News
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 initiatives. 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 project team welcomes additional insights and feedback. To get involved in the Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative (CEMI, pronounced “See Me”), login with your Cornell NetID or Weill Cornell Medicine CWID and provide your contact information and ideas.
- Get Involved – Cornell NetID login
- Get Involved – Weill Cornell Medicine CWID login
- Get Involved – Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar CWID login
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 institutional advancement. 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.
Cornell Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Christopher Cowen is one of the executive sponsors of the Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative (CEMI). Find out why he’s committed to aligning the university’s data and analytics solutions in this news story about aligning data and analytics solutions.
“We have a unique opportunity to rethink how we can operate more efficiently,” said Vipin Kamath, Chief Information Officer at Weill Cornell Medicine in a September 9, 2024 news article announcing the project’s website: https://cemi.cornell.edu
“With CEMI, we will modernize workflows, provide better tools, and enable smarter, data-driven decisions. I’m confident CEMI will significantly reduce barriers for our faculty, students, and staff, fostering deeper engagement with our core missions,” he said.
“Because the university’s IT environment is characterized by high technical debt, duplication of systems, and a highly distributed structure, our community is presented with a very painful user experience,” said Cornell University Chief Global Information Officer Curtis Cole. “It is up to each person to figure out which unit is using which system, and where to go or log in to get their work done, because the system doesn’t bring the solution to them. The students, faculty, staff, researchers, alumni, parents, donors, and our corporate partners all have to figure out their unique path through our tech stack on their own.”
Read more about the current six-month evaluation process in the August 30, 2024 news article.
On his July 15, 2024 Wireside chat, Cornell University Chief Global Information Officer Curtis Cole introduced a project that would later be called the Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative (CEMI). To watch the video, log in to the Ithaca-campus link or the Weill Cornell Medicine link.