Vice President Krawitz

Service is defined as a valuable action, deed, or effort performed to satisfy a need or to fulfill a demand.  Each of us performs a service as we fulfill our daily roles and responsibilities as employees of the University of Missouri System.  In Finance and Administration, our strategic plan specifically highlights our commitment to service:

 ”We value service by demonstrating a willingness to go out of our wayto help our customers; give prompt personal attention; and resolve problems quickly.  We strive to meet and exceed expectations with each customer interaction.”

 Warren Buffett once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”  Service is something that has to be practiced throughout the ranks of our division and our reputation depends on it. .  We must remember that   in every act, whether it is a 5 minute phone call or a business transaction that has taken months to develop and implement, we are being evaluated for the service we deliver.  Every day, we each have unique opportunities to demonstrate our commitment to service through our interactions with co-workers, to departments, to the campuses, and to the citizens of our state and beyond.

The University Financial Year End Closing Schedule for Fiscal Year 2013 is now available on the Controller’s web site http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/fa/controller/ under Hot Topics.

This document contains valuable information regarding deadlines for Budget entries, Requisitions, Accounts Payable entries, and various other types of accounting entries that need to be submitted with a Fiscal Year 2013 date. The availability of the system during year end processing is also noted in the document.

If you have any questions about information in the closing schedule, please contact your Campus Accounting office.

Are you new to the University or have you recently changed positions with different responsibilities?  The Controller’s Office has several compliance training sessions available covering various financial accounting and sponsored program activities.

There are several new sessions available related to financial accounting.  These provide a good understanding of the financial activities of the University.

• Principles of Accounting – The Accounting Process and Accounting Equation – This is an introductory session defining basic accounting terms and how these relate to the University’s operations.  Several common transactions are provided as examples to understand the accounting equation.
• The Accounting Cycle and Fiscal Year End Closing – This session expands upon the Principles of Accounting and discusses the activities and responsibilities during fiscal year end close.
• PeopleSoft Transaction Types – This session discusses the different types of transactions, such as journal entries and correcting entries, and provides examples of how they should be processed.
• Segregation of Duties – This session has been updated and covers the concept of segregation of duties and the different roles.  Various examples and common issues are discussed.
• Payroll Reconciliation – This session highlights the changes in the APM 55.60.02 effective July 1, 2012 and provides examples of several tools available to reconcile payroll.

There are also several online modules available covering the basic compliance requirements for sponsored programs and financial accounting.  Each of these sessions are about 15 minutes and available on the Financial Compliance Training website and myLearn.

Please contact Ericka F. Kranitz (kranitze@umsystem.edu), Director of Financial Compliance Training at the UM System to discuss your training needs and other topics you would like to see included.

The new ePSRS allows for electronic approval of proposals and is currently available and in use on each campus.  The ePSRS allows Deans, Department Chairs, Administrators, Principal Investigators, and others to electronically route and approve proposals as opposed to printing and signing the old form in hard copy.  If you have questions or concerns, please contact your campus Sponsored Programs Office.

The much anticipated “Proposed OMB Uniform Guidance: Cost Principles, Audit, and Administrative Requirements for Federal Awards” was released this February. The February 1, 2013 – Federal Register Notice can be found at:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-02-01/pdf/2013-02113.pdf

The proposed changes would consolidate many of the applicable circulars such as A-110, A-21, and A-133 into one document.  The proposed guidance is over 240 pages long.  The University is in the process of reviewing the changes and will respond by the extended deadline of June 2, 2013.  Overall, we are pleased with the proposed OMB Guidance.  The link below provides a preliminary assessment of the changes from COGR.

http://www.cogr.edu/viewDoc.cfm?DocID=151967

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact your campus sponsored programs office.

Does your department have University vehicles? Do you drive on University business? Then this is for you!

The Curators of the University of Missouri maintain a self-funded Automobile Liability Program for bodily injury or property damage liability arising out of the operation of use of university-owned or operated vehicles. The Comprehensive and Collision Program is a voluntary program that departments elect to participate in or not. This program provides coverage for damage resulting from comprehensive (fire, wind, theft, etc.) and collision exposures on vehicles owned or leased by the university.

Departments with University vehicles will soon be receiving a green packet that contains important information. Please note: these packets are being delivered to the contact as submitted for each vehicle; some departments may have more than one contact. The packet includes proof of self-funded auto coverage, instructions of what to do if you are involved in an accident and a claim form to complete and submit to your campus representative. These new green glove box packets should replace the prior manila packet that you have in vehicle glove boxes, please dispose of the old versions.

