March 2025 Newsletter

Fiscal Updates:

• Summer 2025 Faculty Payrolls 
  • The Business Office will be processing summer faculty salary against any grant/contract, start-up, and/or any other salary commitments from the Dean’s Office 
    • Communication to faculty have started and we will continue through April 2^nd which is the B.O. Deadline for Summer Payroll with an effective date of 5/23/2025 
    • Tracking sheets may be found in B.O./Department shared folder in Sharepoint, under Faculty Summer 2025
  • 11-month Faculty
    • The B.O. will work with faculty to process the summer hire 
    • This will include the PageUp Request and the Smart-HR Transaction 
  • Departments will continue to be responsible for processing non-grant summer payrolls
  • Important Reminder:
    • The overload policy allows faculty to be eligible to earn up to an additional 25% over their summer salary (12/12ths) for non-research activity (May and winter intersession, summer teaching, CETL course development, etc.)
    • The overload must be requested and approved prior to the start of the non-research activity
    • If you are processing special payroll compensation for your research-active faculty, please contact the B.O. to start the overload request

• Summer Pre-encumbrances:
  • The B.O. will be pre-encumbering salary and fringe for FY25 and FY26 (starting 6/13/25 onwards) for the following payroll types:  
    • Summer Grads, Faculty Summer, and other Special Payroll appointments on grant accounts 
    • The Pre-encumbrance will be reflected in monthly reports starting April 1^st

• Weekly Year-End Reports:
  • As we approach FY25 year-end, the B.O. will be distributing weekly financial reports related to year-end close starting the 1^st Monday on March 31^st.  Reports include:
    • 2.5% Carry Forward – Academic Units and Extension Storrs
    • 2L Balances “Use it or Lose it” – all units
    • Salary Savings – all units
    • Org fund balance Report – all units
    • TA/Adjunct Compensation Report – Academic Units only
    • GA Hold Account Report – Academic Units only
    • Continuation Account Report – all units
    • Open Encumbrance Report – all units
    • Pending E-doc Report – all units

 

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates:

• Grad Summer 2025:
  • Important Dates
    • Summer dates are 5/23/2025-8/22/2025
    • Due to PageUp: 3/13/25
    • Smart-HR (Internal BO) Submit by 4/2/2025
    • Smart-HR (University) Approved by 4/17/2025
  • Reminders:
    • Please include a print-out of the Grad calculator in your PageUp requests
      • Use AY24-25 Grad Stipend chart for your calculation: https://payroll.media.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2008/2024/09/Grad-Stipend-Chart-AY24-25.pdf
    • Submit a PageUp request for each unique funding period.  In the Smart-HR Special Payroll hire template, the appointment’s start and end dates are sourced directly from the PageUp record and are not editable. This could lead to inaccuracies in encumbrance if adjustments to funding are required

• Fall 2025 Adjunct Dates: https://hr.uconn.edu/special-payroll-info/
  • 8/25/2025-12/17/2025
  • PageUp by 6/6/25
  • Approval PU by 7/15/25
  • Due in SHR (approval) by 7/25/25

• PageUp Training
  • Regular Payroll
    • March 3, from 9:00am to 11:30pm (Register)
  • Special Payroll
    • March 4, from 9:00am to 11:00am (Register)
• Graduate School Timely Topics 
  • March 6^th – Having That Difficult Conversation with Your Graduate Advisee
  • March 27^th – Strength-based Advising for Neurodiverse Graduate Students

 

CAHNR Internal Professional Development Opportunities:

The CAHNR’s Dean’s Office is committed to providing opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students to expand their professional knowledge and skills. Throughout the year, the Dean’s Office will organize workshops and offer training, that will help the CAHNR community grow. Workshops and training will focus on fostering employee understanding and abilities in both hard and soft skills, such as in communication, HR/Payroll competency, and creativity.

As Professional Development Opportunities are finalized, they will be listed on our website here. Please be sure to check regularly for new learning opportunities and other about upcoming events.

• • • CAHNR Staff Advisory Council (SAC)
      • Visit the CAHNR Staff SharePoint Site for opportunities with professional development, networking, and even hobby and wellness events.

 

Fun “Dad” Jokes:

• • Why can you never trust atoms?
    • They make up everything.
  • Why couldn’t the shellfish farmer go for a run?
    • He pulled a mussel.
  • Why do melons have weddings?
    •  They cantelope.

February 2025 Newsletter

Fiscal Updates:

• Summer 2025 Faculty Payrolls 
  • The Business Office will be processing summer faculty salary against any grant/contract, start-up, and/or any other salary commitments from the Dean’s Office 
    • We will review the summer effort commitments in the month of February
    • Communication to faculty will commence as soon as the information is gathered and continue through April 2^nd which is the B.O. Deadline for Summer Payroll with an effective date of 5/23/2025 
  • 11-month Faculty
    • The B.O. will work with faculty to process the summer hire 
    • This will include the PageUp Request and the Smart-HR Transaction 
  • Departments will continue to be responsible for processing non-grant summer payrolls
  • Important Reminder:
    • The overload policy allows faculty to be eligible to earn up to an additional 25% over their summer salary (12/12ths) for non-research activity (May and winter intersession, summer teaching, CETL course development, etc.)
    • The overload must be requested and approved prior to the start of the non-research activity
    • If you are processing special payroll compensation for your research-active faculty, please contact the B.O. to start the overload request

• Summer Pre-encumbrances:
  • The B.O. will be pre-encumbering salary and fringe for FY25 and FY26 (starting 6/13/25 onwards) for the following payroll types:  
    • Summer Grads, Faculty Summer, and other Special Payroll appointments on grant accounts 
    • The Pre-encumbrance will be reflected in the May 1^st reports

