September 2023 Newsletter 

Happy Fall 2023 Semester!  It’s great to see a bustling campus again.  We wish everyone a successful academic year.

Effective immediately, the Business Office’s hours of operation are 8:00AM – 4:30PM, Monday to Friday.

 

Fiscal Updates:

• FY23 Hard Close
  • Occurred: Thursday, August 24^th
  • As of Friday, August 25^th, final balances from FY23 were carried over as beginning balances into FY24
    • These amounts were previously seen as pending entries
    • For contract and grant accounts, ending balances for FY23 will be seen in the “Contracts Grants Beginning Balance Amount” field on the General Ledger Balance Lookup for FY24.
    • For all other account types, ending balances for FY23 will be seen in the “Beginning Balance Line Amount” field on the General Ledger Balance Lookup for FY23
    • Kuali Financial Data Mart (KFDM) has also been updated to include the beginning balances for FY24

• FY23 Carry Forward
  • If your department is scheduled to receive any carry forward funding, the transfer of funds will be processed by Friday, September 15^th

• FY24 Monthly Department and Faculty Reports
  • Payroll encumbrances for GA and Adjunct were loaded on August 30^th and are reflected in the Sept 1^st reports (pre-encumbrances have been released)
  • Faculty hired with an effective date of 8/23/2023 and had start-up commitments identified in their offer letter have been added to our CAHNR Report Distribution.

• Federal Accounts (Smith Lever, SAES Capacity)
  • FY23 Accounts
    • will remain open through 11/30/23 for expenses incurred by 9/30/23
    • 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 FY23 close out process
  • FY24 Accounts
    • New Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) opens on 10/1/2023 (FFY24)
    • The BO has begun its annual review and establishment of the FY24 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)

 

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates:

Spring 2024 Payroll Deadlines

• Graduate Students
  • Offer letter sent to the student by Nov 1^st
  • Smart-HR Deadlines
    • Business Office Deadline: Friday, December 1st
    • University Deadline: Friday, December 15^th
  • Please note: since 2024 is a leap year, the end date for an academic year appointment will be 5/21/24 (instead of the usual 5/22)

• Adjunct Faculty
  • PageUp Deadline – Thursday, October 26^th
    • Smart-HR Deadline
      • Business Office Deadline: Friday, December 15^th
      • University Deadline: Friday, December 26th

Graduate Assistant Payroll

• Reminder from Grad School – GA appointments with either a retroactive date of hire or a retroactive increase in percentage of appointment are prohibited – see attached email for more details
• Graduate School Timely Topics – see the attached email
  • • Thursday, September 14 at 11am – Racial Microaggressions and the Cumulative and Deleterious Effects on Historically Excluded and Racially Oppressed Faculty, Staff, and Students
    • Thursday, September 21 at 11am – Graduate Admissions: Program Application Processing in Slate and Admissions Cycle Kick Off!

PageUp

• Trainings
  • Regular Payroll
    • September 20 from 9:00am to 12:00pm (Register)
    • October 24 from 9:00am to 12:00pm (Register)
  • Special Payroll
    • September 21 from 9:00am to 11:00am (Register)
    • October 25 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 Admin Meeting 
  • Wednesday, September 20^th – from 2:00PM – 3:30PM, Young 209 with virtual option
  • Please feel free to email us at CAHNRBO@uconn.edu if you have any questions about the upcoming session, or if you have anything you would like to know more about
  • If you would prefer to send your question/request anonymously, please visit: https://businessoffice.cahnr.uconn.edu/admin-meeting-questions-2/

 

• Business Office Open Hour – Save the date
  • Thursday, October 19^th – from 12:00PM – 1:00PM, Young 209 with a virtual option
  • Please feel free to email us at CAHNRBO@uconn.edu if you have any questions about the upcoming session, or if you have anything you would like to know more about

 

Shout Out:

• Welcome
  • Kyle Garneau, Educational Program Assistant 1, Academic Programs
  • Andrea Li, Administrative Program Support 1, KINS
  • Zachary Amarante, Administrative Program Support 1, CAHNR Dean’s Office

 

Fun facts about this month in history:

• September 8, 1504 – Michelangelo’s Statue of David is unveiled.
• September 15, 1997 – The domain name “google.com” is registered.
• September 25, 1981 – Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female Supreme Court Justice.