Another handy tool for those that drive on University business is the downloadable wallet card. Please print double sided and take with you.

If you have any questions about these changes, please contact you campus representative, refer to our website or email us risk@umsystem.edu.

Safe driving!

In 2010, S&T embarked on an adventure with one of the most comprehensive initiatives of its kind in higher education.   It started with a study to replace the current steam system infrastructure.

S&T’s Power Plant was constructed in 1945 and provides steam generated heat using three boilers to various facilities throughout campus.  The newest boiler, installed in 1981, is a vintage coal and woodchip fueled boiler.  The two remaining boilers are older coal fired units that are inefficient, have limited pollution controls, and have exceeded their life expectancy.  The cost to update the plant to continue to provide reliable heating to 65% of the campus was approximately $50 million.  S&T also had infrastructure issues with their aging, chilled water distribution system.

Through this study, it was determined that an environmental friendly geothermal system was a viable option to be the primary heating source on campus.  The geothermal system will be a ground source heat pump system, which means we will send heat to the earth during the summer and then extract it during the winter to heat the buildings.  For long term stable operation, a geothermal system requires a balanced cooling and heating load.  Since the campus is cooling dominant, the geothermal system was designed to meet the heating load and existing chillers will provide the remaining cooling capacity required to meet the campus cooling load.

The project will construct three regional plants, install approximately 630 wells and miles of piping.  The project will also modify the building heating and cooling systems in all the buildings to be served by the new geothermal system.  Each plant will contain equipment to serve adjacent buildings with heating and cooling.   The aging chilled water distribution piping is also being significantly improved.

The impact on campus during construction is significant.  (See map at:  http://geothermal.mst.edu/impactedareas/ )   Well fields have been placed under parking lots, causing disruptions in parking.  Approximately 7000 lineal feet of trenches for new piping will be routed through campus.  The trenches will be approximately the width and depth of a dump truck.  As buildings are modified to work with the new systems, disruptions in heating and cooling will be experienced by the building occupants.

However, this has also given S&T many opportunities. Parking lots have been redesigned to be more efficient, landscaping will be updated and replaced in areas where new piping is installed, and approximately $16 million in deferred maintenance will be taken care of in the building work modifications. By using this geothermal system, it is projected that the campus energy consumption will be reduced by 50%, carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by 25,000 tons per year and water usage will be reduced by 8 million gallons per year.   The project cost for the new geothermal system is approximately $32 Million, significantly less than the boiler replacement project.

For more info watch the video at:  http://geothermal.mst.edu/geothermaloverviewvideo/.

Surplus Property has been testing the WebData Surplus Property Software On-Line Bidding functions at the January & February monthly auctions. Auction bidders will be able to preview and place Proxy bids (think eBay automatic bids) from Fridays at 5:00 p.m. until Tuesday evening prior to each auction. Bidders can also manually place bids on-line while the auction is running, but we’ve found that the Proxy bid lets bidders (University employees for example) not have to take time out of their day to watch the auction and place manual bids. Auction lots will include pieces from any and all campuses. Payment will be collected at each campus when the buyer goes there to pick up their equipment.

It may not always be possible to conduct a real-time test without negatively impacting your workflow of business operations. However, unless you exercise the plan the way you would try to recover from a real outage, you may not be as prepared as you believe you are. It is best to utilize realistic scenarios that match your vulnerabilities as much as possible. Applying this approach will prepare your department/program for an unplanned event. Exercise as much of the plan as you would need to activate during the incident. Oftentimes, many recovery exercise programs are only exercising a portion of the plan on any given mock-test/tabletop, not the entire program.

When a disaster occurs, you should be able to execute all aspects of the plan at the same time. Will you truly have all the resources available simultaneously? Will the resources available be able to perform the full load of work in the same amount of time that they performed a portion of the work during the exercise?

To ensure the recovery time frames can be met, work toward exercising as much of the plan as possible, simultaneously, because that is what you will have to do during a real event. Don’t prepare for the test, start preparing for the real disaster by reducing exercise preparation windows. Chances are you will not see the power outage, hurricane, train derailment or the fire in the adjacent building coming 12 weeks in advance. However, so many organizations take six, ten, twelve weeks or longer to prepare for such an exercise. Every test can’t be completely unannounced, like many business disruptions are. Are you truly preparing for a real event with a two-week notice?  Not!