• New Kuali Financials training Video is available:
  • The General Ledger Transfer: https://kb.uconn.edu/space/FPB/27356823554/Kuali+Financials+Training+Videos
  • This video will provide information on when to use (or not to use) a General Ledger Transfer (GLT) eDoc, and includes a demonstration on how to complete a GLT eDoc

• Graduate Assistant Tuition Waiver Clarification:
  • Tuition vs. Academic Program Fees: Graduate Assistants (GAs) in tuition-based programs receive a tuition waiver, while those in fee-based programs do not receive a waiver for academic program fees.
  • Updated Offer Letter Templates: New Graduate Assistant Offer Letter Templates for Fall 2025 and AY 2025-26 clarify tuition waivers based on program type. Use the appropriate version depending on the appointment period.
  • Financial Responsibility: GAs in tuition-based programs must still pay university fees at the negotiated rate. GAs in fee-based programs are responsible for the full academic program fee and university fees.
  • Approval for Non-Standard Appointments: All retroactive or non-standard GA appointments require Graduate School approval before issuing an offer letter.

 

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates:

• Grad Summer 2025
  • Important Dates
    • Summer dates are 5/23/2025-8/22/2025
    • Due to PageUp: 3/13/25
    • Smart-HR (Internal BO) Submit by 4/2/2025
    • Smart-HR (University) Approved by 4/17/2025
  • Reminders:
    • Please include a print-out of the Grad calculator in your PageUp requests
      • Use AY24-25 Grad Stipend chart for your calculation: https://payroll.media.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2008/2024/09/Grad-Stipend-Chart-AY24-25.pdf
    • Submit a PageUp request for each unique funding period.  In the Smart-HR Special Payroll hire template, the appointment’s start and end dates are sourced directly from the PageUp record and are not editable. This could lead to inaccuracies in encumbrance if adjustments to funding are required

 

• PageUp Training
  • Regular Payroll
    • March 3, from 9:00am to 11:30pm (Register)
  • Special Payroll
    • March 4, from 9:00am to 11:00am (Register)

 

• Graduate School Timely Topics 
  • February 6^th – Part 1: AI is Here to Stay…Now What? A Conversation
  • February 13^th – Part 2: AI is Here to Stay…Now What? A Conversation
  • February 20^th – Graduate Students and Summer: What You Need to Know About Special Payroll, Funding, and Summer Graduations
  • March 6^th – Having That Difficult Conversation with Your Graduate Advisee
  • March 27^th – Strength-based Advising for Neurodiverse Graduate Students

 

CAHNR Internal Professional Development Opportunities:

The CAHNR’s Dean’s Office is committed to providing opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students to expand their professional knowledge and skills. Throughout the year, the Dean’s Office will organize workshops and offer training, that will help the CAHNR community grow. Workshops and training will focus on fostering employee understanding and abilities in both hard and soft skills, such as in communication, HR/Payroll competency, and creativity.

As Professional Development Opportunities are finalized, they will be listed on our website here. Please be sure to check regularly for new learning opportunities and other about upcoming events.

• CAHNR Staff Advisory Council (SAC)
  • Visit the CAHNR Staff SharePoint Site for opportunities with professional development, networking, and even hobby and wellness events.

 

Shout-out:  

• Best Wishes:

• • Nancy Wilhelm, Co-op Extension

• Welcome: 

• • Matthew Syrotiak, Educational Program Coordinator, Co-op Extension

 

Fun “Dad” Jokes:

• After an unsuccessful harvest, why did the farmer decide to try a career in music?
  • Because he had a ton of sick beets.
• What’s the difference between a well-dressed man on a unicycle and a poorly-dressed man on a bicycle?
  • Attire
• Where do pirates get their hooks?
  • Second hand stores.

January 2025 Newsletter

 

Fiscal Updates:

• Spring ‘25 Payroll Pre-Encumbrance
  • The B.O. will be pre-encumbering Spring ‘25 PAs that were recently submitted for these payroll types:
    • Adjunct on 2Ls
    • Grads – all accounts (except for GA Hold)
  • PE will be reflected on Jan 1st reports

 

Other:

• Scholarship and Fellowship – New Kuali Build Form
  • Effective January 6th, the Scholarship and Fellowship Workflows will be moved to Kuali Build. All new access, item type and disbursement requests will be submitted in Kuali Build. When the Kuali Build platform goes live, you will still have access to the current workflow until June 2025. All pending requests in the Leap platform will be processed accordingly.
  • Link to training materials for both Kuali Build Scholarship and Fellowship forms: https://uconn.atlassian.net/wiki/x/GIDZXwY
  • If you already have access to the scholarship or fellowship workflow you will automatically have access to the new Kuali forms. Please note access is not available until the platforms go live on January 6, 2025. Although there are some changes, the forms are very similar to the current workflows.

 

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates:

• Friendly Reminder for SmartHR Comments
  • To facilitate an accurate and efficient review, please include the following information in the comment box:
    • Employee Name
    • Employee Number
    • Dept
    • Reason for SmartHR (ex. hire, funding change, data change, etc.)
    • Effective dates
    • From/To accounts (if applicable)

• Effective January 1, 2025, per Public Act 19-4, the State of Connecticut minimum wage will be increased to $16.35/hour

• PageUp Training
  • Regular Payroll
    • January 27, from 9:00am to 11:30pm (Register)
    • March 3, from 9:00am to 11:30pm (Register)
  • Special Payroll
    • January 28, from 9:00am to 11:00am (Register)
    • March 4, from 9:00am to 11:00am (Register)

 

CAHNR Internal Professional Development Opportunities:

The CAHNR’s Dean’s Office is committed to providing opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students to expand their professional knowledge and skills. Throughout the year, the Dean’s Office will organize workshops and offer training, that will help the CAHNR community grow. Workshops and training will focus on fostering employee understanding and abilities in both hard and soft skills, such as in communication, HR/Payroll competency, and creativity.

