“Historically, we had hundreds of new hires every year, and all of those were handled manually,” said Damarie Cardona-Reilly, senior director of human resources information systems. “This new system takes away all of the tedious manual effort involved in both the front and back ends. Now applicants have a much more streamlined way of getting access to open positions and being able to apply for them.” 

The move to modernize the University’s hiring system began in 2019, said Cardona-Reilly.

“IT has always been in the forefront of finding new technology and better ways of integrating different systems. A few years ago, their strategy for system integrations transitioned from flat file to Ethos, and the Office of Human Resources decided to leverage the Ethos integration for our applicant tracking system implementation,” she said.

Throughout the pandemic, IT and the Office of Human Resources worked together to integrate data from two platforms, Ellucian Ethos and PeopleAdmin, in order to create an online platform where prospective talent could easily apply to jobs and new hires could “seamlessly” enter the University system, said Cardona-Reilly. 

“In the past, applicants used to apply for positions by completing a paper application. When hired, they would complete paper onboarding forms that included personal information. We also had a team that manually input information for personal, employee, and job records. Now all of that is seamless. Instead of filling out paperwork and applying for a position manually, it’s all automated. This increases transparency, streamlines the process, and helps us to better secure personal and confidential information,” said Cardona-Reilly.

Thanks to the new online system, Fordham has been able to expand its reach to prospective hires, said Cardona-Reilly. From 2020 to 2021, nearly 1,000 applications were received for 60 open positions. In addition, 50% of recent hires are coming through this new award-winning system, while the other half are still coming through the older system, which is transitioning to the updated version.

The $25,000 grant was awarded to Fordham in April, in recognition of the University’s ability to use technology to operate more efficiently and to offer a better employee experience. The grant will be used to further enhance technology and streamlining processes at Fordham, said Cardona-Reilly.

“This integration was a huge effort by many members within HR and IT, and this could not have been achieved without the support of Fordham’s leadership. This is also the first time that HR has received an award in technology,” Cardona-Reilly said. “To see that our colleagues at Ellucian and other schools understand and appreciate the effort that was involved in that—that’s important to us.”

“I believe that Mr. Padmanabhan’s creativity, collaborative leadership style and extensive experience in multiple industries, countries, and cultures are ideally suited for dealing with the many challenges presented to higher educational institutions by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, wrote in an email to the University community. 

On Sept. 25, Padmanabhan was appointed to his new position, succeeding Shaya Phillips, who served as interim CIO for the past seven months. In a national search that vetted more than 50 professionals, Padmanabhan stood out for his “innovative thinking; multi-industry, global technology leadership experience; and accomplishments enabling transformation through technology,” said  Father McShane. 

Padmanabhan comes to Fordham with an extensive background in academic technology. He most recently served as chief technology officer at Whittle School & Studios, a global institution for students aged 3 to 18, where he led an initiative to develop technology strategies to support a multi-site, multinational K-12 education system in China and the U.S. Before working at Whittle, Padmnabhan served as the senior vice president and CIO for the New School, where he led a 120-member team and supported academia, research, and administrative computing for five years. He has also served as CIO for Everonn Education’s higher education business unit in India, the Shiv Nadar Foundation, the Stern School of Business at New York University, and Hunter College of the City University of New York. He earned an MBA from the Stern School of Business, a master’s degree in computer science from Louisiana State University, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Madras University, one of the oldest universities in India. 

In his first week at Fordham, Padmanabhan reflected on what brought him to the University. 

“I was looking at the CUSP strategy, and there were multiple things that really drew me into applying for the position—things like reimagining student-centered teaching and learning, looking at how the University deepens its relationship with New York City, from extending Fordham’s global engagement to focusing on research,” said Padmanabhan, who has worked at multiple institutions in New York City over the past two decades. “Many of those things spoke to me. And it looked like the University is really rethinking and moving to the next level.”

At Fordham, Padmanabhan will be addressing technology issues that the University will face in the years ahead. In the midst of a pandemic, Padmanabhan said he looks forward to figuring out how technology can enhance teaching, learning, and working at Fordham, while maintaining interpersonal and social ties. 

“Everything has changed and moved to a new normal. Many things are now being done remotely, and technology plays a significant part in making this happen,” said Padmanabhan. “One of the big things for me is to make sure we live up to our standards, whether it’s on campus or off campus … I’m really looking forward to reimagining teaching and learning and various University services for the new normal as we come out of the pandemic, using current and emerging technologies, and making sure that we provide the best service across the community.”

Dear Members of the University Community,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Anand Padmanabhan as Fordham’s vice president and chief information officer (CIO), effective 25 September 2020.

Mr. Padmanabhan holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, an MS in Computer Science from Louisiana State University, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Madras University. He comes to Fordham with a rich and varied background in the area of academic technology. Most recently, he served as the Chief Technology Officer of Whittle Management, where he led an initiative to develop technology strategies to support a multi-site, multi-country private K-12 education system in China and the United States. Prior to joining Whittle, he served for five years as the senior vice president and CIO for The New School, leading a staff of 120 supporting all aspects of academic, research, and administrative computing. Mr. Padmanabhan has also served as CIO for Everonn Education’s higher education business unit in India, the Shiv Nadar Foundation, the Stern School of Business, and Hunter College of the City University of New York.

In February 2020, Martha K. Hirst, our senior vice president and chief financial officer, formed and chaired a diverse, cross-functional search committee consisting of 13 members with representation from faculty, staff, and students, a committee that was assisted by Next Generation Leadership Partners, a consultancy that offers advisory services to higher educational institutions and that specializes in information technology executive searches.

Mr. Padmanabhan emerged as the strongest candidate from a national search that vetted more than 50 individuals and involved the input of several hundred faculty and staff. Among a highly qualified pool, he stood out for his innovative thinking, multi-industry, global technology leadership experience, and accomplishments enabling transformation through technology. He embodies Fordham’s values and is well-regarded by his colleagues in the institutions where he has served and in the community of information technology professionals for his transparency, work ethic, and collaborative nature.

I believe that Mr. Padmanabhan’s creativity, collaborative leadership style, and extensive experience in multiple industries, countries, and cultures are ideally suited for dealing with the many challenges presented to higher educational institutions by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to his proven record of accomplishment as a transformational and consultative leader, Mr. Padmanabhan joins Fordham with the support of many important constituents: in feedback surveys from members of the Fordham community he was ranked highest by both the faculty and the information technology staff for his ability to strategically lead the IT organization. I also believe that his extensive experience and understanding of New York City, as well as his professional relationships with other institutions and technology partners, will serve Fordham well and open doors to future collaborations.

I know you join me in offering Mr. Padmanabhan a warm welcome at Fordham, and in looking forward to working with him on the many important technology issues that we will face in the years to come.

As we welcome Mr. Padmanabhan to our community, I would like to thank the members of the search committee for the very fine work that they did in the course of their deliberations. I would also like to thank Mr. Shaya Phillips, who has been serving as our interim CIO, for his capable, consultative, collaborative, and tireless leadership, especially during these past seven months, as the entire University community adjusted to and overcame the challenges created by the pandemic.

Sincerely,

Joseph M. McShane, S.J.