Spring 2026 NextGen Newsletter
Pink flowering trees frame a college campus building. (Image free for use under the Unsplash License)
Welcome to the Spring 2026 NextGen Newsletter!
[This is a condensed version of the full newsletter available on the NextGen Hub to Minnesota State employees.]
Change is never just about systems—it’s about people, purpose, and progress. In this issue of the NextGen Newsletter, we explore how Minnesota State is building a more connected, student-centered future through Workday Student and related initiatives that support both learners and employees.
Together, the stories collected for this newsletter reflect a shared commitment to putting students first, supporting employees, and building systems that quietly do the heavy lifting—so campuses can focus on what matters most. We invite you to read on, stay engaged, and be part of what’s next.Presidential Perspectives on Workday Student
College and university presidents bring a unique, big-picture perspective to major systemwide initiatives—connecting technology decisions to student success, institutional strategy, and long-term outcomes. As Minnesota State prepares for Workday Student, two presidents representing different institutions share a common vision: modern systems should simplify the student experience, strengthen meaningful connections, and help campuses focus on what matters most—student success.For President Ritu Raju of South Central College, Workday Student is far more than a system replacement. She describes it as an integrated, real-time ecosystem where students receive notifications and have access to visual dashboards—tools that don’t just inform, but also provide guidance. With Workday Student, students get practical prompts throughout the student lifecycle. These prompts aren’t just conveniences. They’re nudges, and nudges create momentum. And momentum, over time, turns into better outcomes: stronger persistence, improved retention, and more students crossing the finish line.
President Ginny Arthur at Metro State University also sees Workday Student as a tool to further enhance student success. Student engagement does not start with screens or transactions—it starts with relationships. Workday Student will readily provide more complete, connected student information, meaning faculty and staff will spend less time answering procedural questions—where to register, how to resolve a hold, who to contact about an issue—and more time focused on meaningful, developmental conversations with students. “Those are the reasons students build relationships with us,” Arthur noted. “They’re on a journey of self-exploration, and we’re here to help them navigate their hopes, goals, and futures—not just the mechanics of the system.” In this future, Workday Student acts as a dependable operating system in the background, freeing campus professionals to do the work that drew them to higher education in the first place: supporting learning, growth, and success.
Both presidents emphasized how important this integration is for today’s learners. Students expect technology to guide them, with clear next steps, reminders, and easy access to information. A central Workday Student dashboard—bringing together advising notes, alerts, tasks, and key milestones—reduces the need for students to hunt across offices or retell their story. For Metro State, a transfer-focused institution, this kind of clarity can be especially impactful—helping smooth pathways for students who often navigate complex transitions, including first-generation students and those from historically underserved backgrounds.
Read more on the NextGen Hub about their perspective on the shift in higher education from expecting “college-ready” students to how Workday Student will support the “student-ready” college.
Coming Soon: Performance Management in Workday
As Minnesota State continues to mature its use of Workday following the Human Capital Management (HCM) and Finance go-live in July 2024, a new and highly anticipated enhancement is on the horizon: the introduction of the Workday Performance Management module. This initiative marks an important shift from stabilization and extended care to thoughtful business process improvement focused on employee growth and development. Workday Performance Management will allow employees and managers to set goals, share feedback, and document performance in one secure, accessible platform.Systemwide go-live is anticipated July 1, 2026. This initiative represents a meaningful step toward a more consistent, supportive, and employee-centered performance management experience across Minnesota State.