Two other factors in being truly prepared are the training and awareness program and the procedures for updating a plan. There is a direct correlation to the level of awareness among your employees and suppliers of your recovery plan and their responsibilities as part of the plan, and the effectiveness of the recovery effort. Your training plan should include regular reviews of the plan, along with dialogue, to ensure every stakeholder truly understands the processes and their roles and responsibilities for a disruptive event. Also, don’t forget suppliers in the training activities as well. If they are involved in the same disaster as you, they may not be able to assist in your event as quickly as planned, if at all.  Keeping the plan current would appear to be an obvious requirement to being prepared for an unplanned event. How prepared would you be if the contact information or procedures to follow were outdated in the plan?

An Effective BC/DR Program Is More Than a Checklist

Contingency Planning/Disaster Preparedness is not just about following a checklist of preparation activities, but also about being on top of things before the impacts occurs. Making sure your company has an effective BC/DR program is more than the framework—it is about truly being prepared for a real event.

The Commitment, Planning, and Support Systems (COMPASS) project team is excited about the continued progress of the project and units are busy developing their fiscal year 2014 budgets using these new tools.

Both Hyperion and the Data Warehouse are critical pieces of the overall COMPASS project to provide tools and resources which do not currently exist.  Users are pleased to have one common system to enter and maintain budgets, along with the flexibility to view information at different levels of detail.  Several reports are available on demand to provide more timely information for users to make better decisions.  This is a joint effort of the UM System, Campus Budget Officers, and end users who have provided valuable feedback along the way.

Here are some other updates to keep you informed:

1. Budget development training for Hyperion Financial (FIN) has been completed on each campus.
2. The pilot group with individuals from each campus has received training for the Human Capital Planning (HCP) pilot and they are developing detailed budgets by person and position in production.
3. Specifications for the new COMPASS Data Warehouse and Strategic Reports have been provided to the Data Warehouse team.  These reports will combine key data from Hyperion, PeopleSoft HR, and PeopleSoft Financials and are aimed at answering high-level strategic questions.  The goal is to have initial reports available by July 2013.

For more information about COMPASS and the Hyperion Planning System, please visit the COMPASS website.

Robert Mullen, Director of Institutional Research and Planning

It is with great pleasure that I nominated Bob Mullen for the Top Hat Award for his leadership and excellent work on higher education funding formulas in Missouri and in particular his recent work on the Joint Committee Funding Formula.  Bob has demonstrated great leadership in working with the Department of Higher Education staff and other higher education leaders to make sure that the proposals are thoroughly evaluated and the appropriate questions are raised for discussion.  Bob’s commitment and devotion to the University and to higher education is to be commended.  He provides great leadership to the University’s Institutional Research and Planning unit as well as among higher education leaders across the state and his national peers.

Bob has been with the University of Missouri since 1991 and became Director of Institutional Research and Planning in July 2009. …….Cuba Plain, Vice President Budget Planning and Development

Mauro Lemus, Database Administrator-Architect

It was my pleasure to nominate Mauro Lemus for the Top Hat Award for his extraordinary work on the Hyperion and COMPASS projects.  Mauro is the technical lead for the Hyperion project and our senior Essbase database administrator.  His experience and knowledge of Essbase and Hyperion have proved invaluable to the Hyperion functional team. His ability to facilitate discussion of different solutions to complex issues has been a real asset to the team.  His commitment to the project and other team members both during and after normal work hours is greatly appreciated and has contributed to the team’s success. He is a pleasure to work with and a critical member of our work team.

Mauro Lemus joined the University in February 2012 as a Database Administrator-Architect.  He is part of the Enterprise Date Warehouse and Reporting team in the Division of Information Technology. …………….Cuba Plain, Vice President Budget Planning and Development

Vice President Krawitz

Krawitz Announces Retirement

Natalie “Nikki” Krawitz has announced her retirement in June after 10 years as Vice President of Finance and Administration of the University of Missouri.  She has been responsible for the University’s $2.5 billion budget and the university’s treasury, investment, accounting, procurement, facilities planning and design, real estate, internal audit, risk and insurance management, and institutional research functions.

Nikki was the recipient of the 2010 National Association of College and University Business Officers’ Distinguished Business Officer award, which she told the Columbia Business Times, was one of her proudest moments.

