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Finance and Administration
Quarterly Newsletter

September 30, 2010

 

In This Issue

 

Announcements by

·   Central Receiving and Supply

·   Contract Administration

·   Controller’s Department

·   Mail Services

·   Materials Management

·   Office of Human Resources

·   Print Shop

·   Property Management and Inventory

·   Special Events, Facilities & Services

·   Special Projects

·   Ticket Office

·   Travel Office

·   University Police Department

 

Important Dates

·   Effective Immediately
Property Management has moved to the Central Receiving and Supply Building, room 105A
Property Management

·   Effective Immediately
New Requirements for Consulting Contracts
Contract Administration

·   Effective Immediately
Lab Reservations must be made through Special Events Office
Special Events

·   Effective Immediately
Mail available for pickup now posted on RamPort
Mail Services

·   Ongoing
Departmental Audits
Property Management

·   September 28, 2011
Space Reservation Reports due
Special Events

·   October 3, 2011
Basketball Season Ticket Sales Begin
Ticket Office

 

 

 

For an Online copy of this and previous newsletters, visit the Finance and Administration Web site

Announcements

 

Central Receiving and Supply

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The Central Receiving/Supply Department is responsible for the acquisition of all parts and materials required for the operation of the Physical Plant. In addition, this department is responsible for receiving all materials ordered by other departments on campus and delivering all materials and overnight packages to all departments on campus.

 

Shipping Tips

The university received over 9,900 packages last fiscal year with only a third of those being on a purchase order.  When having items shipped to the university please do the following: 

1.    Ask the shipper to reference a department and end user’s full name. 

2.    When purchasing with a ProCard have them use “procard” as a reference number so Central Receiving and Purchasing know not to search for a purchase order.   

 

These two steps will greatly expedite processing and delivering your package. 

 

Change of Address

Also, our physical address is 1635 Vanderventer, San Angelo, TX, 76909. Please use this address instead of the 2601 W. Avenue N or any other address. If you have any questions about Central Receiving & Supply, please contact us at extension 2358 or visit our website.

More? See this department's Web site.

 

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Contract Administration Office

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This office is responsible for verifying that contracts to purchase goods and services are in compliance with Texas state laws and in accordance with State of Texas Contract Management guidelines while evaluating institutional risks. Also, the Contract Administration Office must ensure contracts are satisfactorily performed by both the contractor and ASU, so that contract responsibilities are clearly defined and can be properly discharged at the completion of contracts.

 

Automation

The Contract Administration Office is working towards automating the review, routing, and approval process of contracts along with email notifications on the status of contracts. Departments that generate contracts will be contacted soon to discuss possible options for automation.

 

New Requirements for Consulting Contracts

The Board of Regents is requiring additional information on all consulting contracts. We must provide a detailed description on the selection process used for awarding consulting contracts. The form, Notice to the BOR Chairs for Consulting Contracts located on RamPort, Administrative Forms, has been updated to include selection process information. If possible, please submit consulting contracts 30 days prior to start date to allow adequate time for review, notification, and approval.

 

For more information on use of private consultants and other contracting tips, please visit the website Contract Administration Office.

More? See this department's Web site.

 

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Controller’s Department

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The Controller’s Department provides business and financial services to internal and external customers of the university including general ledger accounting, accounts payable, student accounts, receivables, investments, and grants accounting. It is comprised of the Accounts Payable office, the Student Accounts office, and the Controller’s office (Controller, Director of Accounting, Investments/Grants Accountant, and Billing Receivables Accountant).

 

What is a FOAP?

The Banner Finance chart of account structure is based on fund accounting principles.  The chart of account elements in Banner Finance are:  fund, organization, account, and program.  The chart of accounts elements are known as a “FOAP."

 

Where do I find the chart of accounts?

The printed version of the FY12 Chart of Accounts was distributed the first week of September.  Please contact the Controller’s Office if your department did not receive a printed copy and you would like one.  The online version of the Chart of Accounts is linked to the Controller’s channel of RamPort; and is a searchable document intended to help departments easily find the needed FOAP information.  This online version is updated at the first of each month to reflect any changes made to the chart of accounts.

 

Tuition Payment Reminder

The Student Accounts Office would like to remind all students paying tuition on the Installment Plan that the 2nd installment is due by 5:00 p.m., October 3, 2011.  The Student Accounts Office may be contacted at (325) 942-2008 or at billing@angelo.edu.

More? See this department's Web site.

 

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Mail Services

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ASU Mail Services exists to provide a centralized and unified system of processing, receiving, storing and distributing mail for students, faculty, staff and the community by utilizing resources effectively and efficiently.

 

 

Hours of Operation

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday – 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Wednesday 7:30 am to 7:00 pm

 

Expanded Merchandise

Mail Services has expanded its merchandise to include a variety of padded mailers, manila and business envelopes, pre-paid envelopes, boxes and stamps.  Customers have the option of purchasing stamps or having mail processed with a meter imprint, which also gives the mail piece a more business or professional look.  We offer several options for mailing your packages or letters and we accept credit and debit cards. It is our goal to meet the mailing needs of our customers and to ensure all mail is handled promptly and according to university policy and U.S. Postal Regulations. 

 

Mail Availability now Online

Do you want to know when the mail is available for pick-up?  You can receive notification of daily mail posting by simply joining our group in RamPort:

 

1.    In RamPort, click Groups on the top-right hand corner.

2.    Click on the Groups index

3.    Click on Service folder

4.    Click on Mail Services under the groups in Service selections

5.    Click on the required information boxes

6.    Click on the Join button.

 

USPS, FedEx, UPS, and Lonestar do not have a scheduled delivery time to ASU.  Mail arrives between 9:30 and 5:00 and is processed immediately upon arrival at ASU Mail Services.  We invite you to join our RamPort group for daily mail notification.

 

Want to save money on departmental mailing?

Follow the below steps:

 

1. Addresses.  Make sure you have the correct address.  Incorrect addresses result in mail pieces being mailed out and later returned for an incomplete or nonexistent address and then require new postage and envelopes to re-mail.  On a daily basis, Mail Services receives several returned mail pieces back due to incorrect addresses.  Please verify addresses before you mail.

 

2. Business Reply mail is costly. The United States Postal Service charges ASU $770.00 per year for the business reply permit and account maintenance, which is in addition to the returned per piece amounts that are charged back to the department. Consider creating and including in your mail-out a unique email address for your responses rather than using business reply mail. 

 

3. Unwanted mail. Stop unwanted mail such as catalogs, solicitations, mail addressed to past employees, etc. Most of these items will have an email address or *800* number included somewhere in or on the mail piece to notify the company that your name and/or department should be removed from their mailing list. Stopping unwanted mail will help to ensure faster processing of deliverable mail.

 

Please contact us at extension 2342 to let us know how we can help you with your mailing needs.

 

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Materials Management

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Materials Management is responsible for managing, organizing, directing and coordinating support for all materials management for the University including purchasing, contract administration, property management, central receiving and supply, mail services, print shop, travel and the HUB program.

 

 

Training

If your department needs assistance with understanding the operating policies or processes for the Offices of Purchasing, Contract Administration, Travel, or Property Management, please contact Jennifer Lennon at extension 2591 to set-up a training session. Please give us the opportunity to tailor a training session to meet your departmental needs. Also, contact jennifer.lennon@angelo.edu if you have any questions regarding the materials management departments. Jennifer can then post the question and any answers to the department’s online FAQ page.

More? See this department's Web site.

 

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The Office of Human Resources

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Human Resources’ mission is to nurture and maintain a positive workforce environment and to support the strategic mission and direction of Angelo State University. The Office of Human resources is responsible for the following major areas: recruitment and employment, benefits and retirement counseling, compensation administration, training and development for staff employees, legal and policy compliance, employee relations and communication, policy development.

 

Electronic Changes/Automation and Continuous Improvement

The Office of Human Resources and the Payroll Office are still making strides on the Non-Exempt Employee Web-Time Entry Project. This project will drastically reduce the reliance on paper forms for timekeeping with our hourly employees. Employees will be able to enter their time that they worked and their leave via the work-life tab on RamPort. More information regarding this transition, including upcoming meetings, time frames and frequently asked questions can be found at the following web site: http://www.angelo.edu/dept/human_resources/non_exempt_web_time_entry.html .

