solutions. Their final decision reflects thoughtful deliberation and a shared commitment to identifying the best technical foundation to meet Cornell’s unique needs.

The collaborative effort reflects Cornell’s deep commitment to modernizing core business processes, improving data transparency, and enhancing operational efficiency across all campuses. This is more than a technology upgrade—it’s a step toward realizing the vision of One Cornell, where shared goals and aligned systems support a more connected and responsive university.

Workday provides a robust, cloud-based solution already proven at research universities with medical schools and supports CEMI’s guiding principle: to align administrative processes and data to be as common as possible, as different as absolutely necessary. This approach ensures consistency across the university in our administrative practices and processes, while accommodating differences found to be essential to preserve.

As we move forward into the next phase of CEMI, preparing for implementation, we will continue to build from the excellent foundation you and your teams have established in the selection process. We appreciate your ongoing support and guidance. We’re sending this announcement to everyone who has been working with us on CEMI so far, as well as the IT leadership teams. Please share with your teams as you see fit.

Curt Cole and Chris Cowen