Student Affairs





The SIS Modernization Newsletter

September 2023

Happy Autumn, Riverbats!

We have some exciting news from our Student Affairs SIS Modernization Project Team including updates from the Workday Implementation team, a continuation of our monthly video series, and our Workday Game of the Month series where you can test your knowledge (and win fun prizes).


The SA SIS Core Team has created specialized groups focused on events, communication, testing, and training. More to come on these topics in the newsletter and ad hoc communication.

Working with Workday

The SIS Project is making steady progress, with dedicated teams across ACC actively involved in completing essential tasks of the planning phase and mandatory training. This paves the way for the upcoming Architecture and Configure phase. In this phase, comprehensive activities include thorough examinations of ACC's configuration and analyzing how Workday will align its configuration methods with ACC's specific requirements.


While our Workday consultants did not return to ACC in September as originally planned, fear not, the project is still sailing smoothly. Our Workday consultants are rescheduled to return to campus soon. More updates to come.

General Assembly 2023 Resource Fair

The SA SIS Core Team was at the General Assembly 2023 Resource Fair. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table, entered the raffle, registered for our roadshow, and shared your excitement about the SIS transition with our team! We look forward to more opportunities in the future to reflect on our project, share key updates, and celebrate our success with you! 


A special shout-out to our General Assembly raffle winner: Susan Wynne, Senior Administrative Assistant! Please be on the lookout for an email from our team on how to receive your raffle prize!

Workday Student Roadshow

Coming to your campus (or a campus near you) - the Student Affairs Workday Student Roadshow! Members of the Student Affairs SIS Modernization Project Team will be visiting campuses starting in October to meet with Student Affairs staff in an interactive lunch-and-learn series. 


Please RSVP here and join us in person. In the meantime, let us know what you would like to see covered when we come to your campus for the Student Affairs Workday Student Roadshow by emailing [email protected]. And if you don’t see your campus on the list, don’t worry! This is just the beginning. We’ll be visiting everyone before the project ends.


See you at the Hays Campus in October!

September Workday Video of the Month


This month we are continuing our series, Workday Video of the Month! Each month we will bring you a short video highlighting features within Workday Student, sharing helpful tips and tricks, or providing information on Workday Student best practices.

You can view this month’s and past month’s videos on the Student Affairs SIS Modernization website at austincc.edu/sasis.


Let us know what you would like to see covered in our video series by emailing [email protected]!

September Workday Word of the Month

Academic Plan


At ACC we use the term Program Map or Degree Plan for much of what is covered by Workday's term Academic Plan.


In Workday Student, an Academic Plan is the template for laying out courses and requirements students must complete for their program of study (major) and outlines a recommended path for a student to follow. In ACC terms, we currently call this a Program Map or Degree Plan. Like our current program maps/degree plans, these Academic Plan templates will be owned by their respective departments. Students will have the opportunity to create alternative Academic Plans to suit their schedule. Think of this feature as similar to the timeline capability within self-service, where both a student and staff member can outline when a student will take particular courses and how many depending on what is best for the student. Students will also have the ability to design a schedule and register directly from their academic plan.

September Workday Game of the Month

Congratulations to Patrick Conn, Area of Study Advisor, for winning August’s game of the month!


You can be a winner too! Test your Workday terminology knowledge for a chance to win fun prizes in our Workday game of the month.


Complete the challenge and submit your answer(s) to [email protected] with the subject line Workday Game of the Month and you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win cool prizes! With a new challenge every month, there will be plenty of opportunities to test your knowledge.

 Workday Scramble

Meet Your Student Affairs SIS Modernization Team: Leadership



Ana Rummer, Associate Vice Chancellor, SA Operations

Student Affairs Operations



Ana joins the project team from Student Affairs Operations and has 17 years of experience in communication, outreach, and leadership, with 7 of those years in higher education.

Q: What are you most excited about for the project?


As we get closer to the Workday implementation, I'm thrilled about the positive changes it will bring to Austin Community College. With enhanced communication tools and a more user-friendly student experience, we're ensuring our students have the best resources at their fingertips.


Q: How do you think Workday Student will impact our student lifecycle?


Equally exciting is the reduced manual workload for our staff, freeing up time for more personalized student support. Knowing our secret sauce in this implementation is having a team of previous front-line staff who know the pains of our current systems and are using their business analyst prowess to build gains in our future systems…now, that excites me! This transition promises a brighter future for all Riverbats.



Sarah Lisenbe, Director, SA Strategic Projects & Operations



Sarah joins the project team from IT and has 13+ years of experience in business analysis, project & portfolio management and data analysis, 5+ of these years in higher education.

Q: What are you most excited about for the project?


The transformational spirit of the project. Dr. Buchanan, Ana, and Student Affairs Leadership have really treated this as an opportunity to reimagine how we serve our students, and they have empowered some really smart people (our Core Team and Leads) to help guide us through this transformation. To see the conversation and vision go beyond Workday to the entire ACC ecosystem that supports our students is really exciting.


Q: How do you think Workday Student will impact our student lifecycle?


I’ve had the opportunity to see some of what Workday Student can do, and for me the biggest impact will be the connectedness. Students will be able to connect with their Advisor, instructors, and ACC resources from their phone. Whenever and wherever they need ACC, we can be there. 



Miros Zuniga

Director, SA Communication

Student Affairs Operations



Miros joins the project team from Student Affairs Communication and has 15+ years of higher ed experience, 5+ years of experience in communication, outreach, and leadership.

Q: What are you most excited about for the project?


I am most excited about the Workday Student because it presents a significant opportunity to enhance communication and engagement with our students. With improved access to accurate and up-to-date student information, we can create more personalized and timely communications. I am hopeful that this tool will empower us to provide students with the information and support they need when they need it, ultimately enhancing their overall experience at the college.


Q: How do you think Workday Student will impact our student lifecycle?


Workday Student has the potential to positively impact our student lifecycle and enable us to have a more comprehensive view of each student's academic journey, from APP to CAP (admissions to graduation ). This holistic perspective will help us as the Communications team to identify areas where students may need additional personalized information to improve their chances of success. 

Overall, the implementation of Workday Student will lead to a more efficient, student-centric communication and approach to managing the student lifecycle. 

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