As Professional Development Opportunities are finalized, they will be listed on our website here. Please be sure to check regularly for new learning opportunities and other about upcoming events.

• CAHNR Staff Advisory Council (SAC)
  • Visit the CAHNR Staff SharePoint Site for opportunities with professional development, networking, and even hobby and wellness events.

 

Fun “Dad” Jokes:

• Why don’t skeletons ever make New Year’s resolutions?
  • They don’t have the guts.
• Why are snowflakes so bad at keeping secrets?
  • They always flake out.
• How does a penguin build its house?
  • Igloos it together!

December 2024 Newsletter

Fiscal Updates:

• Federal Accounts (Smith Lever, SAES Capacity) 
  • FY24 Accounts – closed
    • Inactive accounts FO will be changed to Amanda’s netid so the accounts will not appear in future monthly report distributions
    • The BO will begin the Federal FY24 close out process
  • FY25 Accounts
    • SAES project accounts – Faculty has received information regarding their FY25 (10/1/24 – 9/30/25) KFS project accounts
    • Your department Smith-Lever budget was identified in your FY25 Dept. Budget Hearing Letter from the Dean
      • *Reminder: Every expense must be categorized in 1 or more of the 5 areas strategic areas by the utilization of sub-accounts (only exception is Regular Payroll)
        • Sub-Accounts
          • Climate (CLIM)
          • Food (FOOD)
          • Health (HLTH)
          • Landscapes (LAND)
          • (MISC)

• Spring ‘24 Payroll Pre-Encumbrance
  • The B.O. will be pre-encumbering Spring ‘25 PAs that were recently submitted for these payroll types:
    • Adjunct on 2Ls
    • Grads – all accounts (except for GA Hold)
  • PE will be reflected on Dec 1st and Jan 1st reports

Post Award Updates:

• SPS’ November SPA Meeting (11/18/24):
  • See Presentation slides: https://content.research.uconn.edu/pdf/storrs/sps/spa/November-2024-Storrs-SPA-web.pdf

 

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates:

• Spring 2025 Payroll Deadlines
  • Graduate Students
    • 1/7/2025-5/22/2025 (new)
    • 1/8/2025-5/22/2025 (continuations)
    • Offer letter sent to the student by Nov 1st
    • Smart-HR Deadlines
      • Business Office Deadline: Friday, November 29^th
      • University Deadline: Friday, December 6^th
    • Adjunct Faculty
      • 1/21/2025-5/13/2025
      • PageUp Approval By – Sunday, December 1st
      • Smart-HR Deadline
        • Business Office Deadline: Monday, December 2^nd
        • University Deadline: Friday, December 20^th

• Effective January 1, 2025, per Public Act 19-4, the State of Connecticut minimum wage will be increased to $16.35/hour

• Graduate School Timely Topics
  • December 5^th – Recruitment: GradSlate CRM Functionality

• PageUp Training
  • Regular Payroll
    • December 18, from 9:00am to 11:30pm (Register)
    • January 27, from 9:00am to 11:30pm (Register)
    • March 3, from 9:00am to 11:30pm (Register)
  • Special Payroll
    • December 17, from 9:00am to 11:00am (Register)
    • January 28, from 9:00am to 11:00am (Register)
    • March 4, from 9:00am to 11:00am (Register)

 

CAHNR Internal Professional Development Opportunities:

The CAHNR’s Dean’s Office is committed to providing opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students to expand their professional knowledge and skills. Throughout the year, the Dean’s Office will organize workshops and offer training, that will help the CAHNR community grow. Workshops and training will focus on fostering employee understanding and abilities in both hard and soft skills, such as in communication, HR/Payroll competency, and creativity.

As Professional Development Opportunities are finalized, they will be listed on our website here. Please be sure to check regularly for new learning opportunities and other about upcoming events.

• CAHNR Staff Advisory Council (SAC)
  • Visit the CAHNR Staff SharePoint Site for opportunities with professional development, networking, and even hobby and wellness events.

 

Shout-out:

• Welcome:
  • Hannah Tripp, Educational Program Assistant 1, Academic Programs
  • Lex Salomone, Educational Program Assistant 1, Extension Hartford County
  • Ashley Ingraham, Financial Assistant 1, Animal Science

 

Fun “Dad” Jokes:

• Why did the snowman look through the carrots?
  • He was picking his nose.
• Why do eggs hate jokes?
  • They crack up too easily.
• Why don’t you ever see elephants hiding in trees?
  • Because they’re so good at it.

November 2024 Newsletter

Fiscal Updates:

• Federal Accounts (Smith Lever, SAES Capacity) 
  • FY24 Accounts
    • will remain open through 11/30/24 for expenses incurred by 9/30/24
    • After November 30^th, no additional transactions will be allowed on these accounts – transactions may need to be moved to an unrestricted account
    • Please monitor your continuation accounts for timely cost transfer submission
      • Please contact the BO if you need any assistance
    • On December 1^st the BO will begin the Federal FY24 close out process
      • For the inactive accounts, the FO will be changed to Amanda’s netid so the accounts will not appear in future monthly report distributions
  • FY25 Accounts
    • Faculty with SAES projects (Hatch, Multistate Hatch, and McIntire Stennis) have been notified of their KFS project accounts for expenses between 10/1/24 to 9/30/25
    • Your department Smith-Lever budget was identified in your FY25 Dept. Budget Hearing Letter from the Dean
      • *Reminder: Every expense must be categorized in 1 or more of the 5 areas strategic areas by the utilization of sub-accounts (only exception is Regular Payroll)
        • Sub-Accounts
          • Climate (CLIM)
          • Food (FOOD)
          • Health (HLTH)
          • Landscapes (LAND)
          • Misc. (MISC)

Post Award Updates:

• Notes from SPS’ October SPA Meeting:
  • Payroll Cost Transfers – online form must include
    • Debit & Credit accounts
    • Object code
    • Employee Name & Number
    • Dates
    • Amount requested
      • List amount being requested if dates are in the past
      • List amount per pay period (e.g. $200/pay period) if request contains an end date in the future
    • Complete answers to all questions
    • Include attachment of SmartHR or Payroll Authorization that indicate:
      • Employee name
      • Employee ID
      • Effective Date
      • Allocation by Account
      • SmartHR ID, if applicable

 

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates:

• CORE Access and Update
  • Pay Confirm will move up from (Thursday) 11/21/24 to (Wednesday) 11/20/24. The system will be unavailable on 11/20/24.
  • CORE Modernization Update is scheduled for 11/25/24. The system will be unavailable on 11/25/24.
    • Please note that any “favorited” pathways in CORE will be reset, please be sure to record those pathways prior to the 11/25/24 update.

