How Kansas City University scaled up 75% without adding payroll staff

Managing payroll in higher education comes with unique challenges. From student workers and adjunct faculty to complex compensation structures and multi-state tax compliance, university finance teams face demands that traditional payroll solutions struggle to address. 

Kansas City University faced this exact reality. When Vice President of Finance Kathleen Gould joined KCU 13 years ago, the university was running on outdated systems that couldn’t support their growth plans. Expense reports still used carbon forms, and payroll tax management felt overwhelming. 

Fast forward to today: KCU has grown from 240 to 430 full-time employees, increased student enrollment by 75%, and achieved significant revenue growth — all with the same lean payroll team. 

How did they do it? By engaging with OneSource Virtual for Workday payroll tax management and expert payroll support. 

In this case study, you’ll discover: 

• How KCU eliminated payroll complexity while nearly doubling their workforce 
• Why Workday-native payroll solutions matter for higher education institutions 
• The partnership approach that frees finance teams to focus on strategic work 
• Specific strategies for managing student workers, adjunct faculty, and varied pay structures 
• How proactive payroll tax management prevents compliance headaches 

Download the full case study to learn how Kansas City university transformed fragmented payroll processes into streamlined operations — and how institutions can achieve similar results with the right higher education payroll partner.