Aug 2023 Newsletter 

 Thank you to those that worked diligently to make the AY23-24 Grad payroll submission a success this year!  Departments and Dean’s Office collectively processed, reviewed and approved 279 payrolls by the University’s deadline on July 14^th. 

 

Fiscal Updates: 

 Fiscal Year Transition/Updates 

• FY23 Hard Close
  • At this time, the FY23 hard close has not been confirmed.  We will provide more information when it is available
• FY24 – active fiscal year
  • When viewing account balances in FY24, it is important to include ‘Pending Ledger Entry’ as the FY23 hard close has not occurred and balances have not yet been carried forward
  • When viewing Sponsored Project Account balances (5L and some 6L accounts) in FY24, please note indirect costs (NOPX) will need to be manually deducted from the Budget Balance Available

• FY23 Carry Forward
  • If your department is scheduled to receive any carry forward funding, the transfer of funds will not occur until after the FY23 hard close, which will likely be at the end of August

• AY23-24 Grad Pre-Encumbrance
  • Pre-encumbrance has been loaded for Grad Payroll
    • The BO will once again be loading pre-encumbrance for Grad payroll.  Last year, only GAs coded to sponsored program accounts were pre-encumbered.  Due to the positive feedback we received regarding this project, this year the BO have  pre-encumbered for GAs coded to university accounts in addition to sponsored program accounts.
    • Reminder: 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

• Salary Savings Accounts
  • Sub-accounts have been untilized to identify what funds will expire in a given year
  • A new report has been developed to capture Salary Savings information
  • Carryover from prior year will have expiration date of 6/30/24
  • New distribution (savings earned in FY23) will have expiration of 6/30/25

• Start-Up Accounts
  • The BO will be working to establish all new 8/23/23 faculty Start-Up accounts (if not completed already)
  • Reminder – Faculty (in most cases) will have three (3) 2-Ledger Start-Up Accounts:
    • Faculty Summer salary
      • No budget will be loaded.  The BO will fund this account after processing summer salary
    • GA Support 
      • Both salary and fringe benefits will be loaded to identify available funding
    • Equipment/Discretionary
  • All accounts are budgeted by the BO and all accounts are Fiscal Based Accounts and run from July 1st – June 30th
  • Funding will continue to carry forward until the timeframe in which these funds are to be used (noted in faculty Offer Letter)
  • The BO will serve as FO on both the Faculty Summer Salary and GA support accounts

• Federal Accounts (Smith Lever, SAES Capacity)
  • FY23 Accounts 
    • will remain open through 11/30/23 for expenses incurred by 9/30/23
    • 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
    • On December 1^st the BO will begin the FY23 close out process
    • Please monitor your continuation accounts for timely cost transfer submission
    • Please contact the BO if you need any assistance
  • FY24 Accounts 
    • The BO has begun its annual review and establishment of the FY24 Federal Accounts 
      • In August and September, you may see new account requests in your KFS Action List.  Please review and approve the edocs timely
    • New Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) opens on 10/1/2023 (FFY24)
    • 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)

Travel Update 

• Informational sessions of Concur Travel and booking process:
  • • Wednesday 9/13 10:00am – 11:30am Click Here to Register
    • Tuesday 9/26 1:30pm – 3:00pm Click Here to Register
• The following topics will be covered in this session:
  • Concur Travel 
  • Updating Traveler Profile 
  • Traveler Preferences 
  • Cell Phone Number
  • Traveler Arranger
  • Credit Card         
  • Booking Groups/Conference Rates
  • Booking Guests
  • Important Contact Information
  • Unused Ticket
  • Benefits of Booking within Program
  • Travel Industry Updates 
  • Local Direct Bill Hotel

  

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 2^nd – August 22^nd
  • 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 

• Trainings
  • Regular Payroll  
    • August 10^th from 9:30am to 12:30pm (Register)
  • Special Payroll  
    • August 11^th from 9:30am to 11:30am (Register)

 