• Effective November 1st, those AAUP employees who have been identified and communicated to by Human Resources/Payroll will be converted to time reporters in the system. They will be required to start submitting timesheets for the period of 11/1/24-11/14/24. Below are links for info sessions that those individuals impacted, please encourage them to attend one of these sessions.
  • Monday, November 4th, 10:00am – 11:00am
  • Monday, November 4th, 3:00pm – 4:00pm
  • Wednesday, November 6th, 3:00pm – 4:00pm
  • Friday, November 8th, 9:00am – 10:00am

• Please remember to submit your approved FY26 Faculty Searches into PageUp. If you have questions on the search process, please let Amanda know.

• Effective January 1, 2025, per Public Act 19-4, the State of Connecticut minimum wage will be increased to $16.35/hour.

• Spring 2025 Payroll Deadlines
  • Graduate Students
    • 1/7/2025-5/22/2025 (new)
    • 1/8/2025-5/22/2025 (continuations)
    • Offer letter sent to the student by Nov 1st
    • Smart-HR Deadlines
      • Business Office Deadline: Friday, November 22nd
      • University Deadline: Friday, December 6th
  • Adjunct Faculty (TENTATIVE)
    • 1/21/2025-5/13/2025
    • PageUp Entry Deadline – Friday, November 8th
    • PageUp Approval By – Sunday, December 1st
    • Smart-HR Deadline
      • Business Office Deadline: Monday, December 2nd
      • University Deadline: Friday, December 20th

• Graduate School Timely Topics
  • November 14^th at 11am – Using Pronouns: Actualizing Inclusivity
  • December 5^th at 1pm – Recruitment: GradSlate CRM Functionality

 

CAHNR Internal Professional Development Opportunities:

The CAHNR’s Dean’s Office is committed to providing opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students to expand their professional knowledge and skills. Throughout the year, the Dean’s Office will organize workshops and offer training, that will help the CAHNR community grow. Workshops and training will focus on fostering employee understanding and abilities in both hard and soft skills, such as in communication, HR/Payroll competency, and creativity.

As Professional Development Opportunities are finalized, they will be listed on our website here. Please be sure to check regularly for new learning opportunities and other about upcoming events.

• CAHNR Staff Advisory Council (SAC)
  • Visit the CAHNR Staff SharePoint Site for opportunities with professional development, networking, and even hobby and wellness events.

 

Shout-out:

• Welcome:
  • Charlie Case, Administrative Program Support 1, KINS

 

Fun “Dad” Jokes:

• What sound does a limping turkey make?
  • Wobble, wobble!
• What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter?
  • Pumpkin pi
• Why did the turkey cross the road twice?
  • To prove he wasn’t chicken!

October 2024 Newsletter 

Fiscal Updates:

• Federal Accounts (Smith Lever, SAES Capacity) 
  • FY24 Accounts
    • will remain open through 11/30/24 for expenses incurred by 9/30/24
    • Please avoid last minute spending
    • After November 30^th, no additional transactions will be allowed on these accounts – transactions may need to be moved to an unrestricted account
    • Please monitor your continuation accounts for timely cost transfer submission
      • Please contact the BO if you need any assistance
    • On December 1^st the BO will begin the Federal FY24 close out process
  • FY25 Accounts
    • New Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) opens on 10/1/2024 (FFY25)
    • The BO has begun its annual review and establishment of the FY25 Federal Accounts
      • In September, you may see new account requests in your KFS Action List.  Please review and approve the edocs as timely as possible so the accounts are active and appear in the monthly report distribution as of Oct 1^st
  • Your department Smith-Lever budget was identified in your FY25 Dept. Budget Hearing Letter from the Dean
    • *Reminder: Every expense must be categorized in 1 or more of the 5 areas strategic areas by the utilization of sub-accounts (only exception is Regular Payroll)
      • Sub-Accounts
        • Climate (CLIM)
        • Food (FOOD)
        • Health (HLTH)
        • Landscapes (LAND)
        • Misc. (MISC)

• Dept. Search Expense Account
  • The Dean has recently reached out to Dept. Head regarding approved searches for FY26 Faculty Hiring Plan.  In a follow up email, Alicia had provided an updated search cost allocation information:
    • Dean will provide an allocation of $10k per search for approved searches.  Any expenses over this amount will be funded by the department
    • Funds cannot be combined with other searches
    • While relocation is included as a part of the search costs, if the relocation exceeds the standard relocation rate, the difference above will be split 50/50 by the Dept. and the Dean, regardless of available funds in the search budget
    • When coding search costs to the department account, please use the designated sub-account number which is the last four digits of the search number

 

Purchasing Update 

• HuskyBuy Support Documentation Moves to UConn Knowledge Base.  These helpful instructions can now be found here: https://kb.uconn.edu/space/FPB/26666663970/HuskyBuy.

