April 2023 Newsletter 

  

Fiscal Updates: 

• FY23 Fiscal Year End 
  • Starting the first Monday April 3^rd through the end of fiscal year 2023, the Business Office will be distributing weekly financial reports related to year end close. The report will include the following: 
    • 2.5% Carry Forward – Academic Units and Extension Storrs 
    • 2L Balances “Use it or Lose it” – 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 
  • FY23 University Year-End Deadlines 
    • https://accountingoffice.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/143/2023/03/Year-End-Deadlines-63023.pdf 
    • Internal BO Deadlines 
      • Payroll Funding Changes – Wed, May 24^th 
      • Financial Processing (DI, GLT, TF, ST, BA, SSBA) – Wed, June 14^th  
      • Foundation Reimbursement (RFD) – Wed, June 14^th  

• 2023 Faculty Summer   
  • 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  
    • Departments will continue to be responsible for processing non-grant summer payrolls  
    • This process will begin in early March and continue through April 12^th, which is the B.O. Deadline for Summer Payroll with an effective date of 5/23/2023  
  • 9- & 10-month appointments  
    • It is our understanding at this point that OVPR will continue to fund one week of summer for 9- and 10-month faculty who are supported 100% by Sponsored Projects  
  • 11-month appointments  
    • The B.O will work with faculty to process the summer hire  
    • This will include the PageUp Request, Dual Employment form, and the Smart-HR Transaction   

• Summer Payroll Pre-encumbrances
  • Similar to Fall and Spring GA pre-encumbrance, the B.O. will be pre-encumbering salary and fringe for FY24 (starting 6/16/23 onwards) for the following payroll types:   
    • Summer Grads, Faculty Summer, and other Special Payroll appointments on grant accounts 

• Procurement Updates 
  • FY24 Blanket Order (see attached email) 
    • Two items to remember when submitting you FY24 Blanket Orders: 
      • Accounting Date 
      • Reference to last year PO in the cart name 
  • For any Software renewals, please contact Elaine Dumas– even if you are not ready to submit the requisition into HuskyBuy  – her team assist in navigating with this process 

• Concur Updates 
  • Q&A with Crystal from Anthony Travel – April 18^th 10: 
    • CAHNR and CLAS are collaborating and have organized time to discuss any travel booking questions 
    • If you would like to attend this Q&A, please email the Business Office (CAHNRBO@uconn.edu) 
    • Questions may also be sent in advance to the CAHNR Business Office  

• Post Award Updates 
  • Notes form March 2023 SPA meeting: 
    • Foreign Travel on Grants – Best Practices 
      • Review terms and conditions of sponsored award to check if pre-approval is required for international travel – regardless of if it is included in the proposed budget 
      • Utilize Anthony Travel when booking flights using Federal Funding 
      • This helps to ensure compliance with the ‘Fly America Act’  
      • If traveler books travel on their own, they are still responsible for ensuring ‘Fly America Act’ compliance 

   

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates: 

• Graduate Assistant Payroll 
  • Graduate School Timely Topics – see the attached email 
    • Thursday, April 13 at 1pm – Workflow and Tools When Recruiting & Hiring GAs for Non-Academic units  
  • NEW Graduate Employee Union (GEU) contract  – IMPORTANT UPDATE: 
    • New Graduate Assistant Offer Letters needed to be sent to students by April 1st 
    • Continuing Fall Graduate Assistant Offer Letters need to be sent to students by June 1st   
  • Summer Graduate Smart-HR Deadlines – SmartHR submitted to B.O. by April 12^th  
    • Processing deadlines for those with an effective date of 5/23/2023  
      • Smart-HR Transactions in CORE need to be submitted by Wednesday, April 12^th for timely approval by the B.O. to ensure student receive their first paycheck in a timely manner 
      • Any transactions submitted late will result in a delayed payment to the student 

• Wage Increases   – effective June 1, 2023 
  • Adjunct Faculty (see attached email) 
    • Effective August 23, 2023, per AAUP Contract Article 19.7, the following updates will be in effect: 
      • Adjunct faculty per credit minimum rate is $1,973.  
      • Adjuncts who have worked more than four semesters of continuous employment must minimally earn the 2% increased per credit rate of $2,012.46. 
      • Adjuncts who have worked more than twelve semesters of continuous employment must minimally earn the 3% increased per credit rate of $2,032.19. 
    • The updated rates for adjunct faculty can be found on the Special Payroll Information webpage, in the Compensation section. Any adjunct faculty hire requests for the Fall 2023 semester that are submitted with the old rates will be updated by the Special Payroll team prior to approval of the hire request. 
  • Special Payroll and Student Employees 
    • Connecticut State Minimum Wage increases to $15 per hour 

• PageUp Trainings 
  • Regular Payroll   
    • April 19^th from 9am to 12pm (Register)  
  • Special Payroll   
    • April 20^th from 9am to 11am (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.  

• Business Office Open Hour  
  • Thursday, April 20^th – from 12:00PM – 1:00PM, Young 209 with a virtual option  
  • In April we will review Graduate Payroll for the Fall 2023 semester 
  • 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  

• Staff Advisory Council Presents: Professional Development Session on Ignite Your Creativity  
  • Wednesday, April 26^th from 2:30PM to 1:00 PM, Location TBD 
  • Dr. Nora Madjar from the School of Business will be a guest speaker   
  • Please see the attached email for more information.  
  • Be sure to RSVP by April 7th    

 

Shout Out: 

• Welcome:  
  • Ann-Marie Grimason, Administrative Program Support 3, AHS 
  • Chante King, Administrative Program Support 3, NRE 
  • Gina Abarno, Administrative Program Support 2, PVS CVMDL 
• Farewells:  
  • Good Luck: Edward Harris, Financial Analyst 1, CAHNR BO 

March 2023 Newsletter 

Fiscal Updates: 

• 2023 Faculty Summer  
  • 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 
    • Departments will continue to be responsible for processing non-grant summer payrolls 
    • This process will begin in early March and continue through April 12^th, which is the B.O. Deadline for Summer Payroll with an effective date of 5/23/2023 
  • 9- & 10-month appointments 
    • It is our understanding at this point that OVPR will continue to fund one week of summer for 9- and 10-month faculty who are supported 100% by Sponsored Projects 
  • 11-month appointments 
    • The B.O will work with faculty to process the summer hire 
    • This will include the PageUp Request, Dual Employment form, and the Smart-HR Transaction  
  • Summer Pre-encumbrances: Similar to Fall and Spring GA pre-encumbrance, the B.O. will be pre-encumbering salary and fringe for FY24 (starting 6/16/23 onwards) for the following payroll types:  
    • Summer Grads, Faculty Summer, and other Special Payroll appointments on grant accounts 

   

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates: 

• Graduate Assistant Payroll  
  • Graduate School Timely Topics – See the attachment for the Spring 2023 Topics  
    • Thursday, March 2 at 1pm – Neurodiversity and the Advisor/Advisee Relationship 
    • Thursday, March 9 at 11am – Supervising Graduate Assistants 
    • Thursday, April 13 at 1pm – Workflow and Tools When Recruiting & Hiring GAs for Non-Academic units 
  • NEW Graduate Employee Union (GEU) contract  
    • Changes/updates to the GEU contract took effect: July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2026 
    • IMPORTANT UPDATE: Grads continuing into next AY – need to be notified by June 1^st (previous years were due by June 15^th) 
  • Summer Graduate Page Up and CORE Smart-HR Payroll Deadlines  
    • For those looking to compensate or hire any graduate student over the summer (5/23-8/22) please make note of the following processing deadlines  
      • Offers submitted in Page Up, need to be completed by Friday, March 3^rd for timely approval by the B.O.  
      • Smart-HR Transactions in CORE need to be completed by Wednesday, April 12^th for timely approval by the B.O.   
    • The B.O. cannot guarantee timely review and approval for May 23^rd hires that have not been submitted by April 12^th in CORE. Submission of transactions after this deadline may result in a delayed first payment 

• Wage Increases  
  • Connecticut State Minimum Wage increases to $15 per hour – Effective June 1, 2023
    • This impacts all employees including Special Payroll and Student Workers
  • Post-Doctoral Fellow Stipends – NIH Increased minimums (see attached email) 
    • New minimums effective for new or continuing – Effective February 3, 2023 

• PageUp Trainings   
  • Regular Payroll   
    • March 6th at 9am to 12 noon (Register)   
    • April 19th at 9am to 12 noon (Register)  
  • Special Payroll   
    • March 7th at 9am to 11am  (Register)  
    • April 20th at 9am to 11am  (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. 

 

• Business Office Open Hour 
  • Due to feedback recently received at the last CAHNR Admin Meeting we will be moving this meeting from the 3^rd Wednesday of every month, to the 3^rd Thursday of every month from 12:00PM – 1:00PM.  The goal will remain where these sessions are offered in person with a virtual option.   
  • Thursday, March 16^th – from 12:00PM – 1:00PM, Young 209 with a virtual option  
    • Please note the day has changed from Wednesday to Thursday due to the CAHNR Department Budget Hearing Schedule 
    • In March, we will discuss:   
      • Fiscal Year End Prep 
      • Weekly reports and how to read them 
      • What we expect 
      • What to expect from us 
    • 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 

• Purchasing Training 
  • Wednesday, March 29^th from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM.  
  • CLAS, CAHNR, and Neag are joining forces to offer a combined Purchasing and Husky Buy Overview Training Opportunity 
    • If you would like to attend this training session, please email the CAHNR Business Office: cahnrbo@uconn.edu  

• Staff Advisory Council Presents: Professional Development Session on Ignite Your Creativity 
  • Wednesday, April 26^th from 2:30PM to 1:00 PM, IPB 317 
  • Dr. Nora Madjar from the School of Business will be a guest speaker  
  • Please see the attached email for more information. 
  • Be sure to RSVP by April 7^th  

Shout Out: 

• Welcome:  
  • Alison St. Pierre, Administrative Program Support 1, ARE 

February 2023 Newsletter 

  

Fiscal Updates: 

• Department 4-L Revenue Accounts 
  • To prepare for FY23 year end, the Business Office will be adjusting the balances on all department 4-L revenue-based accounts to reflect actual revenue received to date vs. projected annual revenue  
  • Budgets will be adjusted on a weekly basis to reflect any additional revenue received 
  • This process will occur in January.  Therefore, when you view available balances in KFS (Kuali Financial System) they will be reflective of actual available funding 
  • This will also reflect in the monthly reports that will batch on February 1^st  

• Summer 2023 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 
    • Departments will continue to be responsible for processing non-grant summer payrolls 
    • This process will begin in early March and continue through April 12^th, which is the B.O. Deadline for Summer Payroll with an effective date of 5/23/2023 
  • 9- & 10-month appointments 
    • It is our understanding at this point that OVPR will continue to fund one week of summer for 9- and 10-month faculty who are supported 100% by Sponsored Projects 
  • 11-month appointments 
    • The B.O will work with faculty to process the summer hire 
    • This will include the PageUp Request, Dual Employment form, and the Smart-HR Transaction  
  • Summer Pre-encumbrances: Similar to Fall and Spring GA pre-encumbrance, the B.O. will be pre-encumbering salary and fringe for FY24 (starting 6/16/23 onwards) for the following payroll types:  
    • Summer Grads, Faculty Summer, and other Special Payroll appointments on grant accounts 

  

HR (Human Resources) and Payroll Updates: 

Graduate Assistant Payroll 

• Graduate School Timely Topics – See the attachment for the Spring 2023 Topics 
  • Thursday, February 2 at 1pm – Advising and Mentoring Historically Excluded or Racially Oppressed Graduate Students 
  • Thursday, February 16 at 11am – Community Engaged Scholarship 
  • Thursday, February 23 at 11am – Graduate Students and Special Payroll 
• Updated Graduate Assistant Offer Letter Templates – See the attachment for the announcement of the new templates 
  • Located on HR’s website under offer letters, Graduate Assistants, the new slimmed down templates have been created: 
    • Graduate Assistant Offer Letter Template (new or reappointments regardless of semester start) 
    • Graduate Assistant Mid-Appointment FTE or Stipend Level Change Template 
    • Remember to complete and attach the appropriate Supplemental Description of Duties for all GA letters 

• Summer Graduate Page Up and CORE Smart-HR Payroll Deadlines 
  • For those looking to compensate or hire any graduate student over the summer (5/23-8/22) please make note of the following processing deadlines 
    • Offers submitted in Page Up, need to be completed by Friday, March 3^rd for timely approval by the B.O. 
    • Smart-HR Transactions in CORE need to be completed by Wednesday, April 12^th for timely approval by the B.O.  
    • The B.O. cannot guarantee timely review and approval for May 23^rd hires that have not been submitted by April 12^th in CORE. Submission of transactions after this deadline may result in a delayed first payment 

  

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. 

• Business Office Open Hour  
  • Thursday, February 16^th – from 12:00PM – 1:00PM, Young 209 with a virtual option  
    • Please note the day has changed from Wednesday to Thursday due to the CAHNR Department Budget Hearing Schedule 
  • In February’s Business Office Open Hour, we will be chatting about:   
    • Fiscal Officer Role 
    • KFS and WebFocus Tips and Tricks 
    • Grant Management 
  • 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 

• Purchasing Training 
  • CLAS and CAHNR are joining forces to offer a combined Purchasing and Husky Buy Overview Training Opportunity 
  • The tentative date for this training is: 
  • Tuesday, March 28^th OR Wednesday, March 29^th, whichever day is chosen it will be offered from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM. 
  • Once a date has been confirmed, another communication will be distributed, and the location of the training will be provided 

• Staff Advisory Council Presents: Professional Development Session on Work-Life Balance 
  • Thursday, February 23^rd from 12:00PM to 1:00 PM 
  • Dr. Singe from the Department of Kinesiology will be a guest speaker  
  • Please see the attached email for more information. 
  • Be sure to RSVP by Feb 6th  

January 2023 Newsletter 

Welcome to 2023!  

2022 brought many changes.  We said farewell to several colleagues and welcomed new ones.  As the CAHNR community continues to evolve and grow, I am looking forward to working with all of you in 2023.     

Happy New Year! 

Fiscal Updates: 

• Department 4-L Revenue Accounts 
  • To prepare for FY23 year end, the Business Office will be adjusting the balances on all department 4-L revenue-based accounts to reflect actual revenue received to date vs. projected annual revenue  
  • Budgets will be adjusted on a weekly basis to reflect any additional revenue received 
  • This process will occur in January.  Therefore, when you view available balances in KFS (Kuali Financial System) they will be reflective of actual available funding. 
  • This will also reflect in the monthly reports that will batch on February 1^st  

• Spring Payroll Pre-Encumbrance   
  • Similar to the Fall Grad pre-encumbrance load, the B.O. will be pre-encumbering PA’s that cross into the 2023 calendar year for the following payroll types:  
    • Adjunct on 2Ls  
    • Grads – all accounts  
    • Post-doc – grant accounts  
    • Special Payroll and regular payroll on grant accounts that crosses fiscal years 

 

HR and Payroll Updates: 

• Regular Payroll Continuation Letters 
  • Effective January 1, 2023, all Regular Payroll Continuation Letters must contain an annual salary 
  • Offer Letter Templates for Articles 13, 24, 26 (NTT positions) are available 

• Grad Payroll 
  • To expand the options available to departments to distribute and manage Supplemental Description of Duties forms each semester, we are exploring an online version of the Supplemental Description of Duties form through Kuali Build that could be used by all departments. Paper forms or department-specific templates could still be used—this would just be one more option available to you. 
  • See attached email for additional information from Megan Petsa (email dated 12/9/2022) 

