Unit Action Plan

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2006-2007 Unit Action Plan

Division:

Administration & Finance College/Unit:

Finance Department:

Purchasing

Significant Areas of Success:

¾ Implemented Banner Purchasing module on time May 1, 2005 • On-line requisitions

• On-line approvals

• Automatically printed signatures on all Laser copies of POs • Commodities used for reporting

¾ Banner Training of Campus

• 6 User Guides created and maintained for Purchasing Modules • More than 125 classroom hours teaching

• More than 250 end-users training in some portion of Purchasing Module ¾ Closed Science Stores Operation & liquidated all inventory. The model was no longer

working with the initiation of web ordering off of a master contract. This will be more efficient and reduce inventory. Space was turned over to Arts and Sciences.

¾ Hosted Annual Vendor Show with over 315 attendees visiting over 24vendors ¾ Provided purchasing services, 105 bids and RFPs for approx 35 departments. ¾ Opened P-card for travel & entertainment (upon request) – Revised p-card manual ¾ Increased utilization of p-card from approx $400k - $600k per month

¾ Assisted in acquisitions and short time lines in Presidential Task Force initiatives • Classroom Renovation

• Wireless

• PC Replacement

¾ Reduced number of PO’s processed for reduced cost • FY’04

 4900 printed Pos  avg amount $11,506.72  1906 pos <$1000

 23,952 pcard transactions  $4,223,965 total pcard spend • FY’05

 4446 printed pos

 Avg amount $10,921.35  1589 pos <$1000

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 26,884 P-card transactions $5,448,208 total P-card spend Ongoing or Proposed Significant Activities:

¾ Continue Banner Implementation and Training

• Xtender Imaging Solution implementation for FY’07  Reduction of need for paper

 Reduction in need for file cabinets

 Improved access to documents through Banner  Possible need to scanning equipment in the future ¾ Continue P-card expansion and security

• Plan to provide transaction detail reporting within Banner • Continue to monitor and reduce small dollar Purchase orders • Increase pcard use to expedite department needs

• Plan to introduce personal cards and reduce department named cards to decrease fraud exposure

• As card use grows, invesitgate part-time admin to assist in clerical duties associated with p-card

Funding from rebate dollars

¾ Continue to work with our end user Departments • Requires Full-Time Position and funding source

 Current Purchasing Assistant is funded by Banner Project • Funding ends 6/30/06

• Temp Position ends 2/28/07

• $ 27-30k Annual Salary plus Benefits

• Banner processes have strengthened and automated in many places but require the purchasing office to touch and convert every requisition, many steps previously not required in FRS.

• Banner has provided a terrific looking laser printed purchase order but it requires us to print them in the purchasing department rather than in operations.

• This position is vital to the smooth operations of the Purchasing Department and continued communication & support of the campus.

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2006-2007 Unit Action Plan

Division:

Finance Department:

Risk Management & Insurance

• Largely due to an increasingly-positive loss experience, as well as a continually-aggressive legal defense policy, the University received a total of $251,868 in property and casualty dividends for the 2004-2005 fiscal year.

• The University also successfully closed three major, long-term claims this year, obtaining a total return of $355,909 in legal sanctions.

• Insurance coverage for the 2005-2006 policy year was secured for the University, Kendall College of Art and Design, and the Ferris Foundation. The University’s overall premium was 0.4% lower than that for the previous policy year.

• The Office of Risk Management & Insurance continued to play a significant role in implementing the University’s Emergency Response Plan, working not only with the core Emergency Response Team but also with the Building Emergency Coordinators. Tabletop exercises were performed utilizing the Incident Command System. Training was also provided on crisis communications, First Aid, AEDs, CPR, and fire suppression. We also assisted with the planning and development of an Emergency Operations Center. The fine-tuning and training associated with emergency response is an on-going activity.

