News and Announcements

WebFOCUS Standard Report Update (From KFDM Listserv)

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On behalf of the Office of Budget and Planning,

WebFOCUS Standard Report Update

Summary
In an effort to enhance and consolidate university financial reporting, we have made some updates to the General Ledger Reports in the Standard Reports domain in WebFOCUS.  Two new reports will be published and old reports will be moved to a folder called “Archived Reports”.  These reports will still be available for use but will no longer be updated or supported.  In addition to these major changes, a few minor updates to the remaining reports will follow (as noted below). This effort will reduce the number of reports from 17 down to 7, once complete. We hope that you find these updates useful and we ask that you please let us know if you run into any issues.

Enhancements

  • Consistency in what is included and how
  • Improved naming to make it clear as to what data is delivered
  • Limit the number of reports by increasing their efficiency
  • Better customization by adding more prompt options and increasing the number of fields in excel versions.

Updated Report List

Report Enhancements Report it Replaced
Budget to Actuals New– Combined 6 reports into 1 Account Balances, Account Balances by object Code, Account Balances Summary, Statement of Activity –(Budget to Actuals, Budget to Actuals by Account, Budget to Actuals with Prior Year)
Summary of Actuals by Fund Source New– Combined 2 reports into 1 Statement of Activity – (Statement, Summary)
Account Information Combined with Accounts by Organization Accounts by Organization
Account Transactions Made minor updates to excel output to include more fields None
Budget Balances by Account Will be combined with Budget Balances by Object None
Budget Balances by Object Will be combined with Budget Balances by Account None
Carry Forward Report Minor enhancements coming soon None
Fund Balance Report Minor enhancements coming soon None

In addition to the reports that are being replaced, reports that are either not widely used or no longer useful due to system and process changes will also be moved to the Archived Reports folder.

Archived Reports

Reports Report It Was Replaced By
Account Balances Budget to Actuals
Account Balances by Object Code Budget to Actuals
Account Balances Summary Budget to Actuals
Accounts by Organization Account Information
Base Budget vs. Committed Salaries None
One to Many Fund Balances None
Statement of Activity Budget to Actuals Budget to Actuals
Statement of Activity Budget to Actuals by Account Budget to Actuals
Statement of Activity Budget to Actuals with Prior Year Budget to Actuals
Statement of Activity Summary Summary of Actuals by Fund Source
Statement of Activity Statement Summary of Actuals by Fund Source

If you have any questions regarding the report changes, please contact your assigned Budget Analyst.

From: KFDM, Kuali Financial Data Mart <KFDM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU> On Behalf Of Hodgkins, Stephen
Sent: Thursday, February 6, 2020 10:27 AM
To: KFDM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU
Subject: WebFOCUS Standard Report Changes

Concur Travel and Expense Support Opportunities (From Daily Digest)

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Concur Travel and Expense Training Opportunities

Whether you have been using Concur since October or you are going live later this year, in-person training is available for all Employees, Grad Assistants, Grad Interns, and Post-Docs. Please visit the Travel and Expense Project Page or the Professional Development Training Page directly to register for a session(s) most applicable to you.  Training options are outlined below.

Concur Travel and Expense Open Labs

If you are already using Concur as an early-adopter, we have additional opportunities for you to receive in-person support.  If you need assistance with requesting, booking, or expensing travel, please stop by one of our Open Labs, located in Wilbur Cross Training Room B on:

  • Mondays from 1:00pm – 3:30pm
  • Thursdays from 9:00am – 12:00pm.

Concur Travel and Expense Reference Material

As always, training documentation and e-learning modules are always available by visiting the Travel and Expense Project Page directly.

Class Title

Description

Training Length
Concur Preparer Delegate Training This session is recommended for employees, who will be delegated to assist with the preparation of travel requests and/or expense reports, on behalf of another UConn End User (traveler). This training encapsulates the entirety of all concur training sessions. You do not need to attend the other trainings in addition to this.

3 Hours
Concur Request and Travel Training for End Users This session is recommended for employees  traveling on behalf of UConn.