 

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates:

• Spring 2025 Payroll Deadlines
  • Graduate Students
    • 1/7/2025-5/22/2025 (new)
    • 1/8/2025-5/22/2025 (continuations)
    • Offer letter sent to the student by Nov 1st
    • Smart-HR Deadlines
      • Business Office Deadline: Friday, November 22nd
      • University Deadline: Friday, December 6th
  • Adjunct Faculty (TENTATIVE)
    • 1/21/2025-5/13/2025
    • PageUp Entry Deadline – Friday, November 8th
    • PageUp Approval By – Friday, December 1st
    • Smart-HR Deadline
      • Business Office Deadline: Monday, December 2nd
      • University Deadline: Friday, December 20th  

• Graduate School Timely Topics
  • October 10^th at 10am – “How Are You Doing?”…And Other Scary Questions, Continued
  • October 24^th at 1pm – Graduate Assistants: What Supervisors Need to Know
  • October 31^st at 11am – Graduate Admissions: Reading and Reviewing Applications in the Slate Reader

• PageUp Training
  • Regular Payroll
    • Monday, October 21^st from 9:00am to 12:00pm (Register)
  • Special Payroll
    • Tuesday, October 22^nd from 9:00am to 11:00am (Register)

CAHNR Internal Professional Development Opportunities:

The CAHNR’s Dean’s Office is committed to providing opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students to expand their professional knowledge and skills. Throughout the year, the Dean’s Office will organize workshops and offer training, that will help the CAHNR community grow. Workshops and training will focus on fostering employee understanding and abilities in both hard and soft skills, such as in communication, HR/Payroll competency, and creativity.

As Professional Development Opportunities are finalized, they will be listed on our website here. Please be sure to check regularly for new learning opportunities and other about upcoming events.

• Fall 2024 CAHNR Admin Meeting   
  • Wednesday, October 9^th – from 1:30PM – 3:00PM, ATL 109 with a virtual option   

• CAHNR Staff Advisory Council (SAC)
  • Visit the CAHNR Staff SharePoint Site for opportunities with professional development, networking, and even hobby and wellness events.

Shout-out:

• Welcome:
  • Danielle Fisher, Ed. Program Assistant 1, EXT New London

Fun “Dad” Jokes:

• What do you call a sleeping bull?
  • A bulldozer.
• Why don’t big cats play poker in the safari?
  • Too many cheetahs.
• Why are frogs happy?
  • They eat whatever bugs them.

September 2024 Newsletter 

Fiscal Updates:

• FY24 Hard Close
  • Occurred: Friday, August 23rd
  • As of Monday, August 23^rd, final balances from FY24 were carried over as beginning balances into FY25
  • For contract and grant accounts, ending balances for FY24 will be seen in the “Contracts Grants Beginning Balance Amount” field on the General Ledger Balance Lookup for FY25
  • For all other account types, ending balances for FY24 will be seen in the “Beginning Balance Line Amount” field on the General Ledger Balance Lookup for FY25
  • Kuali Financial Data Mart (KFDM) has also been updated to include the beginning balances for FY25

• FY24 Carry Forward 
  • If your department is scheduled to receive any carry forward funding, the transfer of funds will be processed by September 30th  

• AY24-25 Grad
  • Pre-encumbrance has been loaded for Grad Payroll
    • Monthly Report in September will continue to capture the pre-encumbrance
    • GA payrolls are usually encumbered during the first week of September.  Once this occurs, the BO will release the manual encumbrance previously entered to avoid overstatement on accounts
  • New GA Hold Accounts
    • We have created new GA Hold accounts under sub-fund UNRSP (project) and will be deactivating old GA Hold with sub-fund OPOTF.  New account numbers will be communicated individually
    • The B.O. will process any necessary funding changes to move existing GAs on the hold account to the new account

 

• Federal Accounts (Smith Lever, SAES Capacity) 
  • FY24 Accounts
    • will remain open through 11/30/24 for expenses incurred by 9/30/24
    • Please avoid last minute spending
    • After November 30^th, no additional transactions will be allowed on these accounts – transactions may need to be moved to an unrestricted account
    • Please monitor your continuation accounts for timely cost transfer submission
      • Please contact the BO if you need any assistance
    • On December 1^st the BO will begin the Federal FY24 close out process
  • FY25 Accounts
    • New Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) opens on 10/1/2024 (FFY25)
    • The BO has begun its annual review and establishment of the FY25 Federal Accounts
      • In September, you may see new account requests in your KFS Action List.  Please review and approve the edocs as timely as possible so the accounts are active and appear in the monthly report distribution as of Oct 1^st
  • Your department Smith-Lever budget was identified in your FY24 Dept. Budget Hearing Letter from the Dean
    • *Reminder: Every expense must be categorized in 1 or more of the 5 areas strategic areas by the utilization of sub-accounts (only exception is Regular Payroll)
      • Sub-Accounts
        • Climate (CLIM)
        • Food (FOOD)
        • Health (HLTH)
        • Landscapes (LAND)
        • Misc. (MISC)

 

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates:

• AAUP Faculty Smart-HR Blackout period
  • Due to the merit process, there will be a blackout period for all AAUP bargaining unit members on August 17th – September 2nd
    • Please do not submit any faculty continuations/renewals or other faculty changes during this blackout period – this applies to any transactions effective 8/23/23 and beyond

• Graduate School Timely Topics
  • September 12 at 2pm – Dialogue with The Graduate School Dean
  • September 19 at 11am – Racial Microaggressions and the Cumulative and Deleterious Effects on Historically Excluded and Racially Oppressed Faculty, Staff, and Students
  • September 26 at 11am – Graduate Admissions: Program Application Processing in Slate and Admissions Cycle Kick Off!
  • September 26 at 2pm – New Graduate School Fellowships Process for Fall 2025 Admissions Cycle

• PageUp Training
  • Regular Payroll
    • Thursday, September 12 from 9:00am to 12:00pm (Register)
  • Special Payroll
    • Friday, September 13 from 9:00am to 11:00am (Register)

 

CAHNR Internal Professional Development Opportunities:

The CAHNR’s Dean’s Office is committed to providing opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students to expand their professional knowledge and skills. Throughout the year, the Dean’s Office will organize workshops and offer training, that will help the CAHNR community grow. Workshops and training will focus on fostering employee understanding and abilities in both hard and soft skills, such as in communication, HR/Payroll competency, and creativity.

As Professional Development Opportunities are finalized, they will be listed on our website here. Please be sure to check regularly for new learning opportunities and other about upcoming events.

 

• CAHNR Staff Advisory Council (SAC)
  • Visit the CAHNR Staff SharePoint Site for opportunities with professional development, networking, and even hobby and wellness events.

 

Fun “Dad” Jokes:

• Why did Humpty Dumpty love autumn?

• • Because Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

• Why did the fish blush?
  • Because it saw the ocean’s bottom

• What do you call a rabbit with fleas?

• • Bugs Bunny

 

August 2024 Newsletter 

Fiscal Updates:

• FY24 and FY25 are both open in KFS as of 7/1/24
  • Default will be FY25
  • As you begin to look at balances on your accounts in KFS, please note the following:
    • Though FY25 is default on balance inquiries, you have the option to change to FY 2024 by typing over 2025
    • When looking at FY24 balances on the “General Ledger Balance” inquiry, there is an additional period called “Year End.” This is where you will see any activity posted after June 30, 2024 that relates to Fiscal Year 2024. On the General Ledger Entry inquiry, you will see these transactions in Fiscal Period “13”
  • Until FY24 hard close (mid to late August), include “pending ledger entries” in Available Balances instead of using “prior year balances” option.  We have loaded budget and expenses from FY24 as pending entries for G/C (grants and contracts) accounts.  

• Business Office Reports
  • Aug 1^st reports – Please note for project accounts (UNRSP) such as IDC accounts will only be reflecting FY25 information.  Prior year data will be loaded after FY24 hard close.

• AY24-25 Grad
  • Pre-encumbrance has been loaded for Grad Payroll
    • Monthly Report in August and September will continue to capture the pre-encumbrance
    • GA payrolls are usually encumbered during the first week of September.  Once this occurs, the BO will release the manual encumbrance previously entered to avoid overstatement on accounts
  • New GA Hold Accounts
    • We have created new GA Hold accounts under sub-fund UNRSP (project) and will be deactivating old GA Hold with sub-fund OPOTF.  New account numbers will be communicated to each dept. individually
    • The B.O. will process any necessary funding changes to move existing GAs on the hold account to the new account

• FY25 Fringe Rate
  • https://bpir.media.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3452/2024/07/All-FY25-FB-Rates-for-website.pdf

• FY24 Fiscal Year End and FY25 New Fiscal Year
  • FY24 Carry Forward
    • If your department is scheduled to receive any carry forward funding, the transfer of funds will not occur until after the FY24 hard close, which will likely be at the end of August
  • Salary Savings Accounts
    • Remaining balance from prior year (FY24) salary saving account have been loaded into the salary savings account. These funds expire 6/30/2025
    • Salary Savings earned in FY24 has been distributed.  These funds expire 6/30/2026
  • CAHNR Awards
    • For those who received CAHNR Awards, the BO has established new 6L RFNDO accounts and will manage any Foundation Disbursements by the end of FY25
    • These accounts will have the award recipient listed as the ‘Account supervisor’, and will be included in their monthly account statements
  • Start-Up Accounts
    • The BO will be working to establish all new 8/23/24 faculty Start-Up accounts (if not completed already)
    • Reminder – Faculty (in most cases) will have three (3) Start-Up Accounts:
      • Faculty Summer salary
      • GA Support
      • Equipment/Discretionary
  • The BO will serve as FO on both the Faculty Summer Salary and GA support accounts

• Federal Accounts (Smith Lever, SAES Capacity)
  • Beginning this month (July), the BO will begin its annual review and establishment of the Federal Fiscal Year 2025 Federal Accounts
  • This will be an ongoing process until the new Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) opens on 10/1/2025 (FFY25)

 

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates:

• Grad Payroll Smart-HR for Funding Changes:
  • After reviewing some data changes submitted for fall GA appointments, we’ve noticed that some templates are not displaying the updated 24/25 stipend rate. Please check for correct stipend rate when processing any changes for GAs.
  • If the amount is incorrect, please hold off on processing the change until 8/23 when the system date and the effective dates match (this should prevent any mismatches in stipends). 
  • As a reminder any changes to brand new GAs cannot be processed until 8/23, when the GA is officially active in the system.

• AAUP Faculty Smart-HR Blackout period
  • Due to the merit process, there will be a blackout period for all AAUP bargaining unit members on August 17th – September 2nd 
  • Please do not submit any faculty continuations/renewals or other faculty changes during this blackout period – this applies to any transactions effective 8/23/23 and beyond

• PageUp Training
  • Special Payroll  
    • Thursday, August 1st from 9:30am to 11:30am (Register)

• UCPEA Career Progression
  • Please note the next nomination period opens 9/1/2024

 

CAHNR Internal Professional Development Opportunities:

The CAHNR’s Dean’s Office is committed to providing opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students to expand their professional knowledge and skills. Throughout the year, the Dean’s Office will organize workshops and offer training, that will help the CAHNR community grow. Workshops and training will focus on fostering employee understanding and abilities in both hard and soft skills, such as in communication, HR/Payroll competency, and creativity.

As Professional Development Opportunities are finalized, they will be listed on our website here. Please be sure to check regularly for new learning opportunities and other about upcoming events.

• CAHNR B.O. Workshop
  • Over the summer, the CAHNR BUsiness Office will host a series of office hours.  This hour will be left open and available for any topic and/or questions.
    • • Wednesday, August 14^th – noon to 1pm
      • Please email cahnrbo@uconn.edu to receive calendar invitation

• CAHNR Staff Advisory Council (SAC)
  • Visit the CAHNR Staff SharePoint Site for opportunities with professional development, networking, and even hobby and wellness events.