President Tim Wolfe said in his reorganizational announcement that “Vice President Krawitz is a highly respected and trusted resource within the university system, the state of Missouri, and nationally. The university has benefited from her tireless advocacy for public higher education, and in particular from her leadership of our financial resources.”

Nikki told the UM Staff Advisory Council that she has “thoroughly enjoyed her time at the university and that it has been a fun and interesting experience for her.”   InFocus wishes her the very best in her retirement.

• Vice President for Finance and Administration, Natalie “Nikki” Krawitz
• UM System announces organizational changes
• UM Staff Advisory Council Newsletter, 7-18-2012-Volume1, Issue 3, Relate to your leaders, Nikki Krawitz, VP for Finance and Administration

Institutional Research & Planning

As part of the UM Office of Planning and Budget, Institutional Research and Planning (IR&P) provides information for senior administrators in areas of planning, decision-making, and policy development.  The Office also supports the information needs and requirements of several University of Missouri internal and external constituents.

To perform these functions, IR&P utilizes data from multiple university information systems—financial, student, human resources, grants and contracts, and financial aid.  In addition, IR&P develops survey instruments, collects and analyzes data, and publishes reports using both primary and secondary data.  The Office is responsible for providing compliance and required data to the Missouri Department of Higher Education, National Center for Educational Statistics, data exchanges and peer alliances, and special requests from a host of external organizations.  Bob Mullen, Director of Institutional Research & Planning, provides leadership in coordinating efforts among the campus institutional research offices in order to minimize duplication, support a census data repository, share research methodologies, and achieve greater efficiencies.

Many facets of work require the department to be Objective, Inclusive, and Reliable.

Objective:

Institutional research staff strive to be objective in their work.  This is critical because those who use the information and analysis—especially the information being used for key planning or policy decisions—expect freedom from bias and a fair perspective of the issue at hand.  If data, information and analysis are not objective, the trust that the staff have established with their constituents is jeopardized and the effectiveness of the decisions being made on the University’s behalf will be undermined.

Inclusive:

Inclusiveness is absolutely necessary in order to build and maintain an effective institutional research office.  This is particularly true because the staff work with several functional data systems (e.g., student, human resources, financial, etc.) across four relatively diverse campuses.  Consequently, gathering input and advice from functional experts as well as understanding the characteristics that are unique to a campus serves as precursors to effectiveness.  In addition, the office serves as an information hub for our institutional research colleagues on the campuses.  In particular, initiatives espoused by the UM System administration, state and federal compliance agencies, and similar initiatives are communicated via regular meetings, listserv announcements, and conference calls.

Reliable:

Reliability is extremely important to the functions of institutional research.  First, staff frequently compares characteristics about the University with other universities or peer groups.  Consistency in defining the characteristics—whether it’s credit hours, first-time college students, research expenditures, or graduation rates, – across all of these institutions is critical.  Second, staff examines a lot of trend or historical data to determine how things change from year to year or from semester to semester.  Defining and measuring these characteristics over time in exactly the same way every time is a requirement.  Most importantly, Institutional Research staff understand that the University community relies on them to provide the information they need in a timely, reliable manner.  IR staff do everything they can to honor that commitment.

To find objective, inclusive, and reliable reports, check out the IR website

Many University of Missouri employees provided consent to receive their W-2 in electronic format and should have already received an email in mid-January to alert them that their W-2 is ready to view in myHR, Employee Self Service.  On or before January 31, the University will mail Form W-2 to employees who did not provide consent before the 01/08/2013 deadline.  Access to view 2012 W-2 Forms in myHR will be enabled starting February 1, 2013 for employees who did not receive their printed form in the mail or need a duplicate copy.

When you receive your W-2 for calendar year 2012, please check your social security number and spelling of your name to your social security card for accuracy.  If different, contact your campus Payroll Office for a W-2 correction.

You may logon to myHR to verify or change your address information in Personal Information Summary.

Two pieces of legislation have been signed by President Obama affecting employee paychecks.  The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was enacted on January 2, 2013, which averted the “fiscal cliff”.  In addition, the Affordable Care Act provides for an additional Medicare tax.  One or more of the several tax rate changes discussed below will impact your paychecks in 2013.

OASDI and Medicare Taxes

Changes to the OASDI and Medicare taxes noted below have been implemented for January 2013 pay periods.

