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The Summit Project has been underway for more than two years, and we’ve successfully completed phase one of the Workday implementation (Platform)- a foundational component of the project that would facilitate the implementation of the student-centered vision for services and processes. 

In AY24-25, we also began work to configure Workday Student, the Donor & Alum Support Hub, and Canvas (MHC’s next learning management system). This week, we’re sharing more information about these, and other related projects slated to begin this year. 

Workday

We’ve been using Workday since April 2024. As our core system of record for financial transactions, payroll and human capital management. Building on this platform, staff members from the business offices and LITS continue to implement additional and improved functionality. 

• Learning became available in February 2025, and provides a centralized learning management system for employees to find professional development and training opportunities;

• Configuring Prism allows us to build custom reports that pull data from Workday as well as from other sources. This allows us to combine data from Workday and outside sources in one report to meet the needs of business partners across campus;  

• Extend allows us to customize Workday in ways that emphasize the work that Mount Holyoke sees as essential. Though this is a programming tool accessed by IT staff, you’ll see its benefits through customized forms and functionality; 

• Adaptive Planning is a powerful tool designed to improve the ways we create and maintain budgets. This functionality will be available in November 2025 to prepare for the FY27 budget cycle;

• Strategic Sourcing will improve our procurement processes and establish a proper vendor management system. This implementation is about to begin, and you’ll be able to start using it in March 2026.

You can read more about Workday updates here. 

Workday Student

We’re also now in the middle of a two and a half year long implementation to transition our student information from Colleague to Workday Student. The workstream teams spend many hours each week addressing topics and themes such as student onboarding, course registration, degree audit, and more. Initial functionality related to Admissions and course catalog options will be available to some beginning in December 2026, with additional functionality (like advising, course registration, student bills and financial aid award packaging) available in Workday in spring 2027. 

Canvas

In spring 2025, MHC began work with its implementation partner to configure the new learning management system, Canvas, a learning ecosystem with a wide range of support tools for faculty and students. Members of LITS, the Registrar’s office, and support staff from Instructure have been involved in the initial configuration of the system. Beginning spring ‘26, some courses will debut in a pilot of Canvas to help demonstrate the new system, its features, and ensure it’s working properly before all courses move into Canvas for the fall ‘26 semester. 

Donor & Alum Services Hub (DASH)

An essential part of working with alums, donors and volunteers is the College’s ability to easily communicate with these important constituents. Having identified ascend, a Salesforce-based product from the vendor Kindsight, as the new external relations constituent relationship management system (CRM), the DASH project team has focused much of its time ensuring the new system meets the needs for both College staff and our alums, donors and volunteers more efficiently and effectively. The project is planned to be completed in late spring 2026.

Summit-related projects

As part of the transition from Colleague to Workday, we've also launched other exciting projects that will modernize our campus technology. These include:

• A new system to help track and manage student accommodations;

• A redesigned intranet to replace my.mtholyoke; 

• A new identity and account management system; 

• Working with campus partners to better understand long-term data, reporting and analytics requirements. 

These project teams will follow the Summit guiding principles. More information about these projects will be posted on the Summit google site very soon- please check back for details!