The Nova Southeastern University (NSU) Oceanographic Campus Library has always had a unique challenge in that it is the final clearinghouse for student capstone, thesis, and dissertation binding and publication. The library has traditionally been the host of the final print publication and the liaison between the student, university program office, and the bindery. With the launch of NSUWorks, NSU’s institutional repository, 7 years ago, the library worked to develop an innovative and effective start to finish workflow for student Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) to change the physical lifecycle of NSU’s theses and dissertations into a virtual ETD lifecycle. Every step of the process, from proposal to defense to review and final published draft, is now contained within the NSUWorks ecosystem. We will demonstrate the creative architecture behind the unintended use of a journal review manager in an institutional repository in order to create outside-the-box opportunities for our needs and showcase the timeline needed to complete this. This presentation will focus on the history of the discoverability of our ETDs, tracking a student’s progress through the research lifecycle, and creating digital review and signature page processes. We also make projections for the future of this ongoing project and how we can further enhance the discoverability of our ETD collection and streamline the management of our workflow processes.