CEMI News & Momentum Stories
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
Cornell community members who previously registered for a CEMI Webinar should receive an email invitation to register for future webinars. Eager to register before receiving your email? Use the link to sign up now with your campus email for the November 12, 2025 presentation.
Opening with a video introduction by Cornell University President Michael I. Kotlikoff, the Summer 2025 Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative (CEMI or “See Me”). Following the president’s message, Cornell’s Chief Global Information Officer Curtis Cole shared several recent accomplishments including a newly reorganized effort to align contributor experiences across campuses: the Donor and Engagement Experience Project (DEEP). a unified identity program, functional leadership selection and team formation, and new CEMI communication channels. Cole also answered questions from the audience and continued to encourage more participation in various activities by community members at all levels of the university.
To access the recording, please choose the link based on your login:
- Cornell Ithaca and Tech: CEMI Webinar Recording 7.30.2025
- Weill Cornell Medicine New York and Qatar: CEMI Webinar Recording 7.30.2025
In July 2025, Cornell University President Kotlikoff recorded a video introducing the Cornell Experience Modernization Initiave (CEMI or “See Me”) and explaining why the time is right to engage in this type of university-wide transformation.
He described a program that aims to modernize and unify administrative systems across campuses. Addressing debt, duplication, distribution, and data challenges, it seeks to streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve user experience through common solutions and better technology integration.
Designed to inform and inspire, the refreshed Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative (CEMI or “See Me”) empowers every Cornell community member to engage and contribute to the university’s digital future. Read more about the refresh in the July 23, 2025 news article.
On April 30 2025, Cornell University Chief Global Information Officer Curtis Cole summarized the analyses completed and described the challenges ahead as well as progress for several of the readiness inititiatives. To access the recording, please choose the link based on your login:
- Cornell Ithaca and Tech: CEMI Webinar Recording 4.30.2025
- Weill Cornell Medicine New York and Qatar: CEMI Webinar Recording 4.30.2025
The Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative (CEMI, pronounced “See Me”) program team welcomes additional insights and feedback. Use the new community interest forms to ask a question, suggest improvements, get involved in a CEMI team, or join the mailing list to stay informed.
The CEMI hub for these forms is managed through Salesforce and is accessed via campus login: https://cornell.my.site.com/cemi/s/.
On February 12, 2025, Cornell University Chief Global Information Officer Curtis Cole shared reflections about the readiness assessment phase of a multi-year program to unify and improve the systems used on all of Cornell’s campuses to support administrative services like human resources, finance, budget, student services, research, and donor engagement. To access the recording, please choose the link based on your login:
Cornell Ithaca and Tech: CEMI Webinar Recording 2.12.2025
Weill Cornell Medicine New York and Qatar: CEMI Webinar Recording 2.12.2025
“We all thrive when we engage, listen, and learn from one another,” said Ben Maddox, Chief Information Officer for Cornell’s Ithaca campus and Cornell Tech.
He said incorporating the diverse perspectives of stakeholders, including student, faculty, and staff community members, IT professionals, system users, and decision-makers, will be critical to the success of the campus-wide transformation initiative known as CEMI – the Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative.
Maddox emphasized the value of soliciting information through small group conversations focused on the stories and analogies that Cornell’s many community members tell to describe what they need from administrative services and the challenges they face.
Read more about four unique audiences and the kinds of insights they can provide for CEMI in the January 10, 2025 news story.
Cornell’s Chief Global Information Officer Curtis Cole joined Ithaca and Cornell Tech Chief Information Officer Ben Maddox and two other keynote speakers to discuss strategies for navigating change. Each of the keynote speakers shared different perspectives of change and how it impacts individuals. The people-focused aspect of a transition is often referred to as Organizational Change Management, and people are at the center of the Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative, CEMI, discussed by Cole in his address.
His talk included the first mention of a vehicle analogy that resonated with the audience and has been repeated in other talks. “If you happen to be comparing a Honda Accord and a Toyota Camry, it’s not that hard. They do basically the same thing. But in CALS, they might be using a tractor. And at Bowers, they might be flying a drone. And a Honda Accord is not going to cut it,” said Cole.
The keynotes following Cole’s were given by Andrew Karolyi, Ithaca’s Charles Field Knight Dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, and Lisa Niishi, Ithaca’s Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost for Enrollment.
Read about the event in the November 7, 2024 news article.