Stakeholder Interview: Dr. Lesley Cormack

Preparing our community for Workday Student

As UBC approaches the Launch of Workday Student, we thought it would be helpful to share some insights from the people behind the project. Over the next several months, we will bring you the perspectives of those who are either working closely with the project or who will be impacted end users. In our first installment, Lesley Cormack shares her thoughts on how she believes Workday Student will improve the lives of UBC’s students and staff.

Describe what you do with the IRP Student program:

There are four Executive Sponsors in the IRP Student program and my role is the Lead Executive Sponsor. We work together to make decisions on behalf of the program and also present larger-scale items to the President for their final approval.

It’s an interesting role for me because I am firmly rooted in the Okanagan, but also an executive for UBC as a whole. I am uniquely suited to this position because I was part of two separate implementations of similar, albeit smaller and less complex, student systems during my time at the University of Alberta.

What are your thoughts on the progress being made by the IRP Student team?

I am encouraged by the progress of the transition to Workday Student. These projects are incredibly complex and we know that challenges for users will arise. The IRP Student team has worked tirelessly to create the foundation for an intuitive and functional platform. I’m incredibly proud of this group and their work and excited about the possibilities to come.

What are some examples of the exciting ways in which Workday Student will improve the lives of students and staff at UBC?

The opportunities for interaction between Workday Student and HR will be exciting in the years to come, allowing us to curate career advising in a whole new way. There are also lots of opportunities for students to try different paths through their education and have ownership of their degree paths and futures.

Change is never easy and inevitably it leads to challenges, however, it also ultimately leads to progress. How is the IRP Student team preparing the UBC community for this transition?

We need to be courageous, generous and responsive. Ensuring that training is available and robust, that the right information is getting to people in a timely way and that we support the community through the transition is of utmost importance to me as a sponsor and advocate for the UBC community. This will be a big change, but in the end, it will be a great system and will create opportunities for students and staff that simply weren’t possible with the classic SIS.

Launch 1 of Workday Student in October only impacts a small percentage of users, but there are resources available to help everyone prepare for the larger Launch 2 in February. You can stay up to date on all things Workday Student by visiting irp.ubc.ca.