1.5 Hours
Concur Expense End User Training This session is recommended for employees seeking reimbursement for UConn travel and/or non-travel related business expenses.

1.5 Hours
Concur Approver Training This session is recommended for employees approving travel requests and/or travel and non-travel expense reports at UConn. Approvers in Concur are defined as those whom have direct reports in CORE CT and/or those listed as a Fiscal Officer in KFS.

1 Hour

For more information, contact: Travel at travel@uconn.edu

February Reminders and Tips from AR (From Daily Digest)

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Do you/your department invoice for goods and/or services?  If so, The Accounts Receivable (AR) in the Bursar’s Office is offering assistance and trainings!

Our office handles all non-student receivables: monitoring invoices, payments, and customers in KFS; sending accounts to third party collection agencies and for DAS tax offset; conducting AR KFS trainings; creating invoices in CORE for other State of CT agencies; facilitating invoices with UConn Health; and so much more.

Trainings are currently available for:

  • Invoicing (including UConn Health)
  • Credit memos
  • Creating customers
  • Collecting on past-due accounts

For more information, contact Dan Lis, (Accounts Receivable Supervisor) and Angela Piela (Administrative Services Specialist 2) at accountsreceivable@uconn.edu, or call 860-486-5995 (6-5995 on campus).

For more information, contact: Accounts Receivable at accountsreceivable@uconn.edu

 

Source link: http://dailydigest.uconn.edu/publicEmailSingleStoryView.php?id=149107&cid=24&iid=4420

PageUp: Extending a Job Offer (From HR – 1/24/20)

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From: Special Payroll Information <SPECIAL_PAYROLL-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU> On Behalf Of HR – Communications
Sent: Friday, January 24, 2020 8:34 AM
To: SPECIAL_PAYROLL-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU
Subject: PageUp: Extending a Job Offer

In response to departments unintentionally extending job offers without approval in PageUp, HR has implemented a step between “Create Hire Request” and “Make Online Offer.”

This applies to unclassified searches and Special Payroll appointments:

  1. As usual, Hiring Departments will update their top candidate’s status to “Preliminary Offer Decided” and enter all post-interview evaluations.
  2. Hiring Departments will complete a “Create Hire Request,” entering the appropriate Approval Process.
  3. The Hire Request goes through the usual chain of approvals, with a final approval in HR.
  4. HR approves the hire and changes the candidate’s status to “Ready for Dept. to Make Offer.”
  5. The Department will now have the option to “Make Online Offer” to the candidate.

While this is an extra step for HR, this will prevent departments from unintentionally extending offers to candidates without the necessary approvals. Please remember to review all offer letter and hiring request terms and conditions (e.g., start date, salary) prior to moving a candidate to “Make Online Offer.”

This does not impact the ability of departments to conduct verbal negotiations with faculty. As usual, the department needs all approvals before extending a formal offer.

To sign up for PageUp training in February or March, please visit Learning@Work:

Human Resources will hold Open Lab sessions on the following dates and times in Training Room A, Wilbur Cross:

  • 2/12/2020 8:30am-11am
  • 2/18/2020 8:30am-11am
  • 3/4/2020 8:30am-11am
  • 3/17/2020 8:30am-11am

Please check the PageUp website periodically for updates to help documents, and please contact Workforce Solutions via workforce@uconn.edu with questions.

Criminal Background Check and Special Payroll Updates (From HR)

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From: Special Payroll Information <SPECIAL_PAYROLL-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU> On Behalf Of HR – Communications
Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2020 11:18 AM
To: SPECIAL_PAYROLL-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU
Subject: Criminal Background Check and Special Payroll Updates

Dear Colleagues,

We write to share updates on the criminal background check process and PageUp Special Payroll submissions.

Criminal Background Checks

With the implementation of PageUp, Human Resources has moved to an online background check process. Upon the acceptance of a Regular or Special Payroll job offer through PageUp, the Criminal Background Check (CBC) Team will determine the necessity of a background check. If needed, new hires will receive an automated e-mail from Swift Hire via UConnStorrs@screening.services. This e-mail will provide new hires with instructions to start the online background check process. All hires through PageUp will use Swift Hire, and Human Resources will not accept paper forms for these hires.