New Requirement for Rehired Retiree Appointments 

• Effective immediately, all rehired retiree appointments will require the completion of the State of Connecticut Temporary Post Retirement Reemployment (CO-1208) form
  • The Temporary Post Retirement Reemployment Form may be found on the HR & Employee Relations Forms webpage
  • For current hire requests, the Special Payroll team will contact hiring departments to request the completion of this form as they receive requests for rehired retirees
  • For future requests, we encourage departments to submit the CO-1208 form as an attachment to the hire request for efficient processing
      

 

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 Admin Meeting 
  • Wednesday, September 20^th – from 2:00PM – 3:30PM, Young 209 with virtual option
  • Please feel free to email us at CAHNRBO@uconn.edu if you have any questions about the upcoming session, or if you have anything you would like to know more about

 

Shout Out: 

• Welcome 
  • Chloe Bilodeau, Educational Program Assistant 2, PSLA
  • Eva Wiggins, Business Operations Specialist 1, CAHNR Office of Research/Graduate Education
  • Omar Simpson, Financial Assistant 1, CAHNR Business Office 

 

Fun facts about this month in history: 

• August 1, 1790 – The first U.S. Census is completed. There are four million people in the U.S.
• August 12, 1955 – Minimum wage is raised to $1.00 per hour
• August 26, 1871 – Toilet paper is first sold in the U.S.

To All KFS and KFDM Users:

The Final Close for the KFS UC Chart for Fiscal Year 2020 will take place tonight, Wednesday, August 26, 2020.  KFS will be unavailable beginning at 5 pm today.  By Thursday morning, August 27, final balances from 2020 will be carried over into Fiscal Year 2021 as beginning balances. These amounts will no longer be seen as pending entries in Fiscal Year 2021; they will be final and posted amounts.

For contract and grant accounts, ending balances for 2020 will be seen in the “Contracts Grants Beginning Balance Amount” field on the General Ledger Balance Lookup for 2021.

For all other account types, ending balances for 2020 will be seen in the “Beginning Balance Line Amount” field on the General Ledger Balance Lookup for 2021.

The Kuali Financial Data Mart (KFDM) will also be updated to include the beginning balances for Fiscal Year 2021.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Annette Pavone (Annette.pavone@uconn.edu) or Lori-Anne Hansen (lori-anne.hansen@uconn.edu)

 

Annette Pavone, CPA
Accounting Manager, Inventory Control & Capitalization
Accounting Office
University of Connecticut
343 Mansfield Road
Storrs, CT 06269-1074
Phone (860) 486-2934

For those of you that utilize KFS, I wanted to share with you the link to the KFS Test Environment: https://kualinp.uconn.edu/kfs-uat/webapp/dashboard/home  so that you have an opportunity to see the new look and feel of the system before training occurs.  Additional communication will be provided on Training, Job Aids, and Go Live as we approach September, and will continue to share any information as I receive it.

As mentioned in our last Administrative Meeting a new General Ledger Transfer (GLT) document will be introduced.  Here is the link to the GLT tutorial video: https://kaltura.uconn.edu/media/General+Ledger+Transfer+Demo/1_5xatwev1

 

Thank you,
Alicia

Please visit this link for FY21 Requisition submission: https://media.procurement.uconn.edu/purchasing/images_news/FY21-requisition-blanket-order-entry.pdf

 

Attachment: KFS requirements

Good morning!

I hope this e-mail finds you and your families well.

I’m writing to provide some information from the Foundation disbursements team as we continue working from home.

We are still processing RFDs.  With our move to the PaperSave system earlier in this fiscal year we were prepared for this turn of events that has upended our world.  Please continue to reach out to us if you have any questions.  We do have access to our voice-mails but e-mail is probably a better solution at this time.  We can set up on-line meetings and/or phone calls if there is a need.

As I had communicated in an earlier e-mail, we do not have the ability to cut checks.  We can send via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for those we have information for.  If you are submitting an RFD and are unsure if we have EFT information, please reach out so we can take a look at them for you.

As year-end is approaching I would encourage you to look at KFS and Banner reimbursements to see if there are some you can do now rather than waiting till the end of the year.  I have attached a document that the team has put together to help identify define and clarify what is needed for KFS reimbursements.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions, concerns or challenges you would like to talk through.

Be well and be safe!

 

Edward Liedke
Director of Fund Administration
And Disbursements
Phone:  860-486-2006
2390 Alumni Dr. U-3206
Storrs, CT 06269