DEAR STAFF, FACULTY, AND STUDENTS:

You may have heard the term “HCM” in conversations at Middlebury. Oracle HCM (Human Capital Management) is our new human resources software and it’s the next big step as we modernize our business processes. If you’re a Middlebury employee, HCM will play a big role in your life over the coming months and years.

For starters, HCM is how we’ll all get paid, which is a good reason to dedicate some time to learning this new system! But as important as that is, HCM offers many other features that will unify our processes, such as managing your benefits, requesting time off, and tax information.

HCM is our third major software upgrade in this process. Last year we launched Blackbaud for fundraising and Oracle Finance for payment and reimbursement as part of what we call “Project Ensemble”—a collaborative effort among the colleges of the Green Mountain Higher Education Consortium (GMHEC). The three member schools—Middlebury, Champlain College, and St. Michael’s College—have been operating older software systems that simply needed to be replaced.

By working together, the three institutions have achieved significant savings over the costs of going it alone. Last year, for example, Middlebury saved and avoided more than $4 million in costs thanks to our work with the consortium. Those savings help bolster Middlebury’s financial health and allow us to invest more in our future.

If this seems like a lot of change in a short time period, it is! We’re grateful for your continued dedication to learning new processes that will improve our work at Middlebury—even when those processes present unexpected frustrations. We know the Oracle Finance rollout has been challenging for some of you, and that it still has kinks that need to be ironed out. With cautious optimism, I can report that the number of help tickets for Oracle Finance has dropped significantly in recent months and that we’ll continue to address any remaining issues.

WHAT’S OUR TIMELINE?

The first time you’ll work with HCM will be in mid-March when we run our first payroll through the new system. For that first payroll, we’ll run a “dual entry” in both Banner and HCM. Here are some important dates to keep in mind as we approach the go-live date:

• Feb. 26: Banner “Freeze” — Banner for HR will no longer be available to make changes. Managers, please keep this in mind and complete tasks early or hold off until after the transition is complete.
• March 3: User training begins. We’ll have many opportunities for every employee to receive training on the new software.
• March 15: We GO LIVE with HCM.
• March 16: First pay periods using HCM
  MIIS pay period is 3/16–3/29
  MIDD pay period is 3/23–4/5

The functionality for HCM on March 15 will include: Time entry and approval, absence requests and approvals, employee self-service (updating your personal information and emergency contacts), and manager self-service (approvals of timecards and absences).

Later this year, we’ll announce additional HCM functionality as we continue to build out the system.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO GET READY?

The best thing you can do right now is to add those key dates above to your calendar and keep an eye out for HCM updates you’ll receive through email. If you’re a manager, please think about how the Banner freeze (for HR functions only) might impact your work and plan accordingly. Later in February, we’ll send you information about training sessions. Be sure to sign up!

Research tells us that any organization going through such complex change experiences an initial drop-off in productivity, but then typically bounces back to its previous level or better. We know there will be some challenges—that’s normal in a large-scale rollout. We’re working hard to ensure that the drop-off is as short-lived as possible.

THANK YOU.

Last, we would like to take a moment to thank the many people in Middlebury and at the GMHEC headquarters in Shelburne who are working hard to make this implementation go as smoothly as possible. We would also like to thank the members of our Change Facilitators Network, a group of about 60 colleagues on our Vermont and Monterey campuses who have committed their time to help coworkers navigate these changes.

Sincerely, and with our appreciation,

David Provost
Executive Vice President for Finance and Treasurer

Karen Miller
Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Risk Officer