• PageUp Updates 
  • Email from Provost About new PageUp request 
    • The Provost’s Office has recently announced a process change related to certain professional staff and special payroll hires.  This change is to align with other university divisions that require review and approval from the President’s Personnel Miscellaneous Review Committee (PMRC).  
    • The following transactions will require a justification for additional review and approval:                  
      • Special Payroll – ‘NEW’ Administrative Titles 
        • An administrative position that is not considered a continuation of a previous appointment  
        • An administrative appointment that is not entirely funded through sponsored research  
      • UCPEA – ‘NEW’ position 
        • A position that is not refilling a vacancy 
          • Please work with Alicia Huckle in the B.O on appropriate justification 
        • A position that is not entirely funded through sponsored research 

• PageUp Trainings  
  • Regular Payroll  
    • January 24, 2023 from 9am to 12pm (Register) 
  • Special Payroll  
    • January 25, 2023 from 9am to 11am (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 trainings that help the CAHNR community grow their understanding and abilities of both hard and soft skills, such as communications, HR/payroll, and creativity.   

Professional development opportunities will be listed on this site as they are finalized. Check back regularly to learn about upcoming events.   

Additional training opportunities can be found: https://cahnr.uconn.edu/faculty-and-staff-resources/professional-development/   

 

• Business Office Open Hour  
  • Wednesday, January 18^th from 12:00PM – 1:00PM, Young 209 w/ Virtual option  
  • The Business Office will be hosting another open hour.  Tentative topics will include:   
    • Get to know the Business Office Staff 
    • When to contact the Business Office 
  • Our goal is to have open hours on the 3^rd Wednesday of every month moving forward 
  • If you would like to attend, please email the CAHNRBO and we will add your name to the invite  
  • For recommendations on future topics, please submit suggestion to the CAHNRBO or use our anonymous form (https://businessoffice.cahnr.uconn.edu/admin-meeting-questions-2/) 

• COMING SOON –Foundation FELIX Training 
  • TBD 
  • The Business Office will once again coordinate training with UConn Foundation to demonstrate the Foundation Felix system.   
    • This system provides helpful account information about the fund, any restrictions, real time balance, etc.  
      

Shout Out: 

• Welcome:  
  • Amanda Masztal, Administrative Program Support 3, CAHNR BO – HR/Payroll 
  • Eileen Underwood, Administrative Program Support 2, Academic Programs 

December 2022 Newsletter 

In Fond Memory:  

Sadly, we lost a valued member of the CAHNR community and the administrative team. Nicole Gabelman passed away unexpectedly on November 16th.  Nicole was extremely dedicated and hard-working, and she displayed an extraordinary commitment to PSLA, as well as the college. In addition to her willingness to support CAHNR’s mission, Nicole brought joy and laughter to interactions with her colleagues. Our deepest sympathies go to Nicole’s family and friends during this time of loss. 

 

Fiscal Reminders: 

• Budget Construction (BC)   
  • BC will not occur in FY24 and likely moving forward  
  • The Business Office will manage the FY24 budget load as done in past fiscal years  

• Spring Payroll Pre-Encumbrance   
  • Similar to the Fall Grad pre-encumbrance load, the B.O. will be pre-encumbering PA that cross into the 2023 calendar year for the following payroll types:  
    • Adjunct on 2Ls  
    • Grads – all accounts  
    • Post-doc – grant accounts  
    • Special Payroll and regular payroll on grant accounts that crosses fiscal years 

• Faculty Compensation Policy 

           https://policy.uconn.edu/2011/05/24/extra-compensation-for-full-time-faculty-in-aaup-policy-on/ 

• • Provost has updated the policy on Nov 11^th:  
  • Please note 
    • Overload Pay – may be appropriate for activities including, but not limited to, teaching during winter or May intercession, online course development sponsored by CETL, outreach, performance, or academic/student support 
      • Should not exceed 25% of the twelve-month equivalent of annual salary each year 

• UBS Reminders 
  • With the Holiday Season approaching some vendors may provide reduced pricing 
    • Please be mindful of when items must be procured and allow ample time for processing (especially orders greater than $10k) 
  • Please allow ample time for processing when looking to procure items for the start of the Spring 2023 semester 
  • Huskybuy – as part of the maintenance update, there was a slight change in the user interface.  The Actions Menu, where you would perform tasks such as Approve, Reject or Return documents has moved closer to where the current action buttons are already located, represented by “3 dots”  
  • Staffing Updates within UBS 
    • Elaine Dumas, Category Manager for the Technology Team 
    • Alyssa Wojcik – Travel Services Support Specialist 

• New CAHNR Email Address for Reports 

         CAHNR_Reports@uconn.edu  

• • Starting December 1^st reports will be sent from the new CAHNR_Reports@uconn.edu email address.   
  • This email address will be used specifically for report distribution 
  • Any question regarding information within the reports should still be directed to the CAHNRBO@uconn.edu email address 

 

HR and Payroll Reminders: 

• Spring 2023 GA Deadlines  
  • Smart-HR  – BO Deadline – December 2, 2022  
    • University Deadline for Spring 2023 GA PA’s – December 16, 2022  
    • Attachments:  
      • REQUIRED: Offer Letter (OL)    
      • RECOMMENDED: Supplemental Description of Duties (SDD) * not required at time of submission, but will expedite the approval process (if not attached to Smart-HR email to Payroll GA coordinator)  
    • Comments section: DEPT, Employee Name, Employee #, transaction description, and effective dates 

• Spring 2023 Adjunct Deadlines  
  • Smart-HR – BO Deadline – December 12, 2022  
    • University Deadline for Spring 2023 Adjunct PA’s – December 27, 2022 
    • Attachments:  
      • REQUIRED: Offer Letter (OL)    
    • Comments section: DEPT, Employee Name, Employee #, transaction description, and effective dates 

• PageUp Trainings  
  • Regular Payroll  
    • December 14, 2022 from 9am to 12pm (Register)  
    • January 24, 2023 from 9am to 12pm (Register) 
  • Special Payroll  
    • December 15, 2022 from 9am to 11am (Register) 
    • January 25, 2023 from 9am to 11am (Register) 

• Special Payroll Updates 
  • Special Payroll Manual – Human Resources has updated the Special Payroll Manual to reflect the most recent Policy on Re-Employed Retirees, as well as the AAUP and GEU-UAW contracts.  
    • Special Payroll Information select “Special Payroll Manual” to review 

 

 

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 trainings that help the CAHNR community grow their understanding and abilities of both hard and soft skills, such as communications, HR/payroll, and creativity.   

Professional development opportunities will be listed on this site as they are finalized. Check back regularly to learn about upcoming events.   

Additional training opportunities can be found: https://cahnr.uconn.edu/faculty-and-staff-resources/professional-development/  

• Business Office Open Hour  
  • Wednesday, December 21^st from 12:00PM – 1:00PM, Young 209 w/ Virtual option  
  • The Business Office will be hosting another open hour.  December’s topics include:   
    • Classification of Object codes 
    • Appropriate accounts for revenue 
    • Account Attributes 
    • TF vs. GLT 
  • Our goal is to have open hours on the 3^rd Wednesday of every month moving forward 
  • If you would like to attend, please email the CAHNRBO and we will add your name to the invite  
  • For recommendations on future topics, please submit suggestion to the CAHNRBO or use our anonymous form (https://businessoffice.cahnr.uconn.edu/admin-meeting-questions-2/) 

• COMING SOON –Foundation FELIX Training 
  • TBD 
  • The Business Office will once again coordinate training with UConn Foundation to demonstrate the Foundation Felix system.   
  • This system provides helpful account information about the fund, any restrictions, real time balance, etc.   

Shout Out: 

• Welcome:  
  • Jamie Williams, Financial Assistant 1, CAHNR Business Office 
• Farewells:  
  • Good Luck: Sarah Reichle, Administrative Program Support 1, ARE 

November 2022 Newsletter 

 Fiscal Reminders: 

• Budget Construction (BC)  
  • BC will not occur in FY24 and likely moving forward 
  • The Business Office will manage the FY24 budget load as done in past fiscal years 

• Spring Payroll Pre-Encumbrance  
  • Similar to the Fall Grad pre-encumbrance load, the B.O. will be pre-encumbering PA that cross into the 2023 calendar year for the following payroll types: 
    • Adjunct on 2Ls 
    • Grads – all accounts 
    • Post-doc – grant accounts 
    • Special Payroll and regular payroll on grant accounts that crosses fiscal years 

• Federal Accounts (Smith Lever, SAES Capacity) – REMINDER from previous months 
  • FY22 Accounts  
    • will remain open through 11/30/22 for expenses incurred by 9/30/22  
      • After November 30^th, no additional transactions will be allowed on these accounts 
    • On December 1^st the BO will begin the FY22 close out process 
    • Please monitor your continuation accounts for timely cost transfer submission 
      • Please contact the BO if you need any assistance 
  • FY23 Accounts  
    • New Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) opened on 10/1/2022 (FFY23) 
    • Your department budget was identified in your FY23 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) – specific to Smith Lever accounts only  
      • Sub-Accounts 
        • Climate (CLIM) 
        • Food (FOOD) 
        • Health (HLTH) 
        • Landscapes (LAND) 
        • Misc. (MISC)  
    • Sub-account report          
      • Runs bi-weekly on Fridays – please review regularly and make sure all expenses are tied to one or more critical area(s) 

• Purchasing Reminders 
  • With the Holiday Season approaching some vendors may provide reduced pricing 
    • Please be mindful of when items must be procured and allow ample time for processing (especially orders greater than $10k) 

 

HR and Payroll Reminders: 

• Spring 2023 Adjunct Deadlines 
  • PageUp – End of October 2022 
  • Smart-HR – BO Deadline – December 13, 2022 
    • University Deadline for Spring 2023 Adjunct PA’s is December 27, 2022 
    • Attachments: 
      • REQUIRED: Offer Letter (OL)   
      • Comments section: DEPT, Employee Name, Employee #, transaction description, and effective dates 

• Spring 2023 GA Deadlines 
  • Smart-HR  – BO Deadline – December 2, 2022 
    • University Deadline for Spring 2023 GA PA’s December 16, 2022 
    • Attachments: 
      • REQUIRED: Offer Letter (OL)   
      • RECOMMENDED: Supplemental Description of Duties (SDD) * not required at time of submission, but will expedite the approval process (if not attached to Smart-HR email to Payroll GA coordinator) 
    • Comments section: DEPT, Employee Name, Employee #, transaction description, and effective dates 

• Special Payroll Processing Deadlines 
  • Processing deadlines are available on the Special Payroll Information website:  Special Payroll Information | Human Resources (uconn.edu) 
  • Special Payroll hire requests must be approved by HR in PageUp before a department is able to submit a SmartHR transaction 
    • It may take up to 4-6 weeks for a hire request to be fully approved  
  • Late submissions risk a delayed first paycheck for the employee and pose risk to the University if any employee begins working without a completed I-9 on file. 
  • The request to hire on Special Payroll must receive final approval from HR ten (10) business days prior to the scheduled start date.  
    • If less than 10 business days from HR approval, HR will either update the request directly or return the request to the hiring department to make necessary changes and resubmit through the approval workflow. 
    • Requiring 10 business days provides adequate time for candidates to complete or comply with:  
      • Criminal Background Check (if applicable) 
      • Retirement Election (if applicable) 
      • I-9 Form 

• PageUp Trainings 
  • Regular Payroll 
    • November 7 from 9am to 12pm (Register) 
  • Special Payroll 
    • November 8 from 9am to 11am (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 trainings that help the CAHNR community grow their understanding and abilities of both hard and soft skills, such as communications, HR/payroll, and creativity.   

Professional development opportunities will be listed on this site as they are finalized. Check back regularly to learn about upcoming events.   

Additional training opportunities can be found: https://cahnr.uconn.edu/faculty-and-staff-resources/professional-development/  

 

• Special Payroll Training offered by the B.O – occurred  
  • Was held – Thursday, October 27th from 2:00PM – 3:30PM 
  • Link where you may download the PowerPoint presentation: https://businessoffice.cahnr.uconn.edu/cahnr-admin-meeting-agenda/ 

• Business Office Open Hour 
  • Wednesday, November 16^th from 12:00PM – 1:00PM, Young 209 w/ Virtual option 
  • The Business Office will be hosting an open hour to review some helpful tips and tricks.  Items include:  
    • Fiscal vs. Project account and what it means  
    • Helpful Screens in KFS 
    • How to look up an employee number 
  • If you would like to attend, please email the CAHNRBO and we will add your name to the invite 

• COMING SOON –Foundation FELIX Training 
  • TBD 
  • The Business Office will once again coordinate training with UConn Foundation to demonstrate the Foundation Felix system.   
    • This system provides helpful account information about the fund, any restrictions, real time balance, etc.   

 

 Shout Out: 

• Welcome:  
  • Edward Harris, Financial Analyst 1, CAHNR Business Office 
  • Joshua Duvall, Administrative Program Support 1, NUSC 
  • Kaylee Carlisle, Educational Program Assistant 1, EXT – HTFD 
  • Lindsay Polhemus, Administrative Program Support 1 – AHS 

• Farewells:  
  • Good Luck:  
    • Dana Foster, Administrative Program Support 4, Dean’s Business Office 
    • Chelsea Lebron, Administrative Program Support 3, NRE 

October 2022 Newsletter 

  

Fiscal Reminders:    

• Dept. Search Expense Account  
  • Dean will provide an allocation of $8k per search 
    • This includes post-hiring relocation costs 
  • The Business Office internally monitors each search budget via sub-accounts
    

 

• Federal Accounts (Smith Lever, SAES Capacity) – REMINDER from previous months 
  • FY22 Accounts  
    • will remain open through 11/30/22 for expenses incurred by 9/30/22  
      • Please avoid last minute spending 
      • After November 30^th, no additional transactions will be allowed on these accounts 
    • On December 1^st the BO will begin the FY22 close out process 
    • Please monitor your continuation accounts for timely cost transfer submission 
      • Please contact the BO if you need any assistance 
  • FY23 Accounts  
    • New Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) opens on 10/1/2022 (FFY23) 
    • Your department budget was identified in your FY23 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) – specific to Smith Lever accounts only  
      • Sub-Accounts 
        • Climate (CLIM) 
        • Food (FOOD) 
        • Health (HLTH) 
        • Landscapes (LAND) 
        • Misc. (MISC)  
    • Communication regarding your units FY23 account number will be forthcoming   

 

• From the Bursar’s Office: Accounts Receivable KFS Training Videos (new!) 

          These KFS video walkthroughs are intended to make invoicing in KFS an easier process for departments at UConn. 

• • https://bursar.uconn.edu/ar-kfs-training-videos/ 
    • The first 5 topics cover: 
      • Finding a customer 
      • Creating a new customer 
      • Editing a customer 
      • Creating a customer invoice 
  • Monitoring your customer invoices 
  • Coming soon: credit memo  

 

HR and Payroll Reminders: 

•  Spring 2023 Adjunct Deadlines 
  • • PageUp – End of October 2022 
    • Smart-HR – BO Deadline – Mid-December 2022 
      • University Deadline for Spring 2023 Adjunct PA’s is end of December  
      • Attachments: 
        • REQUIRED: Offer Letter (OL)   
        • Comments section: DEPT, Employee Name, Employee #, transaction description, and effective dates 

• Spring 2023 GA Deadlines 
  • Smart-HR  – BO Deadline – December 2, 2022 
    • University Deadline for Spring 2023 GA PA’s December 16, 2022 
    • Attachments: 
      • REQUIRED: Offer Letter (OL)   
      • RECOMMENDED: Supplemental Description of Duties (SDD) * not required at time of submission, but will expedite the approval process (if not attached to Smart-HR email to Payroll GA coordinator) 
    • Comments section: DEPT, Employee Name, Employee #, transaction description, and effective dates 

 

• October and November PageUp Trainings 
  • Regular Payroll 
    • October 17 from 9am to 12pm (Register) 
    • November 7 from 9am to 12pm (Register) 
  • Special Payroll 
    • October 18 from 9am to 12pm (Register) 
    • November 8 from 9am to 11am (Register)  

 

• PageUp Feedback Survey 
  • HR is interested in knowing what you find is working well, what could work better, and what features and training you would like to see introduced in the future.  
  • HR will review initial survey responses by September 23^rd but will leave the survey open beyond that date. 
  • To provide feedback, please complete this brief survey through Qualtrics: https://uconn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5aOW2THJY6sj09w  

 

• CAHNR Business Office Payroll Processes 
  • Throughout the year, the CAHNR Business Office will be drafting additional documents highlighting our internal processes. 
  • These will be posted in the CAHNR Admin Team’s Page for future reference 
    • NEW  – Offer Letter Process  
      • All offer letters are routed through the Business Office and reviewed for accuracy and completion   
      • Signatures 
        • Admins are responsible for obtaining department head (supervisor) and employee signatures. 
        • BO is responsible for obtaining the Dean’s signature (if applicable) 
      • BO must receive final copy of ALL offer letters  
      • Best practice – documents should be in a word document so edits can be made 
  • Any suggestions for future documented processes, please reach out to Dana Foster and Julie Savino in the CAHNR Business Office  

 

• Mandatory workshop for H-1B Visa Holders at UConn  
  • Please remind those in your unit – Mandatory workshop for H-1B faculty and staff.   
    • This includes first-time H-1B holders and current H-1B visa holders new to UConn.  This also includes any J-1 or F-1 staff who anticipate changing to H-1B status within the next year. 
    • Also, this is suggested as a “refresher” (but not required) for current H-1B holders who have attended this workshop previously. 
  • This workshop will cover important rules and regulations for H-1B visa holders to maintain their legal status while being employed at UConn.  
  • The workshop will be held at the Homer Babbidge Library in HBL Instruction Room 1102 on the following two days:   

• • • 1. Thursday, October 20, 2021 at 10:00 AM – 12:00   (HBL Instruction 1102) 
      2. Friday, October 21, 2021 at 10:00 AM – 12:00   (HBL Instruction 1102) 

• • • The workshop is in person. Attendance virtually via MS Teams will only be allowed for those working at Regional Campuses and/or Off-site locations.  
      • Please contact christene.cooper@uconn.edu for any accommodations. 
  • Registration is required via this Google Form:  https://forms.gle/ACtMqRMFGFLCsj1y6  

 

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 trainings that help the CAHNR community grow their understanding and abilities of both hard and soft skills, such as communications, HR/payroll, and creativity.   

Professional development opportunities will be listed on this site as they are finalized. Check back regularly to learn about upcoming events.   

Additional training opportunities can be found: https://cahnr.uconn.edu/faculty-and-staff-resources/professional-development/  

• HuskyBuy Training  
  • Monday, October 17^th from 10:00AM – 11:30AM 
  • The CAHNR Business Office in conjunction with CLAS has coordinated a HuskyBuy training.  This is a supplementary training to the Purchasing overview that was provided in the month of September 
  • If you would like to attend, please email Winnie Lunt and Alicia Huckle, and your name will be added to the invitation 

• Special Payroll Training offered by the B.O 
  • Thursday, October 27^th from 2:00PM – 3:30PM 
  • This training will include information related to both PageUp and CORE processing 
    • We will review the hiring process in PageUP, data changes in both PageUp and CORE, as well as how this information ties financially into your unit’s respective account(s) 
  • If you would like to attend, please email the CAHNRBO and we will add your name to the invite 

• COMING SOON –Foundation FELIX Training 
  • TBD 
  • The Business Office will once again coordinate training with UConn Foundation to demonstrate the Foundation Felix system.   
    • This system provides helpful account information about the fund, any restrictions, real time balance, etc.   

 

Shout Out:

• Welcome:  
  • Erica MacLean, Administrative Program Support 1, Dean’s Office 
  • Donna Dione, Educational Program Assistant 1, Dept. Of Extension – Middlesex

• Congratulations:  
  • Jessica Marsalisi, Administrative Program Support 3, Allied Health Sciences

• Farewells:  
  • • Good Luck: Kaitlin Graham-Handley (NUSC) 

 

Attachments:

Procurement Team Slide

Offer Letter Process (FINAL 9-21-22)

July 2022 Newsletter

Fiscal Reminders:

• • FY22 and FY23 are both open in KFS
    • In KFS 2023 should be the default FY

• • Reports
    • FY22 Department and Faculty Reports FY22 yearend reports will run on July 1^st.  These will be the last report distribution for FY22
    • FY23 Department and Faculty Reports: GOAL: batch the FY23 Faculty Reports by Friday, July 15^th
      • As we move through the first couple of weeks, the Business Office will prepare account budgets and update all accounts to reflect the starting FY23 balances
      • *IMPORTANT* FY23 Reports will include Fall GA encumbrance – the BO will manually load the encumbrance and communicate with Faculty

• • Start-Up Accounts
    • The BO will be working to establish all new faculty Start-Up accounts (if not completed already)
    • Reminder – Faculty (in most cases) will have three (3) 2-Ledger Start-Up Accounts:

• • • 1. Faculty Summer salary
      2. GA’ Support
      3. Equipment/Discretionary
    • The BO will serve as FO on both the Faculty Summer Salary and GA support accounts

• • Salary Savings Accounts
    • Reminder – the BO will load FY23 Salary Saving account spendable balances for depts. and faculty.  These funds expire 6/30/2024
    • Salary Savings earned in FY23 will be distributed on 7/1/2023 (FY24)
    • Dept. Admins should complete the Request for Return of Recovered Salary form (i.e. Salary Savings) found on the BO website: (https://businessoffice.cahnr.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2857/private/2021/02/Request-for-Return-of-Recovered-Salary.pdf)

• • 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 FY23
    • These accounts will have the award recipient listed as the ‘Account supervisor’, and will be included in their monthly account statements

• • FY22 Carry Forward
    • If your department is scheduled to receive any carry forward funding, the transfer of funds will not occur until after the FY22 hard close, which will likely be at the end of August

• • Federal Accounts (Smith Lever, SAES Capacity)
    • Beginning this month (July), the BO will begin its annual review and establishment of the FY23 Federal Accounts
    • This will be an ongoing process until the new Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) opens on 10/1/2022 (FFY23)

• • Effort Reporting
    • The BO manages all effort reports, please remember all Fall 2021 Effort Reports are due back to the BO by July 6^th to allow for final submission of reports to SPS by July 20^th
    • Please direct any effort questions to the BO ASAP

 

HR and Payroll Reminders:

• Fall 2022 GA Smart-HR BO Deadline – Friday, July 1^st
• • • Attachments:
      • REQUIRED: Offer Letter (OL)

• RECOMMENDED: Supplemental Description of Duties (SDD) * not required at time of submission, but will expedite the approval process (if not attached to Smart-HR email to Payroll GA coordinator)

• • • Comments section: DEPT, Employee Name, Employee #, transaction description, and effective dates
    • University Deadline for Fall 2022 GA PA’s is Friday, July 15^th
• Fall 2022 Adjunct Smart-HR BO Deadline – Friday July 15^th
• • • Attachments:
      • REQUIRED: Offer Letter (OL)
    • Comments section: DEPT, Employee Name, Employee #, transaction description, and effective dates
    • University Deadline for Fall 2022 Adjunct PA’s is Friday, July 29^th

• • • Smart-HR Processing Schedule
      • UCPEA and Management/Confidential
        • The FY23 salary increases for UCPEA and Management/Confidential populations are being prepared and processed with an effective date of 7/1/2022
        • To accommodate these activities, until further notice please refrain from initiating Smart HR transactions for this population using effective dates of 7/2/2022 or later
        • The processing blackout is anticipated to run through mid-July
        • Additional correspondence will be sent when Smart HR processing for transactions dated 7/2/2022 and later may resume
        • Payroll will cancel transactions initiated and/or submitted during the blackout period. Processors will be notified of these cancellations and instructed to resubmit once the blackout has been lifted

• PageUp Training Dates:
• • • Regular Payroll
      • July 20, 2022 from 9 am to 12 pm (Register)
      • September 7, 2022 from 9 am to 12 pm (Register)
    • Special Payroll
      • July 21, 2022 from 10 am to 12 pm (Register)
      • September 8, 2022 from 10 am to 12 pm (Register)
• Minimum Wage
• • • The minimum hourly wage in Connecticut increases to $14.00/hr. July 1^st
      • Payroll will increase the rates in CORE-CT for any students whose hourly rates are not at the minimum of their pay scale
        • This automatic update will occur during the 7/1/22-7/14/22 pay period
      • Payroll will not automatically increase the rates of those students whose minimum rates fall within their pay scale.  Each department will be responsible for submitting these increases

(Ex. If a student is currently at Class II with an hourly rate of $14.25, they would not receive an automatic increase, as the new minimum of Class II will be $14.15)

• • • • • Review and identify student employees in this situation to minimize inequities
        • Once identified, a manual increase must be processed in CORE-CT using the Student Payroll Data/Pay Change template: (UC_TBH_DC_STUD_DAT)

 

OLD Pay Scale (August 1,2021-June 30,2022)	Effective July 1, 2022
Class I – $13.00	Class I – $14.00
Class II – $13.15-$14.35	Class II – $14.15 – $15.35
Class III – $14.40 – $16.35	Class III – $15.40 – $17.35
Class IV -$16.40 – $31.70	Class IV – $17.40 – $32.70

 

 

• NEW Graduate Employee Union (GEU) contract

• • • Changes/updates to the GEU contract will go into effect: July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2026
    • There will be a presentation on Wednesday, July 13^th.  Please visit the attached email for more information and a link to register

 

Shout Out:

 

• Welcome:
  • Sara Reichle – Admin Program Support 1 – ARE; Lena Knowles – Admin Program Support 3 – ARE
• Farewells:
  • Retirements: Sheila Carroll – CAHNR BO; Lynn Zerba – Research Office; Kathy Wells – Academic Programs; Diane Labonia – Hartford EXT; Rachel Shore – Middlesex EXT
  • Good Luck: Laura Mlyniec-Beam – Academic Programs; Christina Tamburro – CAHNR BO; Anida Sundara – AHS; Nicole Jagielo – CAHNR BO