Together, they began testing complete business processes from start to finish to ensure the system supports the University’s academic and administrative operations as expected. 

For example, testers moved test “students” through key processes—from pre-term processing and add/drop, to midterm and end-of-term—to ensure critical functions such as onboarding, registration, advising, and financial aid worked smoothly and without errors. When issues do arise, they are identified quickly and addressed right away.

E2E testing helps confirm that key processes work together smoothly and allows the team to identify improvements as we prepare for go-live in Spring 2027. 

While this is a significant step forward, it isn’t the only opportunity for the campus community to get involved. E2E testing will continue after this week, and additional engagement opportunities will be available throughout the project, giving faculty and staff the chance to experience the system and provide valuable feedback.

Want to get involved?

Interested in participating in future testing? Join the Change Network! Complete this to receive an invitation to attend virtual meetings every third Friday of the month at 10:30am-11:30am.

The Change Network is a group of faculty, staff, and students who help share information about the Workday Student Project within their areas and provide feedback to the project team. Participants in the Change Network will get early access to demos, features and functionality; provide meaningful feedback; and play a key role in supporting the University community through this change.

Visit the Workday Student project website for ongoing project updates and opportunities. Questions or concerns? Complete the .

Survey at a Glance

• Survey period: April 16 – April 30, 2025
• Responses received: 217 (3.7% response rate)
• Participants: Faculty, staff, and managers from across the University

What We Heard

Leadership Alignment:

• Win: A clear, unified vision is motivating faculty and staff.
• Work: Need to better communicate how initiatives will be resourced and supported.

Communication & Engagement:

• Win: Updates have been timely and relevant.
• Work: Need to improve clarity on project details and offer more frequent updates.

Institutional Impact & Readiness:

• Win: The University has a culture of engagement and celebrating success.
• Work: Need to clarify how Workday Student aligns with the University’s strategic vision.

Training & Support:

• Win: Respondents had positive past experiences with training and materials.
• Work: Need to develop sustained, up-to-date training resources and diverse learning opportunities.

Key Themes from Comments

Hopeful about:

• A better, more intuitive user experience
• Streamlined processes (e.g., registration, advising, reporting)
• Improved system integration and data management

Concerns about:

• Implementation challenges and timing
• Training adequacy and support
• Ease of navigation and customization
• Communication about progress and impacts
• Impact on students

Next Steps

Based on your feedback, we will:

• Conduct Town Halls with Executive Sponsors including opportunities for Q&A – the first one is planned for Fall 2025, date coming soon.
• Launch a University-wide Change Network in Fall 2025; members will get a front-row seat to influence the Workday Student transformation. We’ll share features and functionality to facilitate your role as advisors, communicators, and peer supporters.
• Develop a central repository of training resources with step-by-step guides.
• Offer a robust, role-based training curriculum in multiple formats.
• Provide hands-on testing opportunities for end users.
• Conduct University-wide follow-up surveys to monitor progress and readiness – next one in Fall 2026.
• Continue monthly project updates via this website and University Senate meetings.

Stay Informed

Visit this site regularly for updates, resources, and upcoming opportunities to engage and prepare. Your participation is critical to ensuring a successful transition to Workday Student.

Attendees included consultants from our implementation partner Alchemy, and leads from Admissions, Curriculum and Advising, Financial Aid, Human Resources, IT, the Registrar’s Office, Student Accounts, Student Records, University Communications, and more. Executive sponsors including VP for Enrollment Management Wendy Lin-Cook, Provost Junius Gonzales, and COO Ben Durant attended to address the group and engage in several sessions.

The workshop opened with a change management forum and team-building activities. The team worked together to identify “Workday Wins” – positive changes coming to �鶹��ý���� as a result of the Workday Student project – including streamlined workflows, improved reporting, process refinements, and enhanced communication tools. 

A key component of the workshop were the Customer Confirmation Sessions, a set of live presentations and demos in which each workstream presented the key system configurations developed during this project phase, highlighting the challenges they addressed, pain points they resolved, and notable wins they achieved.