OASDI Taxes

All faculty and staff will notice an increase in the OASDI /EE taxes to a rate of 6.2% on earnings paid on or after January 1, 2013.  The temporary rate reduction to 4.2% in effect during 2011 and 2012 for the employee portion of OASDI taxes expired at the end of 2012.  The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 did not extend this temporary tax cut for employees, so employees will pay the full rate of 6.2% for that portion of the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax.  The maximum earnings subject to OASDI taxes are capped at $113,700 in 2013.  In 2012, the cap was $110,100.

Medicare Taxes

There are two tiers of Medicare taxes starting January 1, 2013.  For wages of $200,000 and below, the Medicare tax rate will remain at 1.45%, same as in 2012.  An additional 0.9% rate of Medicare tax on wages in excess of $200,000 was enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act.  There is no cap on the earnings subject to Medicare tax or the additional Medicare tax.

Federal Income Withholding Rates

Updated federal income tax withholding rates for 2013, which reflect legislation signed January 2 by President Obama, were released January 3 by the Internal Revenue Service.  The new income tax rates retain the rates in effect during 2012 for all wage earners, except the highest earners.  For individuals with taxable incomes of more than $400,000, and $450,000 for married couples, the income tax rates increased to 39.6%.  The highest income tax rate during 2012 was 35%.

Due to the late release of the updated income tax withholding rates, these changes will be reflected in February 2013 for those employees affected by the changes.  For hourly employees, the biweekly payroll period ending 02/16/2013 to be paid on 02/27/2013 will be the first payroll period to reflect the changes.  For monthly paid employees, the period ending on 02/28/2013 will reflect the changes.

Federal income withholding rates for supplemental wages (i.e., wage payments to an employee that are not regular wages) will remain at 25%, the same rate in effect during 2012.  An example of supplemental wages includes incentives paid to physicians under the University Physicians Practice Plan.

The University of Missouri follows the State of Missouri’s practice of reimbursement for business transportation expenses at a mileage rate that is three cents less than the IRS standard mileage rate.  The IRS rate is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile.

In accordance with the University’s reimbursement at a mileage rate three cents less than the IRS rate, the University’s mileage reimbursement rate for business miles driven in 2013 will be 53.5 cents per mile, an increase of 1 cent over the University’s 52.5 cents rate in effect during 2012. 

In addition, effective January 1, 2013, the University will reimburse a new rate for moving expenses of 21 cents, an increase of 1 cent over the 20 cent rate in effect during 2012.

The IRS announced on November 21, 2012 that the standard mileage rates for business miles driven will be 56.5 cents per mile and for moving expenses will be 24 cents per mile effective January 1, 2013.  In accordance with University policy, the University’s 2013 mileage reimbursement rates shown above are three cents less than the 2013 IRS mileage reimbursement rates announced in November.

If you are paid biweekly, there will be 27 biweekly paychecks during 2013.  In most years, there are 26 biweekly paychecks.  Please consult with your tax professional for how the extra biweekly paycheck may affect your tax planning for the year.

All employees who have expended effort on a sponsored award between July 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012 must certify an Effort Verification Report (EVR).  Please contact your campus Sponsored Programs Office if you worked on a sponsored award during this time period and do not receive an EVR by February 28.  The signed EVR’s should be returned to your Sponsored Programs Office within 30 days of distribution to your department.

Training is available on EVRs and other sponsored programs compliance issues on the Controller’s Financial Compliance Training website.  If you have any questions, please contact your campus Sponsored Programs Office.

The National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES)   InfoBrief for the FY 2011 Higher Education R&D Survey (HERD) is now available. The report can be found at: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf13305/nsf13305.pdf.  Detailed information and table should be released in February or March of 2013 for participating institutions.

Most people have experience with choosing insurance for licensed vehicles through their personal cars. By law a motorized vehicle must have Liability insurance to cover any damage done to another vehicle, property or individuals. In addition, you can elect to add Comprehensive/Collision insurance to cover physical damage resulting from comprehensive (fire, wind, theft, etc.) and collision damages that may occur to their own vehicle too.

Utility Trailers, while they are licensed, are not motorized vehicles and therefore do not fall in the same category. Trailers are technically considered “property” and are covered under the University’s property insurance as an asset. However, it is possible to add Comprehensive/Collision coverage to a trailer. There are few exceptions involving equipment trailers such as generators and electric billboard signs which would not be eligible for the additional Comprehensive/Collision coverage. For questions on a specific trailer please call the RIM office for clarification.