Human Resources will continue to use paper forms for gratis/volunteer appointments, Minor Protection Programs, and 4H/NRCA Programs. Human Resources will communicate further if these programs move to Swift Hire.

Please contact the CBC Team via HR-CBC@UConn.edu or 860-486-3034 with questions.

Special Payroll

There are several updates and recommendations about the Special Payroll process in PageUp:

  • HR has updated adjunct offer letter templates to include course information (Course Name & Number); please enter this information in appropriate offer letters.
  • PageUp now includes two new fields: (1) a KFS dropdown for criminal background checks and (2) a yes or no question about whether a retiree’s compensation is grant funded.
  • Before saving a request, remember to complete all system required fields to ensure that the document saves properly. Saved requests missing system required fields will not save properly.
  • Always include weekly hours in the “Compensation and Anticipated Hours” section to ensure compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
  • For data changes, ensure that “yes” is selected for “Is this request a data change where the appointment already exists in Core-CT?” and select the Special Payroll Data Change Only onboarding form.
  • Please use the appropriate template (if the appropriate template is not available, please contact Payroll):
    • UC_PG_SPNT (Special Payroll Time Reporter Hire PageUp);
    • UC_PG_SPNTS (Special Payroll Non-Teaching Stipend Hire PageUp);
    • UC_PG_SPT (Special Payroll Teaching Hire PageUp).
  • To help identify which special payroll search to use:
    • First, identify the special payroll title for the appointment.
    • If it’s teaching (Adjunct Faculty or Special Payroll Lecturer), use your special payroll search called “DEPARTMENT Special Payroll Teaching Position”
    • If it’s instructional support (Instructional Specialist, Academic Technician, Academic Specialist, etc.), use the special payroll search called “DEPARTMENT Special Payroll Instructional Support position”
    • If you are hiring a graduate assistant in one of the graduate special payroll titles (Graduate Instructional Specialist, Graduate Overload, Graduate Student Technician, Graduate Special Payroll Lecturer, etc.), use the special payroll search titled “DEPARTMENT Special Payroll Graduate Position”
    • For all other titles, such as Temporary University Specialist, Project/Program Specialist, Public Service Technician, Research Specialist, Research Technician, etc. use “DEPARTMENT Special Payroll Position”

To ensure that hiring departments issue the most up-to-date offer letters to new hires, please merge offer letters within PageUp. HR encourages hiring departments to closely review merged documents for completeness and accuracy. HR reviews all offer letters and out-of-date, incomplete, or incorrect offer letters require significant time to revise causing processing delays.

As a reminder HR will hold an open lab session on Wednesday, January 15th, from 1:30 – 3:30 in Chaplin Training Room on the Depot Campus. No sign up is required.

To sign up for PageUp training, please visit Learning@Work:

Please contact Workforce Solutions via workforce@uconn.edu with questions.

F&A Rate Process Change (From University Research Administrators Forum)

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Please see the announcement below that was distributed to Faculty.  This topic will be discussed at the SPA meeting on January 15th.

From: UConn – Office of the Vice President for Research <ovpr@uconn.edu>
Sent: Thursday, January 9, 2020 9:47 AM
Subject: F&A Rate Process Change

Dear Principal Investigator and Grants Administrator,

UConn must change its practice of grandfathering the F&A rate originally proposed to applying the F&A rate in effect at time of award (in some cases the effective rate will have increased due to a delay in the award start date).  Even when this practice results in less F&A being charged to the grant, there have been repeated NSF audits requiring institutions to charge the negotiated rate in effect at the time the transaction posts. The same is true for UConn in the current NSF audit.

To meet this requirement, this year all sponsored projects are being transitioned so that expenditures that post to a sponsored project on July 1 or thereafter are charged in accordance with the current F&A rate agreement and not in accordance with the proposal budget:

  • This applies to all projects that had a proposed F&A rate of 59.5%
  • This does not apply to projects that have a mandatory F&A cap or a set or reduced F&A rate (such as training grants, many foundation sponsors, etc.)
  • New awards will be set up at the F&A rate that is in effect when the notice of award is received. (In cases where the rate varies from what was submitted in the proposal, SPS will contact PIs and request that they submit a revised budget as a part of the award setup process.)
  • SPS will contact you when a rebudget is needed; however, you may also submit a rebudget in advance of SPS contacting you

If you have an award that is ending this year, SPS will take the necessary steps as part of the close out of your award. You do not need to do anything.

During the transition period, the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) will calculate the amount of additional F&A that will be charged to the award as compared to the proposal (awarded) budget and will credit this amount to the PI’s F&A account to support the impacted project.  This transaction will be separate from the annual F&A distribution to faculty, departments, and Schools/Colleges, which will continue in accordance with the 10/10/10 distribution model. Please allow some time as SPS reviews and calculates each project account during this process.  Accounts that have already been adjusted to 61% will be prioritized and the return will be completed by April 30, 2020. The return for the remainder of the projects will be completed by the end of the fiscal year. Should you have a unique circumstance, please don’t hesitate to contact Laura Kozma or Jen Johnson.

Laura Kozma                                                                                                                                      Jen Johnson
Executive Director, Sponsored Programs Services                                                              Associate Director, Awards Management & Accounting
laura.kozma@uconn.edu                                                                                                             jennifer.johnson@uconn.edu
860.486.3798                                                                                                                                      860.486.4293

From: University Research Administrators Forum <UCRESADM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU> On Behalf Of Johnson, Jennifer M
Sent: Thursday, January 9, 2020 11:29 AM
To: UCRESADM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU
Subject: [UCRESADM-L] F&A Rate Process Change

Mileage Rate Change (From Foundation)

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As of January 1, 2020 the federal rate for mileage reimbursement has changed to 57.5 cents per mile.

The rate for 2019 was 58 cents per mile.

The Travel and Entertainment workbook has been updated for this change and can be found in the Supplemental Documents in PaperSave.  The form is titled “Travel and Entertainment – 2020”.

Note:  The “Travel and Entertainment-2019” workbook will stay in the system for the first quarter of the calendar year and is to be used for recording/calculating mileage for travel that occurred in 2019.

It is imperative that the correct forms be used for calculating/reimbursing mileage.  If an incorrect form is used, the Request for Disbursement (RFD) will be returned for correct form usage.

As a reminder, the workbook may be opened in Excel using the following steps:

  1. Click on the box to the left of the desired form.
  2. Click on the “Save” button in the toolbar.
  3. An Excel link will appear on the bottom of the screen, click on this link to open the workbook.

The workbook will need to be scanned/saved as a PDF file for attachment to an RFD.

If you have any questions or need additional information please feel free to contact a member of the Disbursement Team.

 

Edward Liedke
Director of Fund Administration
And Disbursements
Phone:  860-486-2006
2390 Alumni Dr. U-3206
Storrs, CT 06269
From: Edward Liedke <ELIEDKE@foundation.uconn.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, January 8, 2020 11:12 AM
Subject: Mileage Rate Change

Budget Construction Workbook – Due Jan 31st

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As discussed in the Admin Meeting on Thursday, December 19th – Budget Construction will be managed slightly different this year.   Budget Construction Excel Workbook that was mentioned in the meeting which will be used to facilitate this year’s FY21 Budget Construction.  The goal is to make the process more collaborative and make it as easy as possible for everyone as well as provide input into the FY20 Provost Budget Hearing process.

Please email the completed worksheet to CAHNRBO@uconn.edu no later than Friday, January 31st at 4:00PM.  If you do not wish to complete the worksheet and would like the Business Office to manage the Budget Construction process for your unit, please let us know and will use a trend analysis to fill in the worksheet

If you have any questions , please email CAHNRBO@uconn.edu.

 

Updated Fringe Benefit Rates (From Univ Research Adm Forum Listserv)

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Dear Colleagues,

As announced by the President, new FY20 fringe rates (as a result of funding applied by UConn) have been approved by the Department of Health and Human Services although we do not yet have an updated signed rate agreement. The rates for FY20 and for proposal budgeting on the Office of the Vice President for Research Sponsored Program Services (SPS) website will be updated soon in accordance with this announcement. The Pre-Award Team will accept the old fringe rates on budgets that have already been submitted to SPS, all future budgets should use the new rates. If you would like to update a budget for a proposal that has already been submitted to Pre-Award but not yet submitted to the sponsor, please contact your Grant and Contract Specialist.

Additionally, please note that the required budget justification language regarding fringe benefits has been updated to the following:

“The fringe benefit rates used in the proposal budget are based on the rates approved by the Department of Health and Human Services. An estimated cost escalation has been included in the out years per University budgeting guidance.”

 

FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25
Faculty 43.0% 45.0% 46.0% 47.0% 48.0%
Professional/Classified 43.0% 48.1% 49.0% 50.0% 51.0%
Special Payroll 19.5% 21.9% 22.5% 23% 23.5%
Post Docs 15.5% 15.8% 16.3% 16.8% 17.3%
Graduate Assistant, Academic Yr 15.5% 15.8% 16.3% 16.8% 17.3%
Student Labor 2.4% 2.6% 3.0% 3.0% 3.0%

 

FY22 – FY25 rates shown are projected estimates for budgeting purposes only.

FY25 rates should remain flat for FY25 and later for budgeting purposes only.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 My proposal has already been submitted, will my project get to use these rates if funded?

Yes, in accordance with our standard process, the actual rate charged to your award will always be in accordance with the actual federally approved rate in place at the time of the charge, even if this varies from what was included in your proposal.

 

My proposal is due today and I don’t have time to update the budget, what does this mean?

If your proposal has already been submitted to SPS, you are not required to update your budget. If funded, you still receive the benefit of the FY21 rates (see previous response).

 

Will my current award be able to use the new rates?

Yes, your project will automatically use the FY21 rates.

 

My current award ends before July 1, 2020, will I get to use these rates?

No, the new rates are effective July 1, 2020 and only salary transactions that occur during FY21 will utilize the rates announced by the President.

 

Laura B. Kozma

Executive Director, Sponsored Program Services and Faculty Services

 

Office of the Vice President for Research

Sponsored Program Services

438 Whitney Road Extension

Unit 1133

STORRS, CT 06269

PHONE 860.486.3798

ovpr.uconn.edu

 

From: University Research Administrators Forum <UCRESADM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU> On Behalf Of Kozma, Laura
Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2019 10:57 AM
To: UCRESADM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU
Subject: [UCRESADM-L] Updated Fringe Benefit Rates

SPS Closure (12/24) (From Univ Research Adm Forum Listserv)

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Sponsored Program Services will be closed for regular business on Tuesday, December 24th and all business on Wednesday, December 25th. Please send all items with a hard deadline of 12/25 or earlier to SPS no later than Wednesday, December 18th, SPS will review and submit these items by close of business on Monday, December 23rd. If you become aware of other urgent deadlines after Wednesday (12/18), please inform your relevant contact at SPS immediately. If you require assistance on Tuesday, December 24th for something due on that day (12/24), please route your request to the appropriate email address to get emergency contact information during standard business hours:

Faculty Services: facultyservices@uconn.edu

SPS Pre-Award: preaward@uconn.edu

Contract Services: spscontracts@uconn.edu

Post-Award: sps@uconn.edu

Cash: spsfinance@uconn.edu

Subawards: subawards@uconn.edu

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Laura B. Kozma

Executive Director, Sponsored Program Services and Faculty Services

 

From: University Research Administrators Forum <UCRESADM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU> On Behalf Of Kozma, Laura
Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2019 5:00 PM
To: UCRESADM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU
Subject: [UCRESADM-L] SPS Closure (12/24)