Shout Out: 

• Welcome
  • Dianne Hyland, Educational Program Coordinator, KINS
  • Robin Sharkis, Administrative Program Support 1, AHS
  • Haley, Fabrycki, Administrative Program Support 1, AHS
• Farewell
  • Andrea Li, KINS
  • Paula Wolf, EXT Hartford
  • Kyle Garneau, Acad Prog
  • Laurie Norton, ANSC

 

Fun “Dad” Jokes: 

• What did the beach say to the tide when it came in?
  • Long time no-sea
• Where does seaweed look for a job?
  • in the Kelp-wanted section
• What kind of tree fits in your hand?
  • A palm tree

July 2024 Newsletter

Happy New (Fiscal) Year!

Fiscal Updates:

• FY24 and FY25 are both open in KFS as of 7/1/24
  • Default will be FY25
  • As you begin to look at balances on your accounts in KFS, please note the following:
    • Though FY25 is default on balance inquiries, you have the option to change to FY 2024 by typing over 2025
    • When looking at FY24 balances on the “General Ledger Balance” inquiry, there is an additional period called “Year End.” This is where you will see any activity posted after June 30, 2024 that relates to Fiscal Year 2024. On the General Ledger Entry inquiry, you will see these transactions in Fiscal Period “13”
  • KFS has the ability to show the prior year balances carried over into the new fiscal year. Ending balances from FY24, which are scheduled to be loaded overnight on July 1st as pending entries, will be regularly updated into FY25 until the final close in August
• Encumbrances:
  • New FY25 external encumbrances (Purchase Orders) are in KFS.
  • Prior Year external encumbrances that are carried forward into FY25 are also in KFS
  • FY24 payroll encumbrances will be posted the week of July 1, 2024

• CCR – this will be processed by the Business Office in period 13 
  • For programs that have been identified as entrepreneurial for revenue sharing, we will be processing the transfers to recoup a portion of the revenue generated for Provost’s Office and CAHNR Dean’s Office per policy – for more information, please refer to the Entrepreneurial Revenue Distribution Policy found on the College Intranet

• Business Office Reports
  • In July, there will be two report distributions for department and faculty reports.  As we move through the first couple of weeks of July, the Business Office will be preparing account budgets and update all accounts to reflect the starting FY25 balances
    • July 1^st – will reflect FY24 ending balances; These will be the last report distribution for FY24
    • By July 14^th – will reflect FY25 beginning balances
  • Update to Org Fund Balance report –  the report will no longer include pending ledger entries and show posted amounts only
• FY24 Fiscal Year End and FY25 New Fiscal Year
  • FY24 Carry Forward
    • If your department is scheduled to receive any carry forward funding, the transfer of funds will not occur until after the FY24 hard close, which will likely be at the end of August
  • Salary Savings Accounts
    • Reminder – the BO will be loading any remaining prior year (FY24) salary saving account spendable balances for depts. and faculty starting July 1^st. These funds expire 6/30/2025
    • Salary Savings earned in FY24 will be distributed on 7/1/2024 (FY25).  These funds expire 6/30/2026
  • CAHNR Awards
    • For those who received CAHNR Awards, the BO will establish new 6L RFNDO accounts and will manage any Foundation Disbursements by the end of FY25
    • These accounts will have the award recipient listed as the ‘Account supervisor’, and will be included in their monthly account statements starting July 14^th
  • Start-Up Accounts
    • The BO will be working to establish all new 8/23/24 faculty Start-Up accounts (if not completed already)
    • Reminder – Faculty (in most cases) will have three (3) Start-Up Accounts:
      • Faculty Summer salary
      • GA Support
      • Equipment/Discretionary
  • The BO will serve as FO on both the Faculty Summer Salary and GA support accounts

• Federal Accounts (Smith Lever, SAES Capacity)
  • Beginning this month (July), the BO will begin its annual review and establishment of the Federal Fiscal Year 2025 Federal Accounts
  • This will be an ongoing process until the new Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) opens on 10/1/2025 (FFY25)

 

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates:

• Fall Graduate Students  
  • Smart-HR Deadline – Friday, June 28^th (tentative)
  • Payroll Deadline – Friday, July 12^th (tentative)

• Adjunct Faculty (Term Date: 8/26/24 to 12/18/24) 
  • Updated Adjunct Credit Rates:
    • Faculty per credit minimum rate is $2,062. 
      • Adjuncts who have worked more than four semesters of continuous employment must minimally earn the 2% increased per credit rate of $2,103.24
      • Adjuncts who have worked more than twelve semesters of continuous employment must minimally earn the 3% increased per credit rate of $2,123.86
    • PageUp Deadline
      • Business Office Deadline: Friday, June 7^th
      • University Deadline: Tuesday, July 16^th
    • Smart-HR Deadline
      • Business Office Deadline – Friday, July 19^th
      • University Deadline – Friday, July 26^th

• From HR:
  • Effective July 1st, all new faculty job openings will be handled directly within PageUp. The integration with Academic Jobs Online will be turned off for new job openings. Applicants will access and apply for jobs within the University’s Applicant Tracking System (PageUp).  All open faculty searches posted to Academic Jobs Online prior to July 1st will be finalized using today’s current process
  • Help documentation and videos will be posted shortly on the PageUp website for your reference

 

CAHNR Internal Professional Development Opportunities:

The CAHNR’s Dean’s Office is committed to providing opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students to expand their professional knowledge and skills. Throughout the year, the Dean’s Office will organize workshops and offer training, that will help the CAHNR community grow. Workshops and training will focus on fostering employee understanding and abilities in both hard and soft skills, such as in communication, HR/Payroll competency, and creativity.

As Professional Development Opportunities are finalized, they will be listed on our website here. Please be sure to check regularly for new learning opportunities and other about upcoming events.

