Finance User Group Meeting
Minutes
Meeting:
Date:
Finance User Group Meeting
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Start Time:
Location:
Participants:
9:00 a.m.
St Cloud State University, Atwood Memorial Center Voyageur South
Dawn Belko, Dee Bernard, Ronald Blakesley, Beth Buse , Diana Fliss,
Kathy Froysland, Margaret Jenniges , Karen Kedrowski, Mike
Kroening Lisa Liljedahl, Dave Lund, Jan Marble, Wendy Meyer, Pat
Nordick, Bill O'Brien, Betty Opdahl, Marie Peterson, Ron Scherman,
Tim Stoddard, Kent Smith, Dave Thorn, Chris Vopatek, Jeff Wagner,
Teri Welter, Jerry Winans
Wednesday
9:00
9:15
TOPIC
Welcome
Withdrawal and R2T4 – Prevent aid overages
from applying to withdrawn students before
R2T4 is completed
5/22/200711:21 AM
Chair: Marie Peterson
Recorder: Kathy Froysland, Lisa Liljedahl, Dave Lund, Teri Welter, &
Bill O’Brien
DISCUSSION LEADER
Marie Peterson
Jeff Wagner
Page 1 of 5
PARKING – Pick up your parking permit at the Public Safety Bldg
Not in attendance: Beth Buse, Margaret Jenniges, Karen Kedrowski,
Dave Lund, Kent Smith
DESIRED OUTCOME/DISCUSSION
Introduce new members
ƒ Betty Opdahl, Rainy River Community College
ƒ Diana Fliss, Minnesota West Community & Technical College
Funds applied enhancement: Student with W grades in a term and
receiving aid for a term should go to refund screen prior to paying
overage.
9:30
Change to Procedure 7.6.2, Accounts Receivable
Management, Part 4. Subpart C. Billing –
“Paper invoices shall not be issued on a
routine basis.”
10:00
Best practices web site for Finance
10:30
Break
5/22/200711:21 AM
Dee Bernard
Marie Peterson
Page 2 of 5
Group Discussion:
ƒ Not all institutions have ability to implement totally – no formal
e-mail communication means.
ƒ Working towards moving away from paper invoices
ƒ If e-mail is formal communication, some feel by sending invoice
is sending the wrong message
ƒ Some use generic reminder post card
ƒ Send invoice once saying this is the LAST Invoice you will
receive.
ƒ Additional ‘Registration Lead to Payment’ functionality will help
this issue.
ƒ ACTION ITEM: Possibly add a message at front end of
eServices portal ‘You Owe $xxx …..’
ƒ Reason for procedure – Align invoicing practices. System is not
ready to support completely – no front end.
ƒ SUGGESTION: Need standardized financial aid procedures
such as award notification.
ƒ SUGGESTION: Do a webex demo of the new student
registration system.
Group Discussion:
ƒ Is this a Good idea? Concept is good but how to maintain – who
is owner is a concern.
ƒ What Information – solutions for common issues / problems
o Common Audit Findings
o Tie to business process and internal control – objective.
o Collect a directory of go to guys mnscu wide
ƒ Can this group help make it happen
o Campus assistance could send out ‘tip of the week’
ƒ Internal Audit involvement-knows who does things well
ƒ Include on the Campus Assistance website
o Suggestion for a bulletin board/wiche
o Suggestion to discuss with ITS regarding site since
enterprise IT is discussing web documentation
o Allow access to campus procedures usually posted on
campuses intra-net site.
o Make use of Accounting listserv
o Tip of the week that you can sign up to receive via email or view on website organized into topics.
o Possibly use RNT Knowledge base.
10:45
Return to Title 4 using GEN vs. Other Funds
Marie Peterson
11:00
Audit trail to verify that faculty have checked
class lists on line to report “no shows”.
Marie Peterson
11:15
Change accounting rule that blocks the HR
assignment encumbrance:
ƒ Current edit disallows creation of
assignment if insufficient budget
balance
ƒ Zero assignment created with payroll
distribution amounts
ƒ Employees are paid without
encumbrance
ƒ Payroll transactions are posting to
payroll default cost centers until budget
is increased and assignment fixed
11:45
12:15
12:45
Lunch Provided
Unclaimed Property Guideline.
Budget module update
5/22/200711:21 AM
Al Finlayson
Group Discussion:
ƒ How are others reimbursing the account in LSO
ƒ Are campuses budgeting for this using GEN funds
ƒ Burden on local bank account
ƒ Does a best practice or enhancement need to be developed
Need to fix over awarding students aid by initiating a proof of attendance
procedure. Mpls budgets out of general fund.
ƒ Should there be an automated process to move funds from GEN
to LSO? Should Overaward receivable be set up in the GEN
fund?
ACTION ITEM: Financial Reporting unit needs to determine
this procedure and bring back to next FUG meeting.
Group Discussion:
ƒ How are others handling this
ƒ Does a best practice or enhancement need to be developed
IFO will not allow this. Will need to be a mandated contract item.
There is not a federal requirement to take attendance. Faculty can
record a grade of non attendance (FN) SUGGESTION: Discuss with
Presidents/ BPAC for alignment. Either need to solve the problem or
recognize that there is a cost - % of appropriation.
Group Discussion:
ƒ Remove block so that HR assignment will encumber money
regardless of available budget balance
ƒ Do not allow payroll distribution record “work around” so
that employees are paid
ƒ Need consensus or
ƒ Bring to Budget Taskforce for discussion
Close loophole. Need to be sure correct cost center is used so need to
maintain the budget edit. Possibly enter the assignment in a pending
status until budget is available.
ACTION: Work with HR to resolve.
Paul Portz
Lisa Liljedahl
Page 3 of 5
Group Discussion and Approval
Power Point presentation and procedure attached.
ACTION ITEM: Notify FA users that FISAP should be adjusted if
property is repaid to closed federal years.
Informational
• Add campus ID parameter to retrieve base staff data
1:15
NSF Holds:
• Appeals
• Releasing holds
1:45
ITV ISRS Updates Feedback
Teri Welter
Kathy Froysland
Informational
• Uniface portion of changes are in production
o Create hold
o Message on AR0119UG
• Web portion – February
o Not allow payment via web if 0021 hold
o Do we allow web payment if student has appealed the
hold?
• Releasing Hold
o Currently hold needs to manually released
Needed Changes:
o Remove affected areas RG and GT
o Add a new affected area – Web payment – Stop
o Appeal – must be approved before it is considered a hold
Group Discussion – Feedback from survey was positive – want it to
continue
Suggested Improvements
o Eliminate gaps between items
o Make sure microphone is near speaker
o Educate campuses on muting microphone
2:00
2:15
Break
Other Enhancement Requests
2:45
Review Web directed payment for non-credit
classes
3:45
Regional CFO Group Updates
4:15
Next Meetings
5/22/200711:21 AM
Kathy Froysland
Teri Welter
Ron Blakesley, Mike
Kroening, Wendy
Meyer, Pat Nordick,
Marie Peterson
Page 4 of 5
Answer ID 2697 – The ability to cancel/reissue a vendor check and to
have all outstanding credit memo and payment transactions for the
vendor applied during the reissue process.
APPROVED
Group Discussion
DECISION:
Modify ISRS to allow Directed Payment by type of Receivable without
Partial Payment.
• Tuition and Fees
• Housing
• Non Credit Courses
• Fines and other manually entered receivables grouped by Invoice
Number
Information or concerns to share
Northern (Jerry/Ron) – Discussed fallout from RCFN (not much),
Continuation of Business Operations Planning. Retirement Planning
Dates and locations for next year:
February 13-14, St Cloud
May 1-2, St Paul
July 31-August 1, Brainerd
December 4-5, St Cloud
Agenda items for next meeting
4:30
Thanks and Farewell to departing members
Campus Members:
Dee Bernard
Ronald Blakesley
Pat Nordick
Dawn Belko
Mike Kroening
Jan Marble
Wendy Meyer
Dave Thorn
Chris Vopatek
Ron Scherman
Jeff Wagner
Jerry Winans
Campus:
Minneapolis Community & Technical College
Hibbing Community & Technical College
Minnesota State Community & Technical
College
North Hennepin
Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Anoka Technical College
Winona State University
Central Lakes College
Pine Technical College
St. Cloud State University
Bemidji State University
Office of the Chancellor Representative:
Tim Stoddard
Margaret Jenniges
Karen Kedrowski
Kathy Froysland
Lisa Liljedahl
Dave Lund
Marie Peterson
Bill O'Brien
Kent Smith
Teri Welter
Beth Buse
5/22/200711:21 AM
Everyone
Title:
Assoc. Vice-Chancellor-Financial
Reporting
Director, Financial Reporting
Program Dir. – Budget
Finance Business Support Analyst
Finance Business Analyst – Development
Finance Business Analyst
Campus Assistance Representative - Chair
Finance Division
Finance Business Support Analyst
Finance Business Analyst - Development
Internal Audit
Page 5 of 5
Dee Bernard and Pat Nordick