Data Conversion: Building a Data Foundation in Workday
As Minnesota State prepares to implement Workday Student, the critical and complex work of data conversion is well underway as part of the project’s foundation. This behind-the-scenes effort makes it possible for the extensive amount of student, academic, and institutional information currently living in ISRS to move into Workday in a way that’s accurate and meaningful. A recent early success in moving student and academic data into the Workday Student prototype offered a helpful glimpse of what’s ahead.How the Work is Done
The project’s business analysts and data experts must convert all the necessary data from ISRS and prepare it to function properly in Workday. Since each system uses different models, much of the interconnected data from ISRS must be restructured, aligned, and cleaned, so it retains its meaning and functions as expected in the new environment. As the work moves forward, the project team is updating the Data Cookbook, a reference tool that explains data terms and definitions in Workday, which will be shared with institutions when the Foundation build is complete.How Institutions Can Help Now
Clean, accurate data isn’t just a technical need; it directly impacts students’ experiences. Issues like duplicate records, incorrect addresses, or errors in transfer coursework can create real problems, from billing complications to unnecessary extra classes or missed communications. As the project team carries out the extensive work of data conversion, institutions can support the effort by reviewing and updating their own data: fixing duplicates, correcting addresses, and checking transfer coursework now to help ensure that information appears and functions correctly in Workday at go-live.Workday Student: Aligning Innovation with Campus Needs
At its core, Workday Student is designed to support students from prospect to graduate. As a modern, cloud-based platform, Workday offers a more connected, efficient, and student-centered experience—transforming the entire student lifecycle.A key step in this transformation is the Align and Confirm Validate Phase, where early (and tentative) Workday Student design decisions were highlighted. During this phase, institutional representatives participated in Prototype Review Workshops, which provided structured opportunities to explore the prototype, validate business process decisions, identify gaps, and deepen understanding of Workday functionality. Feedback gathered during these sessions helps ensure alignment across campuses and strengthens the final system design.
The Prototype Review Workshops featured walkthroughs of the full student life cycle, from both student and employee perspectives, showcasing Workday’s baseline functionality while highlighting efficiencies, streamlined processes, and opportunities to improve the student experience. Ultimately, Workday Student is more than just a new system. It represents a shared effort to modernize how we work, make information easier to access, and support better decision making. Most importantly, it helps create a smoother, more user-friendly experience for students.
Hear from the functional area coordinators in the full newsletter on the NextGen Hub, as they share their thoughts about the impact of Workday Student and the benefits it will bring to each of the core student services areas.
Workday Training Resources: Now Easier to Find
Finding Workday training materials just got easier. All current Human Capital Management (HCM) and Finance Workday job aids and demo videos are now linked directly on the Knowledge Base – Workday Training Resources page. Minnesota State employees can now access Workday HCM and Finance training documents in one place—without needing to navigate to multiple Minnesota State Connect sites. Job aids and demos are clearly organized by section; you can now search the Knowledge Base by the title of a specific job aid or demo.Workday Glossary: Now Available on the NextGen Hub
A shared vocabulary is essential for effective systemwide work. The Student Phase Glossary is now available on the NextGen Hub and brings together commonly used terms and definitions from the NextGen Student project and the Workday Student implementation. For easier navigation, the glossary is organized into separate sections for Workday Academic, Workday General Terms and Concepts, Workday Navigation, and Workday Security.Designed to support clear, consistent communication across campuses and functional areas, the glossary reflects current project language and will continue to evolve over time. As the work progresses, definitions may be refined and new terms added based on feedback and emerging needs—helping ensure the resource remains clear, relevant, and useful for the Minnesota State community.
More than Workday: NextGen Student Showcase and Town Hall
All Minnesota State employees were encouraged to participate in the NextGen Student Showcase, which took place virtually the first week of February. This exciting event offered a first-hand look at what’s ahead as we continue building the future of student services with Workday Student. The week included a keynote address from Minnesota State Chancellor Dr. Scott Olson during the NextGen Town Hall, along with informational sessions on a variety of NextGen project topics.Participants had the opportunity to:
- Explore the functionality and key features of Workday Student
- Learn more about companion projects, data architecture, and Student Worker
- Hear updates on organizational change management, Faculty Workload Management, and reporting
- Take a journey through the graduate student experience in the Graduate Student Prototype Workshop
- Get a clearer picture of how NextGen will support a more connected, student-centered experience across Minnesota State
Stay Connected and Engaged
Want to stay connected and learn more about what’s ahead? The NextGen Hub offers updates, deeper insights, and helpful resources related to the Workday Student and Student Worker implementations, companion projects, and other initiatives supporting the goals of NextGen. Be sure to bookmark it and check back often as the work continues to evolve.Have questions or want to connect with the project team? We’d love to hear from you—reach out anytime at NextGenERP@minnstate.edu.