• This office also participated in and/or facilitated a variety of University-wide loss control efforts related to such topics as cyber risk in higher education, summer camps, affiliation agreements, automated external defibrillators (AEDs), severe weather response and

emergency evacuation of residence halls and other buildings, vehicle safety, and office safety. • In addition, Risk Management & Insurance actively participated in seminars and discussions

with other members of M.U.S.I.C., MHEC, and the Universities Risk Management & Insurance Association (URMIA). This year, the University's risk manager attended the Stetson University College of Law National Conference on Law in Higher Education and the Homeland Security Conference. These activities enabled us to share strategies and enhance and/or develop procedures with the goal of attaining best practices.

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• Ferris State University was represented on the panel of experts at the M.U.S.I.C.-sponsored safety symposium on Cyber Risk in Higher Education, M.U.S.I.C.'s 2004-2005 loss control theme. Ferris State University's Information Services and Telecommunications Department was awarded $1,000 for their submission to M.U.S.I.C.'s annual Safety Incentive

competition which was related to the cyber risk topic. This award (FSU's third) is another example of the University's on-going commitment to safety and loss control.

Ongoing or Proposed Significant Activities:

In addition to on-going, daily support activities related to loss control, insurance, and

unemployment compensation, the Office of Risk Management & Insurance will continue to assist Campus Police and the University’s Safety Coordinator with continued

implementation of the Emergency Response Plan and Building Emergency Coordinator training. Safety in Academic Laboratories will be a major risk management thrust this year, with kick-off training activities scheduled for March 2006. Implementation of the approved AED program will be completed, tentatively by July 1. We will also continue to work with other M.U.S.I.C. Members to optimize insurance programs; current efforts are focused on improved medical malpractice and property coverage.

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2006-2007 Unit Action Plan Division:

Administration and Finance College/Unit:

Finance Department:

Accounting, Accounts Payable, Payroll

1. On July 1st_{, the Accounting Department implemented the Banner General Ledger,}

Accounts Payable and Fixed Assets software. This going live was an accumulation of approximately 18 months of long, hard preparatory work. Going live involved the development and design of a new chart of accounts and extensive redesign of the general ledger. The Banner system involved considerable training for both the Accounting Department and the end users. The end user training was campus-wide with over 200 people being trained. All end-user training was preformed by the Accounting Department. The new Banner system required all new reports and queries be defined and developed for the various FSU departments.

2. Currently the Accounting Department is in the development and implementation stage for Banner payroll. A go-live date for Banner Payroll/HR has been set for April 1, 2006. Payroll is in the process of running parallel payrolls, unit testing and developing end user training. With the move to Banner, payroll checks will now be printed in the Payroll Department, not by Operations.

3. During this past year Payroll also led FSU in the upgrade of the Kronos time keeping system. With the implementation of the web-based time-keeping system, Payroll was able to move the student pay-ending day from Wednesday to Friday. This move eliminated one of three payroll processing runs required to complete the bi-weekly payroll in Banner. 4. During the past year Accounting has seen the retirement of three of our key people. The

position of Director of Accounting Services has been successfully filled. With the new Director in place we are evaluating how to best structure the Accounting Department to meet the needs of the University under the new Banner system.

5. During the past year the Accounting Department has seen more dynamic changes than it has in the past twenty years. However, it has also seen many smaller subtle changes that will save the University money and streamline processes. An example is the elimination of

6. Our banks sending back the actual paper-canceled check. We are moving to a system where FSU will receive their canceled checks on a CD. This will eliminate the need to

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manually sort and file the checks, saving approximately 25-30 person hours per month. In the long-run this move will also eliminate the need for short- and long-term storage. This is only one small example of the steps the Accounting Department is taking to streamline processes and save the University money.

Ongoing or Proposed Significant Activities: 1. Department Structure

A. Structure the department in a way to better utilize Banner’s data-base relational system. This will require people who can manage working through a “process” while being able to interact with other departments and manage others. Banner will require more direct supervision of CT’s and staff as they become process managers and not just data input people (i.e. check printing, designing process flows).

2. Hire and Retain Qualified Staff.

A. We need to retain those associates who understand the Banner software and have the institutional knowledge of Ferris. It is these people that will guide Ferris and the accounting department to the next level of Banner operations. As the accounting department becomes more immersed in the Banner system, the cost of associate turnover will sky rocket, therefore, accounting will need to keep turnover to a minimum.

