CLA NOW -- September 12, 2007
EFS Open Session
The CLA EFS Project Team invites you to attend an open session to update you on the EFS Financial Service Teams. Please plan to attend.
Date: Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Location: 100 Smith Hall
Financial/HR Meeting-September 27th
The joint Financial/HR meeting has been moved to September 27th at 8:30 a.m. in 102 Fraser Hall. Please note that we will include a brief refresher on IRIS entry and reporting rather than having separate training sessions as we have in previous years. We would like to encourage all staff that use the system to attend the meeting.
Thank You
We would like to thank everyone who submitted information about their departments' scholarships, which will be included in the CLA Shared Scholarship Database and exported to the Undergraduate Scholarship Search tool. Watch for an announcement of a celebration event in October that will include updates and a functionality demonstration.
CLA Grants Team Launches New Website: CLA Grants, Fellowships and Research Funding
The CLA grants team would like to announce their newly designed Grants and Research Funding website. The URL is http://grants.cla.umn.edu/
The site contains a new searchable database, extensive lists of funding opportunities, along with resources for PIs, administrators, and fiscal support.
EFS – Service Teams Q&A:
The following is the third in a series of Q & A’s that the CLA Project Team will address as part of its regular communications concerning the Enterprise Financial System through CLA NOW.
1) Our accountant does all the financial “stuff”. Will we have to train staff how to do the tasks that stay in the department?
Training will be provided by the EFS project on how to complete tasks in the new financial system. A prerequisite for all of the courses is the Basic Accounting 101 online course and assessment. We encourage all CLA staff that will be using the system to complete this course by the end of September. Registration for the course is available here.
2) Is the Chart of Accounts course something that administrators should go to?
Yes. Chart of Accounts is a course that the administrators will need in order to gain access to the system so that they may apply approvals to transactions. Registration for Chart of Accounts is now available.
The Basic Accounting 101 course and assessment is a prerequisite for this course.
3) Besides travel processing, will other non-travel employee payments stay in the department?
Yes. Both processes use the same module and the work associated with payments made through this module will stay in the department.
4) For the processes handled by the service team, will the approvals still be applied in the department?
The current assumption is that approvals will be at the department level. Department responsibility and control will still be at a department level and department approval would allow this. We also anticipate that there will be oversight and review by the service teams, especially with more complex processes such as travel. We will provide more information as concrete decisions are made regarding approvals.
5) What about certified approvers? How will they be affected?
The goal is to have at least one certified approver on each team. Until that goal is achieved, the certified approvers will continue to operate the same as they do today.
6) Are there any accounting staff that are also in a bargaining unit? Does the strike affect the timing of this project?
There are financial staff that are currently represented by a bargaining unit. The strike will not affect the timing of the project implementation.
For future questions please send an email to claefs@umn.edu. The questions that you submit will be reviewed by a team member and a response will be sent.
If you missed the breeze presentations, they are available on the EFS website for you to view at your convenience. The website also contains a large amount of information about the EFS project. http://www.finsys.umn.edu/
Monday, October 8: 9:00 – 11:00a.m. (Continental breakfast provided); 100 Skok Hall, St Paul campus
Thursday, November 29: 11:30 – 1:30 (lunch provided); 110 Heller Hall, West Bank campus
In the event you are not able to attend either of the above times, the workshop will again be offered in early February. A separate invitation will be sent to you later for this workshop. Please note that if you did not attend a workshop last year, attendance at one of the workshops this year is required. The workshop is intended for any faculty planning to lead a program during the ‘07-’08 or ’08-’09 academic year.
Please let us know which workshop you plan to attend, RSVP to laurelj@umn.edu. When you reply, please let us know which of the following areas most interest you:
- Pre-departure preparation of students
- How best to link the site you are visiting to your syllabus
- Planning your on-site logistical support
- Emergency procedures
- Group dynamics/student conduct/mental health issues
- Developing your budget
Feel free to let us know if there other topics you would like addressed.
Notice from the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action regarding religious holidays:
Several important religious holidays are upcoming in the month of September. Please inform faculty, staff and students in your units about the University’s policy on Student/Employee Absence for Religious Holidays
The policy can be found on the University’s Policy Library
On EOAA´s website you will find the Religious Holiday Calendar that lists religious holidays in 2007-2008.
Financial Service Team Lead Positions
A requisition (#150594) has been posted to hire the remaining principal accountant positions that will serve as CLA Financial Service Team leads. The college will look first to CLA staff who meet the listed qualifications before considering candidates external to CLA, so please check it out! If you have questions about the position please contact Peggy Buckley (mab@umn.edu/6-9812)
Faculty and Research - Fall Semester 2007 Submission Dates
Sabbatical Supplement & Single Semester Leave
Applications for the 2008/09 sabbatical supplement and single semester leave competitions are due in the Office of the Associate Dean for Faculty and Research no later than Friday, 5 October 2007.
Scholarly Events Fund
Requests for scholarly events funding to support events scheduled during 2007/08 are due in the Office of the Associate Dean for Faculty and Research no later than Monday, 15 October 2007.
Promotion and Tenure
Dossiers for promotion and tenure cases being considered during the 2007/08 academic year are due in the Office of the Associate Dean for Faculty and Research no later than Friday, 19 October 2007.
Upcoming Important Deadlines and Important Dates
Sept. 18
- EFS Open Session, 1:00 p.m., 100 Smith Hall
Sept. 21
- 9/17-9/30/07 Pay Period CLA Payroll cut off 4:30 p.m. for the 10/10/07 pay date.
Sept. 27
- Financial/HR meeting, 8:30 a.m., 102 Fraser Hall
Oct. 5
- 10/1-10/14-07 Pay Period CLA Payroll cut off 4:30 p.m. for the 10/24/07 pay date.
- Applications for sabbatical supplement and single semester leave due in the Office of the Associate Dean for Faculty and Research (212 JohH)
Oct. 8
- Workshop for Faculty-led Short Term Study Abroad Programs, 9:00 a.m. 100 Skok Hall, St. Paul Campus, RSVP to laurelj@umn.edu
Oct. 15
- Requests for scholarly events funding due in the Office of the Associate Dean for Faculty and Research (212 JohH)
Oct. 19
- 10/15-10/28/07 Pay Period CLA Payroll cut off 4:30 p.m. for the 11/7/07 pay date.
- Dossiers for promotion and tenure cases due in the Office of the Associate Dean for Faculty and Research (212 JohH)
Nov. 29
- Workshop for Faculty-led Short Term Study Abroad Programs, 11:30 a.m. 100 Heller Hall, West Bank Campus, RSVP to laurelj@umn.edu
K-12 Outreach
The college is collecting information about departmental K-12 outreach initiatives to enter into a database. Please forward the attached form to your faculty and staff members and ask them to complete one form for each initiative. The completed forms should be returned via email by September 21 to Anise McDowell, CLA K-12 Outreach Coordinator, at amm@umn.edu. Anise would also appreciate hearing from you if your department receives a request for a campus visit from anyone in the K-12 community. We would like to track how many students visit the campus and who they are. If there are any questions please do not hesitate to contact Anise at 5-8649 or amm@umn.edu.
Workshop for Faculty-led Short Term Study Abroad Programs.
The Learning Abroad Center invites faculty members planning on leading a study abroad program during 2007-08 or 2008-09 to the attend one of the following workshops.
You can find past issues of CLA NOW at: http://www2.cla.umn.edu/admin/now_archive/default.html.
Submit items for CLA NOW to ludow006@umn.edu