• CAHNR B.O. Workshop
  • Over the summer, the CAHNR BUsiness Office will host a series of office hours.  This hour will be left open and available for any topic and/or questions.
    • • Wednesday, July 17^th – noon to 1pm
      • Please email cahnrbo@uconn.edu to receive calendar invitation

• CAHNR Staff Advisory Council (SAC)
  • Visit the CAHNR Staff SharePoint Site for opportunities with professional development, networking, and even hobby and wellness events.

Fun “Dad” Jokes: 

• What did the Buffalo say to his son when he left for school?
  • Bison!
• Why shouldn’t you tell secrets in a cornfield?
  • There are too many ears all around.
• How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?
  • Ten-tickles.

June 2024 Newsletter

Fiscal Updates:

• FY24 Fiscal Year End 
  • FY24 University Year-End Deadlines
    • Click this link for a complete list: https://controller.media.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1123/2024/03/EYD2024.pdf
    • Internal BO Deadlines – please submit by internal deadline to allow enough time for review:
      • Payroll Funding Changes – Fri, May 24th
      • Financial Processing (DI, GLT, TF, ST, IB, BA, SSBA) – Fri, June 14th
      • Foundation Reimbursement (RFD) – Fri, June 14th
    • Foundation Reimbursement
      • Reconciliation process – the BO will be directly processing RFDs for the departments that have an arrangement with us
      • For the departments that would like to utilize the BO for this process, please reach out to cahnrbo@uconn.edu
    • CCR – this will be processed by the Business Office in period 13 
      • For programs that have been identified as entrepreneurial for revenue sharing, we will be processing the transfers to recoup a portion of the revenue generated for Provost’s Office and CAHNR Dean’s Office per policy – for more information, please refer to the Entrepreneurial Revenue Distribution Policy found on the College Intranet

• Summer Pre-encumbrances:
  • The B.O. will be pre-encumbering salary and fringe for FY24 and FY25 (starting 6/14/24 onwards) for the following payroll types:
    • Summer Grads, Faculty Summer, and other Special Payroll appointments on grant accounts
    • The Pre-encumbrance will be reflected in the June 1^st reports
• Business Office Reports
  • In July, there will be two report distributions for department and faculty reports.  As we move through the first couple of weeks of July, the Business Office will be preparing account budgets and update all accounts to reflect the starting FY25 balances
    • July 1^st – will reflect FY24 ending balances; These will be the last report distribution for FY24
    • By July 14^th – will reflect FY25 beginning balances

• FY25 New Fiscal Year
  • Salary Savings Accounts
    • Reminder – the BO will load any remaining prior year (FY24) salary saving account spendable balances for depts. and faculty on July 1^st. These funds expire 6/30/2025
    • Salary Savings earned in FY24 will be distributed on July 1^st (FY25).  These funds expire 6/30/2026
  • CAHNR Awards
    • For those who received CAHNR Awards, the BO will establish new 6L RFNDO accounts and will manage any Foundation Disbursements by the end of FY24
    • These accounts will have the award recipient listed as the ‘Account supervisor’, and will be included in their monthly account statements starting July 14^th

 

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates:

• Fall Graduate Students  
  • Offer Letter for Continuing Students due to Student by June 1^st
  • Smart-HR Deadline – Friday, June 28^th (tentative)
  • Payroll Deadline – Friday, July 12^th (tentative)

• Adjunct Faculty (Term Date: 8/26/24 to 12/18/24) 
  • Updated Adjunct Credit Rates:
    • Faculty per credit minimum rate is $2,062. 
      • Adjuncts who have worked more than four semesters of continuous employment must minimally earn the 2% increased per credit rate of $2,103.24
      • Adjuncts who have worked more than twelve semesters of continuous employment must minimally earn the 3% increased per credit rate of $2,123.86
    • PageUp Deadline
      • Business Office Deadline: Friday, June 7^th
      • University Deadline: Tuesday, July 16^th
    • Smart-HR Deadline
      • Business Office Deadline – Friday, July 19^th
      • University Deadline – Friday, July 26^th

• PageUp
  • Trainings
    • Regular Payroll
      • Wednesday, June 26th from 9:30am to 12:30pm (Register)
    • Special Payroll
      • Thursday, June 27^th from 9:30am to 11:30am (Register)

 

CAHNR Internal Professional Development Opportunities:

The CAHNR’s Dean’s Office is committed to providing opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate students to expand their professional knowledge and skills. Throughout the year, the Dean’s Office will organize workshops and offer training, that will help the CAHNR community grow. Workshops and training will focus on fostering employee understanding and abilities in both hard and soft skills, such as in communication, HR/Payroll competency, and creativity.

As Professional Development Opportunities are finalized, they will be listed on our website here. Please be sure to check regularly for new learning opportunities and other about upcoming events.

• CAHNR B.O. Workshop
  • Over the summer, the CAHNR BUsiness Office will host a series of office hours.  This hour will be left open and available for any topic and/or questions.
    • Schedule change from previous announcement: 
      • Tuesday, June 11^th, 10AM – 11AM
      • Thursday, June 13^th, 2PM – 3PM

• CAHNR Staff Advisory Council (SAC)
  • Visit the CAHNR Staff SharePoint Site for opportunities with professional development, networking, and even hobby and wellness events.

Shout Out: 

• Welcome
  • Courtney Trzasko, Financial & Administrative Specialist, PSLA
  • Sarah LeDuc, Administrative Program Support 1, Dean’s Ofc
• Farewell
  • Lindsay Polhemus, AHS
  • Katrease Sharavolli, KINS

 

Fun “Dad” Jokes: 

• Did you hear about the dog who wears a swimsuit? Apparently, it looks quite fetching
• What do you call a lobster that won’t share? Shell-fish.
• Two kittens had an argument. It ended in a cat-astrophe