Carthage College, a midsize liberal arts institution, is known for its hands-on learning opportunities, study-abroad programs, and high medical school acceptance rate. With 2,800 students and a prime location on the shore of Lake Michigan, Carthage regularly ranks as one of its region’s top colleges.
Like many colleges and universities, Carthage is grappling with shifting demographics and evolving student expectations. The traditional demand for a four-year college experience is shrinking, and there’s an increase in hybrid learners, older students, and a need for flexible paths to graduation. To navigate these challenges, Carthage has embraced a strategic framework centered around the “three Rs”: recruitment, retention, and revenue. It uses this framework to evaluate every decision by its impact on attracting, retaining, and supporting students while maintaining the college’s financial health.
Key to this evaluation is Carthage’s partnership with Workday and its unified platform that encompasses human resources, finance, and student information systems. This has enabled Carthage to develop new and more efficient ways to connect with students and provide the support they need to graduate on time with an education that equips them for life.
Our students appreciate the convenience and accessibility of Workday Student.
Registrar
A better student experience.
Brandon Porter, registrar at Carthage College, oversees student registration, degree planning, and graduation and recognizes the key benefits of Workday Student. Equipped with Workday reporting and analytics capabilities, Carthage can track student progress, identify at-risk students, and intervene early to provide the necessary support. This data-driven approach has helped the college improve retention rates and ensure that students stay on track to graduation.
Students also have easy access to their academic records, enabling them to register for courses, view financial aid information, and manage their accounts all in one location. This not only saves students time but also fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility. “Our students appreciate the convenience and accessibility of Workday Student,” adds Porter.
For the many who also have jobs at the school, Workday Student provides an extra level of convenience. “The interface and user experience are the same for entering your time as a student employee as it is for searching for courses and creating a schedule,” Porter explains. “This familiarity and continuity have been a huge benefit for our students.”
The deployment of Workday Student was not without its challenges. As Porter notes, “You’re not just changing the system; you’re changing the culture.” To ensure a successful transition, Carthage adopted a holistic approach that involved faculty, staff, and students in the process. User groups, training sessions, and transparent communication were key to building trust and excitement around the new platform.
“Workday has allowed us to be more efficient and effective in serving our students,” says Porter. “The platform has helped us streamline processes, improve communication, and provide better access to information.”
We want to take away the unnecessary burden of things that should just work so that we can spend more time with students. Workday lets us do that.
Executive Vice President for Administration
Getting the timing right.
Carthage’s transition to Workday Human Capital Management and Workday Financial Management was key to its planning for future success on a variety of fronts including cybersecurity, knowing what students are looking for, and enabling staff to be more efficient and work differently.
“What we found most attractive is that everything is integrated. The information from human resources and finance flows directly into the student experience,” explains Abigail Hanna, executive vice president for Administration. “We want to take away the unnecessary burden of things that should just work so that we can spend more time with students. And that’s everything from receiving a paycheck, to not having to waste time trying to figure out what happened with benefits. Workday lets us do that.”
Looking ahead, Carthage is focused on leveraging Workday capabilities to enhance the advising experience and support student success. “Advising is a huge initiative for us,” says Porter. “We want to create a more efficient, equitable, and personalized advising experience for all students.” Workday tools and insights will enable advisors to better understand student needs, track progress, and provide timely interventions.
Our president always says, ‘Same storm, different boat.’ And I think the Workday platform gives us the ability to have that different boat.
Executive Vice President for Administration
The future is bright.
Carthage has documented its list of successes with Workday as it continues to adopt new processes. “Everyone has had that aha moment where they realize they can self-serve or on-demand a process that used to take two weeks with multiple people and steps,” Hanna remembers. “When people recognize the efficiencies, they have trust in the system.”
Hanna and Porter are also excited about the potential of Workday Illuminate™ capabilities to increase efficiency and free up staff time for more meaningful student interactions. “AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we work,” says Hanna. “We’re eager to explore how it can help us better serve our students.
“We know there are some tough years ahead,” Hanna continues. “And we need to innovate, analyze our programs and how we’re delivering them, and what we could do differently.Our president always says, ‘Same storm, different boat.’ And I think the Workday platform gives us the ability to have that different boat.”