B. As openings arise, it is essential that these positions are filled with people who have the essential characteristics and qualifications to aggressively move the accounting

department to the next level.

C. With the implementation of Banner cross-training of the staff is imperative. We will be expanding our cross-training of staff to better utilize our resources.

3. Banner and Web-Focus System Utilization

A. Accounting will focus on utilizing the Banner system to its fullest potential. This means additional training, and outside assistance with report and systems

enhancements. We plan to bring Banner to the point where our year-end financial statements are completed within the Banner/ Web-Focus system.

B. Continue on-going campus training for Banner end-users. We will continue to teach the end-user how to use Banner to solve problems and how their information ties into the University’s financial statements.

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Finance Department:

Business Operations

• AGED RECEIVABLES: Reduced the 90+ Days receivable outstanding balances due Ferris. The balance is $2.5 million as of 12/31/2005. This is down $625 thousand from 2004 but we are also maintaining a relatively consistent amount considering increasing enrollments and increased tuition.

• BANNER: Upgraded all computers in Business Operations and Student Service Counter to be compliant with Banner. Installed training equipment in large conference room at Timme to facilitate staff training on the Student module.

• VIDEO SECURITY: Upgraded video security system, including eight color cameras, in the Timme Center for Student Services to provide more detailed video definition and resolution. • HUNTINGTON BANK/DEBIT CARD: Oversee the contracts with Huntington National

Bank. Currently 4500 student have signed up for this option. Contract renewed for five years. • BARNES & NOBLE: Oversee the contract with Barnes & Noble’s management of the

Bookstore. The Director of Business Operations continues to chair Bookstore advisory committee. Contract renewed for five years.

• Business Operations has made significant progress towards the implementation of the Accounts Receivable component of Banner Student. This includes building rules, populating validation tables, verifying information, developing training, identifying reports and processes. Implementation will continue.

• Re-carding of Employees: The employee identification card was redesigned including the removal of the Social Security number. Employees have been contacted advising them to come to the Timme Center for Student Services to receive an updated picture and new ID Card.

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• The computers in the Atrium are utilized by students to gain web access to the Ferris self service functions. The computers are approximately 6 years old and are not dependable. Timme Center technical staff is required to continually repair these units. These computers are heavily utilized by students who experience frustration with the slow response time.

• These units are shared between Administration and Finance, Business Operations and Student Affairs, Enrollment Services.

• There are nine computers and three laser printers. The replacement cost of the nine computers is approximately $12,100.00 and the three printers is approximately $3600.00.

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Administration and Finance College/Unit:

Finance Department:

Finance

Launched Banner Finance in July 2005.

• Worked with Evisions contractors / programmers on the initial specifications and requested changes for the Accounts Payable and Payroll checks using the Intellicheck application.

• Responsible for the setup of 300 Approval Queues and 406 individual user security parameters in the Banner Finance Security System and Approval System for various Dbase instances (e.g., DEV1, DEVA, TRNG and GOLD). Held one-on-one meeting with University divisions and colleges to identify approval setup requirements and assist with preparation of the Banner Finance Security Form.

• Worked closely with Data Security to develop and setup templates used in the Oracle Dbase for the assignment of user roles to provide access to various forms and processes. This is continuing.

•

Worked with University programmers (both SIS and FRS) to help develop the current process used to feed SIS data for Banner processing and printing Student Refunds (checks and direct deposits).

• Continue to work with Accounts Payable staff to develop operating procedures and cross-train staff and help address Banner Accounts Payable system issues and problems. Tax Affairs: the University’s 1099-MISC for calendar year 2005 (total of 280) resulting from a detailed analysis of both FRS and Banner check disbursements records and supporting documents to determine if vendor payments were 1099 reportable. Manually entered vendor 1099 reportable data (both FRS and Banner) into the 1099 Reporting Forms.

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Position Control: Banner HR Position control training and development will continue through payroll launch and budget development for next fiscal year. We will introduce some position control crosswalks to provide additional assistance to campus end users. The concept of pooled position numbers has changed to be more streamlined for the departments and position control office.