 

Over the past month we have transitioned the Student Hire Form (P-5), or "Blue" form into an online format via the Electronic Personnel Action Form (ePAF) option through Banner. What once was a paper process requiring the use of campus mail and had the potential for more errors and general lag time or loss of the form, is not an easily tracked online format that includes more quality control for error reduction and a quicker turnaround time on the completion of the form. The campus has completed hundreds of these types of ePAFs since we went live in August. This transition aligns with the way we make personnel transactions with the staff and faculty employee classes, and now we are able to use the same types of processes with our student employees. A big "Thank You" goes out to those of you who have made the transition with us and have created, submitted, and approved the new student hire and student re-hire ePAFs.

 

Over the past year, the Office of Human Resources has set the groundwork and implemented new processes to transition the personnel files of all of our employees over to that of an electronic filing system. This transition includes employee files that date back to the inception of the university. By scanning all of our old files, current files and future files into an imaging system, our office is able to provide an additional layer of information security for our employees, provide a level of business continuity and redundancy in the event of a physical loss of files, and establish a streamlined system for file maintenance, storage and retrieval. This is an ongoing project and there are literally millions of documents yet to scan. Nevertheless, this effort is a daily success in solidifying our document future as an efficient and secure function of human resources.

More? See this department's Web site.

 

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Print Shop

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The Print Shop is located in the General Service Building and offers a wide array of printing services including color printing as well as color copies. The Print Shop strives to provide excellence in customer service, as well as offer competitive pricing on all services. The Print Shop’s mission is to serve the needs of the university’s academic and administrative departments and students. We are dedicated to enhancing and promoting the university through quality print products.

 

One Stop Print Shop

Please, let the Print Shop be your main source for all your printing needs. The Print Shop is available for all departments, student organizations, and students. Advantages of using the Print Shop include:

 

1.    We offer the convenience of being on campus.

2.    Many times, we have a faster turnaround than our off-campus competitors.

3.    We offer flexibility – we can contact your department if something looks incorrect on a first run, and then make changes, if necessary.

4.    We can show you a press run so that you can be sure your work is being printed as you intended.

5.    We offer high-quality, customized print jobs comparable to our competitors at competitive prices.

6.    Your departmental money for printing projects stays on campus.

 

For samples of our printing services and other helpful information, please visit our Print Shop website. Give us a call at extension 2345 to discuss how we can help you with your printing needs.

More? See this department's Web site.

 

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Property Management and Inventory

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The mission of the Property Manager is to properly track, cost, and identify fixed assets campus wide for the state, as well as the University according to the Rules and Regulations prescribed by state law. The Property Manager is located in the Central Receiving & Supply Building, room 105A.

 

Audits

Property Management will continue the following audits:

1.    Departments that have five or more iPads and tablet clones.

2.    Departments that indicate other electronic devices are off-campus.

3.    Departments with missing inventory.

 

The Property Manager or other staff in Materials Management will contact departments that meet the above criteria.

 

Surplus Property:

Is any personal property, such as office furniture, computers or other property no longer of use for your department but has additional useful life. Please send an “everyone email” to see if another department wants to claim the surplus property. If no one claims the surplus property, please complete a Request for Equipment Transfer and Property Management will pick-up the surplus property.

 

Surplus property must first be made available to internal departments, eligible entities, such as other Texas state agencies, political subdivisions, and assistance organizations before it can be offered to the general public through a public sale.

 

Does your department need a desk or filing cabinet? We currently have a surplus of desks and filing cabinets available. Please contact the Property Manager at extension 2376 to inquire or ask about other property questions.

More? See this department's Web site.

 

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Purchasing Department

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Purchasing has the responsibility and sole authority to obligate funds for procurements. Our objective is to procure goods and services to support the educational and research requirements of the University. The Purchasing Office is also the designated pick-up site for overnight or 2nd Day packages being sent via United Parcel Services (UPS).