The multi-day interactive team event also included decision-making sessions, testing workshops, and individual team breakout sessions. The collaborative setting fostered valuable cross-functional discussions and decision-making. 

At this stage of the project, Workset B—a sub-phase focused on the new student experience—is complete. Next, the team will move ahead with Workset C, targeting the continuing student experience—including academic requirement design, student engagements, grading processes, and academic standing.

The team has been working to enhance the student experience by addressing key processes like onboarding and financial aid; gathering feedback through student focus groups and surveys; preparing for an upcoming on-campus workshop; and laying the groundwork for a university-wide Change Network launching in Fall 2025.

Where are we now?

The Architect and Configure stage is made up of 4 phases called Workset A, B, C and D. Workset B will conclude this semester, with completion of all four worksets expected by February 2026, after which we’ll move into the Test stage.

• The project team has been busy throughout this academic year focusing on the new student experience design in Workday Student, including but not limited to topics like course section prerequisites, matriculation, onboarding, and financial aid packaging.
• Workstreams are identifying and mitigating risks while documenting key decisions to ensure transparency and a clear record of rationale, as well as noting impacts for informed decision-making.
• We are continuing to navigate processes and configurations, and reviewing necessary security roles and access to ensure each member can successfully complete their day-to-day tasks.

More than 100 team members across 13 workstreams are working through Workset B, which is on track and trending green.

Communication and Engagement

The voice of the University community is essential to this stage of the project:

• Student Focus Groups: We just completed our second round of student focus groups! Participants from both campuses shared information about their experience with the current systems and tools used for advising and registration. A survey to gather more student feedback was shared across the University. Stay tuned for results!
• Shaping our Future: Workday Student Project Survey: Faculty and staff, please take a few moments to complete the . Your input is invaluable in helping us understand the �鶹��ý���� community’s awareness of the Workday Student project and address the important perspectives of our faculty and staff. The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous, and the survey will remain open through April 28.

Looking Ahead

• Interactive Workshop: In May, the project team and key partners will gather for an interactive 3-day workshop focused on collaborative activities related to academic requirements, programs of study, academic planning, registration, and grading. Members of the team will have the opportunity to showcase key decisions and processes in the system to the Project Team and select guests.
• Change Network launches Fall 2025: The Change Network is a community of representatives from across the University who will serve as advisors, communicators and influencers during the implementation and deployment of Workday Student.

Stay Engaged!

• Visit the Workday Student Project Website
• Want to get involved in the project? Send an email to WorkdayStudent@montclair.edu to express interest in opportunities like joining the Change Network, testing, focus groups, and more!

President Koppell kicked off the event with opening remarks, and executive sponsors including CIO David Chun, SVP for Finance & Administration Ben Durant, and VP for Enrollment Management Wendy Lin-Cook were in attendance to support the team and express appreciation for their participation, insights, and hard work.

In addition to executive leadership, the workshop brought together more than 60 participants, including representatives from Workday, consultants from �鶹��ý����’s implementation partner Alchemy, and leads from areas across the University, including the Office of the Registrar, Student Records, Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Curriculum and Advising, IT, and more.

In addition, a focus group of 14 �鶹��ý���� and Bloomfield students offered valuable feedback on their experiences as current students, which will help guide the design of the new system to address student needs and expectations. 

The workshop focused on collaborative discussions and hands-on sessions to make critical decisions for the project. The in-person format and participation across multiple areas allowed the group to share perspectives and proactively address anticipated challenges.  

“The Workday workshop demonstrated everyone’s dedication through full attendance and active participation,” said Delavar Basha, Project Management Office Director and Project Manager for the Workday Student project. “The collaborative discussions and insights will guide the next steps for our project’s success.”

The team has successfully completed Workset A, a foundational phase focused on system foundation and academic structure alignment. They are now engaged in the planning and execution of Workset B, which focuses on the new student experience and student onboarding.