Frequently Asked Questions
Core Information System Replacement
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the CISR Core Information System Replacement project at Southern Oregon University.
What is the CISR Project?
The acronym CISR stands for Core Information System Replacement. This project has focused on a university-wide technological transformation allowing SOU to modernize the way we do business and support students for many years to come. Specifically, we have focused on building, testing, and deploying the Workday information system.
Why are we implementing Workday Student now?
An opportunity arose for us to look at SOU’s current Banner platform and all of the associated systems used to augment it. After a lengthy, two-year process, SOU determined that the University would be considerably better served by implementing a 21st century system to replace the Banner ecosystem.
The Workday platform will save SOU roughly $800,000 per year after implementation when compared to the current Banner ecosystem. Workday also offers transformational potential through its more modern and relevant business processes. SOU is implementing the new Workday system to leverage these next-generation processes in ways that will make us significantly more efficient, allowing us to serve our students more effectively.
What is Workday?
Workday is a cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP) for Human Resources, Finance, Planning, and Student Services. ERP refers to business process management software (in our current case, the example is Banner).
Workday will be the new tool the SOU uses to store and organize information and data to conduct business. The initial phase of Workday implementation included everything from paying bills, to tracking time, leave, and reporting. Workday Student covers an even broader spectrum of University processes, including management of the course catalog and class schedules and everything student related from admission to commencement. Workday is a much more modern and integrated system than we currently have. It will help us do our work more quickly and efficiently.
All of the processes described here will be transferred to Workday for fall term 2026. Spring and summer processes will remain in Banner.
What are the benefits of Workday?
Workday will offer many benefits to SOU including:
- Simplifying complex, paper-based procedures into one system.
- Improving data visibility, reliability, and usefulness.
- Providing easy-to-use modern technology.
- Streamlining many time-consuming inefficient and manual processes to create a better user experience for staff, faculty, and students.
How has Workday been built?
Alchemy, our implementation partner company, has worked with SOU to help us design, build, test, and deploy Workday. The CISR Project Team has actively worked to design and configure Workday to meet SOU’s needs. Our administrators and staff have participated in weekly meetings since 2024 to understand and shape Workday practices.
What should I know about training?
Training provides real-user experience instruction in effectively using Workday. Training materials include in-person and virtual workshops, recorded training sessions, quick tip videos, and step-by-step reference guides. Faculty and staff orientation opportunities start March 9, while active support for students begins with spring term in April.
What will we be able to do in Workday?
One of the main benefits of Workday is that information is more secure and easier to access and some processes, like financial aid processing, will move more quickly. Workday streamlines many processes including:
- Registering from courses from a saved schedule
- Drafting academic plans for future terms
- Requesting course overrides
- Maintaining student records in one system
- Awarding and accepting financial aid
- Drafting payment plans
And so much more!
SOU Information Technology
Southern Oregon University IT Department
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
Phone: 541.552.6971
Email: cisr@sou.edu