 

Before purchasing a good or service, please keep in mind the following steps:

 

1. University purchases are required to follow established university policy and applicable state statutes or federal law.  Policies to review:

a.    Purchase of Goods and Services – OP 54.04

b.    Expenditure Payment Policy – OP 14.05

c.    Professional Services – OP 14.11

d.    Use of Private Consultants – OP 54.05

e.    Historically Underutilized Businesses – OP 54.02

 

2. Please refer to the Accounting Primer posted on the Purchasing Office website for appropriate use of funds.

 

3. It is a state requirement that funds must be encumbered prior to ordering a good or service.  After the fact orders should not occur.  Purchase Orders must be approved and issued before the merchandise or service is received.  After the fact invoices can create significant problems for ASU, such as:

a.    Violation of competitive bidding requirements as outlined in OP 54.04. 

b.    Subject to open records requests submitted by competing vendors.

c.    Higher costs for goods and services than necessary due to lack of researching and planning purchasing options.

d.    Unfavorable terms and conditions in supplier contracts that ASU does not have authority to agree to on behalf of the state of Texas. 

e.    Purchasing from vendors on hold with the state of Texas.  Vendors on hold at the state will not receive payment for services until the hold status has been cleared.

f.     Possible duplicate vendor payments.

g.    Place the university at risk financially.

h.    Post payment audit citings from the State Comptroller’s Office, which could impact state appropriations or result in fines.

 

4. Invoices are not appropriate documentation to create an online requisition.   Please request quotes from vendors prior to purchasing.

 

5. Please do not have invoices mailed to your department.  Vendors must mail an original invoice directly to Accounts Payable, ASU Station #11034, San Angelo, TX 76909. 

 

6. ProCard purchases are limited to goods or services where orders do not exceed a specific limit authorized for each individual cardholder and the purchase meets guidelines established by ASU policy and as outlined in the ProCard Program Guide. 

 

7. On the Purchasing website, FAQS or Quick Facts are posted.

 

 

8. Contracts for purchasing goods and services are also subject to OPs. 30.01 - 04.  For more information, please refer to the Contract Administration website or call x2591 or x2748.

 

Policy and procedure PowerPoint presentations are available for viewing at Compliance Training. Please keep in mind the power to purchase on behalf of ASU is a powerful tool!

 

If you have questions about purchasing policies and procedure, please don’t hesitate to contact the Purchasing Office at x2012.  

More? See this department's Web site.

 

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Special Events, Facilities and Services

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The Special Events Office is home to academic and auxiliary space reservations on campus. Included in this responsibility are the assignment of rooms and labs for classes; reservation of space for student, faculty, staff, University and community guest events; and the reporting of the facilities inventory information to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Registered students, faculty/staff, and student organizations may reserve facilities for authorized meetings, programs, and other events through the Special Events Office.

 

Facilities Inventory

In preparation for the annual campus facilities inventory submission to the THECB on November 1, Special Events staff will be contacting space representatives on record to confirm/update facilities data for the areas they manage. Space Representative reports will be delivered by September 21, 2011 and will be due back to Special Events by September 28, 2011. Should you have any questions or need additional information regarding the process, please contact Shayna Lopez or Jessica Manning at 942-2021.

 

Lab Reservations

Reservations for Lab Reserve are now submitted to the Special Events Office. All requests for space are submitted by completing an online request form at reservations.angelo.edu by hovering over Reservations and click on the Lab Reserve form. To submit online, you must have a user account. Please contact Special Events at (325) 942-2021 for further instruction.

More? See this department's Web site.

 

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Special Projects

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The Special Projects department within Finance and Administration is tasked with managing projects that are not directly finance or construction related. These projects may be short-term or may be something that Special projects “incubates” for several years and then hands off to a permanent owner. Some of these projects originate as state or federal mandates (example: the Wellness program and Business Continuity planning), while other are related to supporting on-going division/university initiatives such as strategic and operations planning, SACS preparation, and community engagement.

 

Current Projects

Several of the current Special Projects assignments reflect trends that we’re all seeing across the University, those being to (1) improve operational efficiency at all levels, (2) focus on collaborative, integrated strategies that support university-level goals instead of just “local” (divisional or department) objectives, and (3) make data-driven decisions that are based on a “Plan-Do-Check-Act” continuous improvement model. Some current projects that support the above statements include the following:

 

1. Business Process Analysis

We've met with every Finance and Administration director to identify key processes within our division. The next step will be to create or update a Business Process Analysis (BPA) for each of those processes. During the analysis phase, we’ll be looking for ways to streamline each process, make them more cost-effective, and identifying process tasks where technology might be leveraged to make the process more customer-friendly. 

 

2. SPOL objectives at the division level

The university has made significant progress over the past several years as relates to integrated planning and planning-based budgets. To be successful, every operational level of the university must participate by developing clearly-defined Planning Unit objectives, assessment measures, and expected outcomes. These are being defined at the division level for Finance and Administration, and reflect the division’s strategies to “... be a strategic source of information and support institutional goals ....”

 

3. Campus Wellness

Master Goal #5, Objective #4 of ASU’s strategic plan states “The University promotes and supports wellness initiatives for the entire campus community.” As an institution, we’ve made tremendous related to those objective in that multiple staff and academic departments are all individually organizing events, sending out newsletters, and helping to promote a culture of wellness among students and employees. The down side is that many of these efforts overlap or duplicate each other, so we may not be approaching the wellness issue in a structured, cost-effective manner. Therefore, the Wellness Summit goals will be to (a) identify campus-wide goals for Fitness and Wellness, (b) identify who is currently doing what, and (c) formulate a plan for collaboration, targeted efforts, and cost efficiency as all members of the university community work to accomplish the objective.

 

4. Business Resource Center (BRC)

We continue to provide support for a project involving multiple partners such as ASU’s Small Business Development Center, the City of San Angelo, the Chamber of Commerce, and several other economic development entities. The outcome will be a one-stop Economic development center located in downtown San Angelo. Angelo State plays an important role in regional economic development and this project represents one strategy to help “engage” the regional community in that effort.

 

5. ASUFit Activities

ASUFit supports the university’s wellness and retention efforts via activities such as health fairs, fitness events, and collaborations with community health and fitness organizations. Events on the current schedule include “Video Brown Bag” presentations, on-campus fitness events, and collaborative activities that help engage students related to promoting health and fitness.

More? See this department’s Web site.

 

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Ticket Office

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The ASU Ticket Office is located in the Junell Center/Stephens Arena, room 201, and we provide ticketing services to all ASU Athletic events as well as concerts and many rental events. We also sell faculty/staff activity cards and facility use cards. Call 942-2583 FMI.

 

2011-2012 Basketball Season Tickets

Sales will start October 3rd. Order by October 14th to get the same great seats you had last year!

 

New 2011-2012 Packages and Pricing

·         Basketball Season Tickets $50

·         Family General Admission Season Pass $125

·         General Admission to all regular season ASU home sporting events for a family of 2 adults plus up to 3 children (max) under the age of 18.

·         Individual General Admission Season Pass $50

·         Individual General Admission to all regular season ASU home sporting events.

 

Call or visit our Web site for more information:

(325) 942-BLUE (2583)

asutickets.angelo.edu

More? See this department's Web site.

 

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Travel Office

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The Travel Office processes travel authorizations and reimbursements in accordance with state of Texas Travel guidelines and ASU operating policies. The Travel Office can also assist with making travel reservations.

 

Web site Updates Coming Soon

The Travel Office wants to create a focus group to evaluate policies, procedures, forms, and website information to discuss possible changes.  Frequent travelers will be invited to join the focus group.  The focus group will be limited to no more than 10 in order to facilitate review, however all employees can provide suggestions to the focus group once created.

 

Meal & Lodging Rates for New Fiscal Year 2012

The Comptroller will no longer establish rates for any locations not listed on the federal General Service Administration’s (GSA) site. Consequently, state employees will be restricted to the GSA’s standard meal and lodging in-state and out-of-state rates when traveling to non-listed locations.

·         This means that we will no longer go by the $85/$36 rule for in-state cities not listed on the GSA chart.

·         You will now use the top line titled “Standard Rate” (currently set at $77/$46 for lodging and meals respectively) for both in-state & out-of-state travel. NOTE: Hotel Overage memos will need to be created for any rates beyond what the GSA has set.

·         Please note that FY12 per diem rates will be updates by the State at the beginning of October. You can use the current rates for estimation purposes until the new rates are posted. Please check the drop down menu above the map to make sure the correct FY is selected.

 

Rental Car Contracts

Rental Car Contracts have been extended with Avis and Enterprise for a three-month term to expire on Nov. 30, 2011. Terms and conditions remain unchanged for both vendors while rate increases will apply on the following car types with Enterprise locations effective Sept. 8, 2011:

 

In addition, Avis online booking instructions have recently been updated. Please view them at: http://www.window.state.tx.us/procurement/prog/stmp/stmp-rental-car-contract/Avis/.

 

Mileage

Currently the mileage reimbursement rate for ASU is still set at a maximum of $0.50 per mile. Agencies are allowed to reimburse at lower rates than set forth by the State of Texas. Any changes in ASU mileage reimbursement rates will be communicated.

 

Travel Concerns

1. Expense Log Reminders: When submitting Travel Expense Logs for reimbursement, please be sure to include the following information.

·         Time departing from Headquarters and time arriving back to Headquarters (first and last days of travel).

·         Benefit Statement explaining how this trip benefits/impacts your job and the university.

·         Detailed Daily Account of business conducted (please refer to the “Example Log” and “Instruction” tabs at the bottom of the Expense Log spreadsheet). Travel days, business days, and personal days must be itemized and explained in brief detail.

·         County (for out-of-state travel) of destination.

·         Any extenuating or special circumstances should be noted either by memo or where space permits on log itself.

 

2. Prospective Employee Hotel Reservations (NEW Procedure): ASU does not use the BTA credit card to prepay rooms at Staybridge Suites because the hotel chain is able to direct bill ASU. When you call Staybridge to reserve a room for a prospective employee say that you are using direct bill. Once you get a confirmation number, submit an online requisition in Banner so that the Purchasing Office can create a Purchase Order. The correct vendor ID number is 203719527.

 

Local Hotel Rental

If you would like to use Holiday Inn Express or other local hotels, we will still be glad to use the BTA credit card to help you. Please continue to write the hotel name and confirmation number on the Prospective Employee Form.

 

Please Remember to Travel Conservatively

For cost-saving tips please visit the Travel Office Website (http://www.angelo.edu/services/travel_office/cost_cut_tips.html) or contact the Travel Office directly with any questions.

 

Also, now that the UBAT has completed its initial task, it is no longer necessary to get vice president approval on all travel authorization requests.

 

Call the Travel Office before, during or after your trip for assistance with travel quotes, booking questions, hotel payment information, receipt requirements, pre & post-travel paperwork, questions regarding rates and policy, etc. We’re here to help!

More? See this department's Web site.

 

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University Police Department

Description: Description: Description: MP900400644[1]

The University Police Department is service-oriented and tailored to meet the needs of a progressive institution. We provide crime prevention and control, criminal investigations, traffic and parking supervision, emergency first-aid, the maintenance of public order, patrol and other related services.

 

New Officers Hired

The University Police would like to welcome two new police officers to its ranks.  Jerry Rychlik and Amy Thomas started on August 8th. Their hiring brought the police department back to full staffing levels. Both officers came from the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Department. Jerry has 19 years with the sheriff’s department and has worked a variety of assignments during his tenure there. Amy served as a mental health deputy. Both are in a 12 week field training program.

 

Dispatch and Records Management Upgrade

The police department has undergone an upgrade to its dispatch and records management system. The upgrade provides numerous new features including the ability for officers in the field to obtain driver’s license and vehicle registration information from their patrol cars. The system also allows officers to view standard operating procedures specific to certain types of calls and enables officers to complete and submit reports electronically from their laptops in the car. Other features will enhance overall productivity and increase officer safety.

More? See this department's Web site.

 

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