Finance User Group
Meeting Minutes
Wednesday February 22, 2012
Meeting: Finance User Group Meeting
Date:
Wednesday February 22, 2012
Start Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location:
Waite Park Quarry Center
conf room# 107
Participants:
College & University:
Ron Beckstrom (Metro State)
Dawn Belko (North Hennepin CC)
Dee Bernard (Inver Hills CC)
Jan Marble (MSU Mankato)
Cheryl Norlien (Ridgewater)
John Palmer (Saint Paul College)
Dave Thorn (Winona State)
Christine Vopatek (Central Lakes CC)
Jeff Wagner (St Cloud State)
Chair: Mike Nordby (Campus Assistance)
Recorder:
Note:
System Office:
Kathy Froysland (ITS)
Roger Gillson (ITS)
John Hoffoss (ITS Security Specialist)
Lisa Liljedahl (ITS)
Dave Lund (ITS)
Teri Welter (ITS)
Via webex:
Deb Bednarz (Financial Planning & Analysis)
Amy Deck (ITS Helpdesk)
Via Webex:
Al Finlayson (Lake Superior College)
Kathy Dugdale (Lake Superior College)
Steve Smith (MSU Mankato)
Special Guests: Tom Matejcek (ITS), Steve Hawrysh (Student’s First Project Manager), Guilette Douvier (ITS)
Unable to attend: Craig Erickson (Normandale); Roy Trousdell (Hennepin TC)
TOPIC
FUG convenes – 9:00am
6/20/20167:15 PM
DISCUSSION
Introductions
Page 1 of 4
Demo: Proxy Bill Payer
Hosted by Tom Matejcek & Dave Lund
This function, which is an extension of the Bills and Payments application, lets students give
someone else access to view and pay their bills.
See Handouts (attached):
 Proxy Bill Payer – How It Works
 Proxy Bill Payer – Terms & Conditions
FUG Comments & suggestions:
 On the notification emails, the important action information should be above the
web link. (Most recipients click the link before reading the whole email)
 Can the time allowed for proxy acceptance be increased from 3 days to 5 days? (ex:
For orientations that last 2 days, a student might process the access the first day
leaving the proxy only 1 day following the orientation to accept it.)
 Can the 6 month interval in which proxy access must be recertified be increased
from 6 months to 9 months?
Update on FUG comments (2/29/12):
 We have changed the “Notice of Access” email to proxy bill payers so that the most
important information is above the web address. Specifically, the statement that
the proxy bill payer should “bookmark or save the web address” is now above the
web address itself. See attachment.
 System Office Information Security has reviewed the request to allow 5 days for a
proxy bill payer to activate access instead of 3 days. They have given the OK to this
and the change is in progress.
 Information Security has also reviewed the request to increase the interval for recertification of access from 6 to 9 months. MnSCU guidelines for password usage
and handling requires that passwords (i.e. access codes) must be changed at least
every 180 days. See guideline 5.23.1.1 (for Board Policy 5.23). Therefore, we
cannot increase the re-certification period beyond 180 days.
An attendee had also asked if the two emails sent to a proxy bill payer could be consolidated
to a single email. This is problematic for a couple of reasons:
 The student is copied on the email that includes the web address to their bills &
payments account. If this email also had the access code, the student would then
have the full login credentials that should be secured to just the proxy bill payer.
 It is somewhat less secure to put both the web address and access code in the same
email.
Therefore the system will send two emails as currently designed.
6/20/20167:15 PM
Page 2 of 4
Discussion Session
1.
Chapter 33 Veterans certifications and payments (Mike & Teri)
 Long term solution: A Task Force needed to define system requirements and
identify gaps in current system processing.
 Short Term solution: Best Practice (or Options) Document
- If you would like to share current practices; what works and what
doesn’t. They will be used to put together an info sharing
document to give campuses some ideas they can try.
Responses requested:
o Campuses interested in participating in the task force can contact Mike
Nordby or Teri Welter. Ideally, 3rd Party processor and VA certification
officer would participate.
o Campuses that would like to share their method of processing the VA
benefits may send them to Mike Nordby. We are very interested in learning
what has worked well for each campus, and not so well. We will begin
compiling them during the week of February 27 with a goal to produce a
guide document to share during March.
2.
New RES status code for new entering Wisconsin students.
 Unanimous FUG interest in this. Financial Planning & Analysis unit to contact
Dave Thorn for more information.
3.
ECSI and Perkins Loan prom notes
 We are all still using paper notes and now have to pay a fee for the entrance
counseling. ECSI offers an electronic promissory note service.
 This has been added to the FUG’s “continuous improvement” project list.
4.
MCE Interface change
 The ability to upload the MCE data is a significant time saver compared with the
manual entry process via the MCE web page.
 This has been placed on the FUG’s “Keep The Lights On” project list.
Update 3/5/12:
A Doodle request has been sent to core FUG members to identify a day/time for a
scope and business rule definition webex session during week of 3/19/12.
5.
6/20/20167:15 PM
Communication Module Update
 The Communication Module has been previously used for Tax Reporting and will
be incorporated into future projects as they call for it’s functionality.
 ITS Web Communication Documentation Page
Page 3 of 4
6.
eProcurement Possibilities (Purchasing & Contracts)
 U of M has tabled their RFP plan.
 MNSCU is now looking for volunteers to participate in completing an RFP and
reviewing responses for the System.
See Handout (attached):
 eProcurement Initiative Summary
Responses requested:
 Interested parties can contact Dave Lund, Steve Gednalske, or Mike Nordby.
Not discussed due to time:
7. Purging of Student Direct Deposit Accounts (Lisa Liljedahl)
Intro New IT Priority
Setting Process
New IT Priority Work Classifications
 Keep The Lights On (Required Maintenance)
 Continuous Improvement
 System Initiatives
See Handouts (attached):
 IT Priority Setting Process
 IT Development Categories
Prioritization Discussion
Roger Gillson led a prioritization discussion on the unfinished enhancement requests and
projects. As required for the IT priority setting process, the discussion had the following
goals…
1. Review and approve/disapprove new enhancement requests.
2. Identify “Keep the Lights On” items (required maintenance)
3. Identify and prioritize top “Continuous Improvement” projects
Results of the prioritization:
 eProcurement and PCS redesign is top priority and included on the “New Initiative”
list.
 The FUG Identified their “Keep The Lights On” Projects. <Link to List on web>
 The FUG Prioritized their top “Continuous Improvement” Projects. <Link to List on
web>
See attached lists for results of the review.
 FUG Project List
 FUG RNT Enhancement Requests
Meeting Adjourned – 4:00 pm
6/20/20167:15 PM
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