To get an idea on how insurance for a University owned trailer might look in a given situation let’s take a look at some common scenarios below:

Scenario 1

A University trailer is being pulled behind a University vehicle and the driver backs into another vehicle with the trailer damaging the other person’s vehicle and the University trailer.

• The responsibility or liability for the damage done to the other vehicle is covered under the Liability insurance of the University vehicle subject to a $500 deductible.  In other words, liability follows the vehicle that causes the damage.
• The responsibility for the physical damage to the University trailer is tied to the insurance type on the trailer.
  • If the trailer is enrolled in our Comp/Collision coverage program the damage would be covered and be subject to a $500 deductible.
  • If the trailer was not enrolled in the elective coverage of Comp/Collision the damage would be covered under Property insurance subject to a $1,000 department deductible.

Scenario 2

A University trailer is sitting in a parking lot and rolls down a hill and damages someone else’s vehicle or property.

• The responsibility or liability for the damage to the other vehicle or property would fall under the University’s General Liability Insurance.
• Physical damage to the University trailer that rolled down the hill would be covered under the University’s Property insurance subject to a $1,000 department deductible unless it’s enrolled in Comp/Collision insurance program. Then the damage to the trailer would be covered under Comp/Collision subject to the $500 deductible.

Scenario 3

A University trailer sitting in a parking lot is destroyed by a tornado.

• The physical damage to the University trailer is covered under our Property Insurance subject to a $1,000 department deductible unless it’s enrolled in the elective Comp/Collision coverage. Then the damage would be covered under Comprehensive coverage subject to a smaller $250 deductible.

Things to consider when thinking of adding Comp/Collision insurance:

1. Replacement value of the trailer – if the trailer was damaged could the department afford to absorb the $1,000 department deductible to replace or repair the trailer?
2. Is it cost effective to purchase the additional Comp/Collision insurance for the lower deductible?
3. How long do you plan to own the trailer?
4. What is your volume of usage for the trailer?
5. Is your trailer stored in a secure location?

While we’ve touched on just a few examples here, we hope these provide some insight on insurance for the University’s fleet of approximately 283 trailers. If you have specific questions on a trailer in your department please contact our office at 882-8100.

The University of Missouri – Kansas City and Xerox have established an in-house, on-demand Document Solutions Center for campus printing and publishing needs, offering improved service and lower costs. This partnership meets UMKC’s goals:  (1) improved management of printing will yield dramatic cost savings;  an in-house centralized print center saves time and is convenient, easy to use and flexible; (3)  documents are secure and handled in compliance with UMKC-defined standards and policies.

In addition to offering color and black & white digital printing/copying, the center also provides different binding options, and print layout assistance. Campus users have already experienced increased cost savings and convenience with on-line ordering charged to their MoCode and free courier delivery.

UM Procurement was instrumental in helping the vendor define current state, identifying benchmarks and defining    requirements for the Statement of Work.  Once those were completed, we had to gain campus and executive support and market and introduce the Document Advisor once they came on board.

When asked about the advantages of the Document Solutions Center, Vice Chancellor for Administration and  Finance Sharon Lindenbaum said, “The DSC fee scale lowers your costs the more the center is utilized; so even for small print runs, you will save money. Chancellor Morton has emphasized how important that is to all of us in these times. Plus, the new center offers upgraded service and uses sustainable practices. To save time, money and resources, the administration encourages faculty, staff and students to use the DSC.”

On June 30^th of 2012, Procurement’s Supply Chain Informatics converted the Missouri Orthopedic Institute and Interventional Radiology from Periodic to Perpetual Inventory in PeopleSoft.  Perpetual Inventory is an accounting term that describes an Inventory management system where information about Inventory is tracked and updated on a continuous basis.  A perpetual inventory system keeps a running account of all inventory on hand after each transaction.

With any project there is a lot of planning to get a new business unit added.  Automatic (replenishment) ordering is a big factor when a department goes live because it takes the place of a person placing orders daily.  The system looks at what is on the shelves and orders accordingly.  Supply Chain Informatics works with the department to get items built, minimum/maximum levels/locations for ordering and provide training for Go-Live.

The benefits of having a Perpetual Inventory system are to avoid overstocks and shortages, to keep accurate real time records and to help cut waste while reducing expenses.  We continue to provide daily assistance to the eleven business units on the system and will provide support for those slated to go live in the near future.

Below is a list of emergency supplies that any of us might need after a major disaster; lessons learned from Sandy Disaster 2012.

Worldwide & