OUC News Archive

September 20, 2024

Get Ready for the 2025 CU Innovation & Efficiency Program!

The OUC is getting ready for our 2025 employee recognition program. This year, this includes reaching out directly to campus departments to promote awareness of the CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Awards Program.

September 5, 2024

Month-End Scheduled Reports: Time to Renew Your CU-Data Credentials

Many of you have scheduled certain m-Fin reports to run automatically at month-end close. The upgraded (as of August) CU-Data environment requires you to renew your credentials to ensure your scheduled reports run without interruption.

August 30, 2024

CU-Data Upgrade … and the Value of Clearing Cache

As you know, the CU-Data reporting system upgraded to Cognos 12.0.3 during the evening of August 15, 2024. The upgrade introduced improvements to the user interface and navigation in the CU-Data home environment.

Skillsoft Upgrade

The Skillsoft learning management system will be upgraded to Percipio next week.

August 15, 2024

CU-Data Upgrade Rescheduled: Thursday Evening, August 15

The planned upgrade for the CU-Data reporting system – originally set for Wednesday evening, August 14 – has been rescheduled to Thursday evening, August 15.

August 5, 2024

CU-Data Upgrade – Now Scheduled for August 15

We're happy to announce that we've restarted the upgrade of the CU-Data reporting system: our new go-live date is Thursday, August 15, 2024.

June 27, 2024

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: We Congratulate This Year's Winners!

Congratulations to the individuals and teams, across all CU campuses, whose submissions were vetted and accepted by the 2024 CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards Program! We're pleased to announce the winners of this year's awards.

Stay on Track with Fiscal Year-End Tasks and Deadlines

The end of the current fiscal year is rapidly approaching. Stay on track with the help of the FY 2024 Year-End Calendar.

June 12, 2024

Period 12 System Close moves from July 5 to July 8, 2024

Friday, July 5, 2024, has recently been designated an additional CU holiday. As a result, Period 12 System Close is moving from July 5 to July 8, and the OUC has updated certain year-end calendar tasks in OnBase.

Fiscal Year-End Website Updates

June 30 is just around the corner! Check out our Fiscal Year-End webpage for some recent enhancements.

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: Prizes to be Announced June 27

Voting has been completed and prizes determined. We'll be issuing the formal announcements of the 2024 CU Innovation & Efficiency Award Program winners on June 27, 2024.

May 31, 2024

New OUC Forms Website Creates Improved User Experience

We're excited to introduce our re-engineered webpages and to highlight some of the enhancements we've implemented. These enhancements are based on OUC experience ... and on your direct feedback.

Account Quick Reference Card Updated

We're happy to announce the recent update of the Account Quick Reference Card.

May 3, 2024

Congrats to CU Innovation & Efficiency Award Finalists

We’re pleased to announce the finalists for the 2024 CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Award Program! Ten outstanding submissions will be moving forward for award consideration.

New OUC Forms Website Coming Next Week!

We're excited to be nearing the launch date for the enhanced OUC Forms section of our website.

April 29, 2024

CU I&E: Addressing Challenges to Make CU Work Better

As discussed earlier this month, we continue to spotlight the excellent submissions to this year's CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Awards Program.

CU I&E: Supporting Students and Employees, and Enhancing Security

Employees have submitted some exciting projects to this year's CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Awards Program!

April 24, 2024

FY 2024 Year-End Information

Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Year-End dates, processing deadlines, and other information is available on the Office of University Controller Accounting & Finance website.

Reminder: New OUC Forms Website and Forms Project Coming Soon

As discussed earlier this month, the OUC is excited to be nearing the launch date for our enhanced OUC Forms website.

CU I&E: Automating Processes to Save Staff Time/Resources

As promised earlier this month, we'll be highlighting each of the submissions to this year's CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Awards Program in a series of OUC Newsletter articles.

April 5, 2024

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: Many Exciting Submissions

The 2024 program year for the CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Awards has wrapped up its submission phase.

Coming Soon: New OUC Forms Website and Forms Project

Coming soon: We're happy to announce that we'll be launching an enhanced OUC Forms website later this month.

March 29, 2024

Three Days Left! CU I&E Award Submissions due Sunday, March 31

You have until end of day on Sunday, March 31, to submit your innovative projects to the CU I&E Awards Program.

CU I&E: New Submissions Promote Shared Services, Employee Evaluations, and Accessibility Resources

We have three recent submissions to the CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Awards Program this week.

March 20, 2024

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: Deadline March 31

Don't miss the chance to share how you've made CU work better!

CU-Data Upgrade: Work Continues

Work continues on the upgrade to the CU-Data reporting system. The go-live date will be announced as soon as it's determined.

March 7, 2024

CU-Data Upgrade: New Timeline

The CU-Data reporting system will be upgraded to Cognos 12 this spring. The go-live date will be communicated as soon as it is known.

CU I&E: A Solution to Scheduling Nightmares

If the words "scheduling nightmares" resonate with you, you'll want to take a look at our latest CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Awards Program submission: Fix Bloody Mess: Developing an On-Call Provider Dashboard.

New ePERS Report Available

Do you certify effort on sponsored projects? You may want to check out our new m-Fin report, ePERs by Project or Award.

March 1, 2024

CU-Data Upgrade This Month

As discussed earlier this month, m-Fin report users will see some changes in CU-Data when the reporting system is upgraded to Cognos 12 on March 14.

CU I&E: New Submission Highlights the Value of Automating Forms

A new CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Awards Program submission charts the development and automation of a form to enhance data accuracy and customer service.

Finance System PUM Update: Saved Searches Reminder

On February 18, we implemented the annual PeopleSoft Update Manager (PUM) update for the Finance System.

February 16, 2024

Finance System Annual Update Reminder - February 18

On February 18, we implement the annual PeopleSoft Update Manager (PUM) update for the Finance System.

Next Month brings a CU-Data Upgrade

As discussed earlier this month, m-Fin report users will see some changes in CU-Data on March 14, when the reporting system is upgraded to Cognos 12.

Fund Transfer Rules Website Redesigned

We've recently redesigned the Fund Transfer Rules section of the OUC website, connecting to additional ChartFields & Attributes resources and providing links to each of the campus tables.

CU I&E Award Submissions Highlight Better Experiences for Employees and Students

The 2024 CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Awards Program just kicked off on February 1 ... and we already have two great submissions to share.

February 1, 2024

m-Fin Report Users: Get Ready for the CU-Data Upgrade

On March 14, the CU-Data reporting system will be upgraded to Cognos 12 -- introducing an enhanced User Interface (UI) with streamlined navigation and other features.

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: 2024 Program Opens on February 1

Don’t be shy: share your accomplishments with colleagues across CU through the annual CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards Program!

January 17, 2024

Finance System Annual Update Time (February is the month!)

February brings the annual PeopleSoft Update Manager (PUM) update for the Finance System.

January 4, 2024

Master XLOOKUP and VLOOKUP in our January CPE Class

Our series of Mastering Excel courses provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of formulas and techniques to efficiently manage data and visualize it in charts and dashboards.

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: 2024 Program Opens on February 1

Don’t be shy: share your accomplishments with colleagues across CU through the annual CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards Program!

December 21, 2023

Holiday Calendar Adjustments: December Close, Foundation Automated Transfer Schedule

As we approach the holiday closures of December/January, we've had some questions on process scheduling.

FY2023 Annual Financial Report on OUC Website

The OUC is pleased to announce that the University of Colorado FY2023 Annual Financial Report, and the University of Colorado FY2023 Financial and Compliance Report, are available on the OUC website.

December/January Holiday Closure

The OUC, along with other CU System Administration offices, will be closed from Monday, December 25, 2023, through Monday, January 1, 2024.

November 30, 2023

Financial Services & Solutions (FSS): Here to Help

Looking for advice regarding a financial or procurement system ... form ... or process?

We still field questions from departments about where they should go with specific technical and policy/procedural issues -- so the OUC's Help webpage includes contact information for other offices and not just our own.

Reminder: Don't Risk Being Taxed on Business Expenses

Don't risk being taxed on your business expenses!

The Finance Procedural Statement Business Expense Substantiation & Tax Implications explains the requirements for timely substantiation and submission of employee-incurred business expenses (Airfare Card, Travel Card, Procurement Card, out-of-pocket reimbursement requests, cash advances) in order to avoid having the expenses reported as part of the employee's own taxable income.

October 27, 2023

Kristina Mendez Wins UCSC Staff Excellence Award

Congratulations to OUC Learning Design Manager Kristina Mendez! Kristina is one of 10 staff members from across CU (two from each campus and two from System Administration) to be recognized by the University of Colorado Staff Council (UCSC) at their 2023 Staff Excellence Awards ceremony this month.

New Frequency Requirement for Information Security Awareness Training

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month so it's an appropriate time for CU to implement a new frequency requirement for its online (Skillsoft) Information Security Awareness training.

Official Functions: Your Feedback!

If you're planning events with meals or snacks, you'll want to review the Finance Procedural Statement (formerly PSC Procedural Statement) Official Functions.

October 2, 2023

Plan Ahead for System Outage: CU Data Center Move begins Friday, October 6 at Noon

With the beginning of the CU Data Center Move at noon on Friday, October 6, the Finance System (FIN), m-Fin reports in CU-Data, and other systemwide production applications will go offline. They will remain offline until 8:00 a.m. on Monday, October 9.

August 24, 2023

Fundraising Events and Cvent: Using New Designation Numbers

Does your organizational unit administer fundraising events? Do you use Cvent software for event registration and revenue collection purposes?

August 4, 2023

Finance Inquiry and Journal Entry Courses - Updated in Skillsoft

We recently updated two online courses in Skillsoft: PeopleSoft Finance System Inquiry and PeopleSoft Finance System Journal Entries.

Looking up your Grant Accountant

Our Financial Services & Solutions (FSS) Help team is often asked how to identify the grant accountant assigned to a sponsored project SpeedType. You can find this information in the Finance System, and on the header of certain m-Fin reports in CU-Data.

June 22, 2023

Additional Holiday on July 3 Impacts Some FYE Tasks

With the designation of an additional CU holiday on Monday, July 3, 2023, some fiscal year-end (FYE) tasks are being rescheduled.

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: Congratulations to the Winners!

We congratulate all the individuals and teams who successfully submitted innovative projects to this year's CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards Program!

May 31, 2023

Coming Soon: Gift Card Authorization Request Form

The Office of University Controller has been working with campus gift card experts and University Information Services (UIS) to migrate the Gift Card Authorization Request (GC) form from Excel to OnBase.

April 28, 2023

FYE 2023 Information on OUC Website

Looking for Fiscal Year-End dates and processing deadlines?

We've updated the Office of University Controller Accounting & Finance website with the following information.

CU Foundation Gift Data Freeze Period: May 12-May 30

As discussed in our April 17 OUC newsletter, the CU Foundation (Foundation) and CU Advancement are implementing a new fundraising system in May, resulting in a change to the automated wire transfer schedule for linked gift fund SpeedTypes. There will be a two-week freeze (May 12-30, 2023) on Advancement and Foundation data input/output in Advance and Advancement Intelligence (AI).

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: Celebrating our Semifinalists

The next round of voting has completed, and the semifinalists for this year's CU Innovation & Efficient Awards Program are announced!

April 17, 2023

CU Foundation Automated Transfer Schedule - Update

The CU Foundation Automated Transfer Schedule has recently been revised due to the Foundation undergoing a system update in May.

CPE Reminder: Upcoming Classes in Work-Life Balance, Excel, and JE Spreadsheets

Nurture your personal and professional performance ... polish your skills in Excel ... or learn how to upload large journal entries through spreadsheets.

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: This Year's Submissions Have a Lot to Share

The 2023 program year for the CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Awards has concluded -- and we have an impressive group of submissions to share with you.

March 31, 2023

Don’t Risk Being Taxed on Business Expenses

In response to many requests, we've created a short explainer video, now available on the Business Expense Substantiation & Tax Implications website.

Final Days to Submit to CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards

Have you made CU work better? You have just three more days to tell us about it.

Professional Development Opportunities Next Week, Next Month

There's a lot you can learn starting next week, including fiscal roles, m-Fin report scheduling, Excel tips and formulas, work/life balance, and journal entry spreadsheets.

March 29, 2023

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: Last Week to Submit

This is your last week to submit your innovative practices for recognition, sharing, and a possible cash prize in the 2023 CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Awards Program.

CPE Webinars Open for Registration

Want to learn more about Excel ... running m-Fin reports ... how fiscal roles impact financial management ... or how to improve your performance at work?

March 17, 2023

CU I&E Awards: There's Still Time to Share Your Innovation

Yes, there's still time. Perhaps even more time than you thought.

Coffee Card Contest: Business Expense Substantiation & Tax Implications

Thanks to all of you who reviewed the new Finance Procedural Statement Business Expense Substantiation & Tax Implications ... used the Feedback form to send us your thoughtful questions and comments ... and took the quiz to reinforce what you'd learned. You've shown such diligence in ensuring that you and your departments are ready for the revised procedures, and it's one of the reasons that it's such a pleasure to work with all of you. We appreciate you!

Continuing Professional Development: Ready to Learn Something New?

Here's an opportunity (actually - many opportunities) to learn something new. The Office of University Controller is scheduling a series of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) courses over the next several months.

March 10, 2023

Tell us What You've Done - Soon! CU I&E Awards Final Month

You still have time. Join your colleagues in telling us what you've done to make CU work better.

We continue to receive submissions to this year's CU Innovation & Efficiency (CU I&E) Awards Program - and our team is currently reviewing some great entries prior to posting them.

Process Pain Points - anyone? anyone?

We're ready for spring cleaning and maybe you are, too. So give us a few housecleaning tips as we look to prioritize policy, process, and form review this calendar year. We have our very handy OUC News Forum webform, it makes communicating your comments easy.

February 23, 2023

Journal Entry Attachments: New Options

This February, with the annual Finance System update, you have new ways to add attachments to journal entries (JEs).

Recognition Feels Good: Check out the CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards Program

Valentine’s Day may be a week ago, but we still love hearing about how you’ve improved your department business processes and saved CU time, money, and hassles.

February 8, 2023

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: 2023 Program Open for Submissions

The Office of University Controller has just opened up the 2023 CU I&E Program for submissions. Now is your chance to tell us how you’ve re-engineered operations, enhanced communication, built employee engagement, improved customer service, or otherwise made CU work better. You can inspire other employees to take a new look at their own procedures. You may even win a cash prize.

Business Expense Substantiation: Top Questions on Exceptions

With the revised Business Expense Substantiation & Tax Implications procedures taking effect last month, the top questions to the OUC's Financial Services & Solutions (FSS Help) team are: how has the business expense substantiation process changed, and how can an employee request an exception to a notice of taxable expenses.

December 22, 2022

FY2022 Annual Financial Report

The Office of University Controller (OUC) is pleased to announce that the University of Colorado FY2022 Annual Financial Report, and the University of Colorado FY2022 Financial and Compliance Report, are available on the OUC website.

December 21, 2022

Get Ready for Jan 1: Top Questions on Business Expense Substantiation

As employees get ready for the expanded impact of the new Business Expense Substantiation & Tax Implications procedures, the top questions we've received over the past several weeks are related to Procurement Card reassigned transactions ... pre-trip expenses on Procurement Cards and Travel Cards ... what needs to happen within 90 days to avoid taxation to the employee ... and what the January 1 effective date means in terms of processing.

December 14, 2022

Business Expense Substantiation: Don’t Risk Income Tax on your Procurement Card Transactions

With the revised Finance Procedural Statement Business Expense Substantiation & Tax Implications, effective January 1, 2023, requirements for timely substantiation/submission of business expenses apply to commercial credit card transactions – including Procurement Card – in addition to employee reimbursements.

Get Ready: Don’t Risk Income Tax on your Travel Expenses

Get ready for the revised Business Expense Substantiation & Tax Implications procedures. Effective January 1, 2023, requirements for timely substantiation/submission of business expenses apply to Travel Card and Airfare Card transactions, as well as to employee out-of-pocket reimbursements.

December 9, 2022

Capital Assets Procedures - Revised

Effective December 1, 2022, we’ve updated the Capital Assets chapter of the Accounting Handbook.

Get Ready: Business Expense Substantiation & Tax Implications

If you submit travel or other reimbursement expense reports in Concur, you may already be familiar with current requirements for substantiating/submitting business-related expenses that you've covered personally. With the revised procedures, requirements for timely substantiation/submission of business expenses apply to commercial credit card transactions (Procurement Card, Travel Card, Airfare Card) and to cash advances, in addition to employee reimbursements. Failure to comply with these requirements within 90 days of end of trip or (for non-travel expenses) within 90 days of date the expense was incurred, will result in the full amount being reported as taxable income to the employee.

December 1, 2022

Official Functions: Increased Per-Person Costs Requiring Officer Approval

Does your department purchase food/beverage for official functions – for example, staff appreciation, recognition, recruitment, donor cultivation, or similar events?

Business Expense Substantiation & Tax Implications

The University of Colorado has developed policies related to the processing of commercial credit card transactions (Procurement Card, Travel Card, Airfare Card), cash advances, and employee reimbursements that meet the IRS definition of an accountable plan.

November 1, 2022

Quarter 1 PIE - Calculations Corrected

We're pleased to announce that the problem previously reported with the Quarter 1 Pooled Investment Earnings (PIE) journals has been solved.

October 11, 2022

Quarter 1 PIE - Incorrect Calculations

We are seeing some issues with the Pooled Investment Earnings (PIE) calculations for first quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2023.

May 27, 2022

Congratulations, CU Innovation & Efficiency Award Winners!

Every year, it’s a challenging job to select who will win prizes from the many CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards Program submissions.

May 20, 2022

CPE: Enhance Your Virtual Presentation Skills in June

In response to a number of inquiries: yes, we do have space available to register in our next Presenter Certification class!

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: Here are the Semifinalists

We’ve narrowed the pool to eight semifinalist teams who completed video interviews and responded to in-person questions as part of the final selection process to determine awards

Annual Financial Reports on the OUC Website

Did you know that you can access previous years’ reports online?

CU-Data Compensation Summary Report - Update

For those of you who run compensation reports in CU-Data, note that the m-Fin Compensation Summary was recently revised to include monthly percent columns.

April 29, 2022

CU-Data Scheduled Reports: Reminder

If you changed your network password in the last month or so, you may need to log into CU-Data and renew your credentials for your schedules to work.

CPE: May 2022 Professional Development Opportunities

Our upcoming Continuing Professional Education (CPE) webinars offer pathways to help you enhance your professional presentation skills.

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: Great Work on All Campuses

The 2022 CU I&E Program year submission period has closed and we've heard about a number of creative projects on all campuses.

Meet the OUC: Learn More about What We Do for You

You can learn more about what we do, and how you intersect with the OUC's teams as you fulfill your fiscal responsibilities, through our new short intro video, Meet the OUC.

March 30, 2022

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: Deadline This Week

Time's running out for you to submit to the 2022 CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards Program!

CPE: Professional Development Opportunities Available

The Office of University Controller is pleased to present several ways for you to hone your skills this spring.

March 17, 2022

Meet the OUC: Learn More about What We Do for You

Learn more about what we do, and how you intersect with the OUC's teams as you fulfill your fiscal responsibilities.

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: Two More Weeks to Share Your Story

The CU I&E deadline is approaching ... but you still have time to tell us your story.

Scheduled Reports Need Current Passwords

If you've scheduled m-Fin reports to run automatically at month-end, please note that changes to your network password can interrupt that process.

Report Update: m-Fin Project One-Liner and Project Principal ID

We recently enhanced the m-Fin Project One-Liner report to include a Project Principal ID column.

March 3, 2022

Journal Notifications

The annual Finance System update (effective February 12, 2022) introduced a new look for the FIN homepages.

CU Innovation & Efficiency Awards: Deadline March 31

This year’s submission period closes March 31, so there's still time to participate.

Getting Help from FSS

We want to highlight some areas where multiple questions suggest we should clarify where to go for guidance.

Improving the Tax-Exempt Website

We would like your feedback on the Tax-Exempt Status website.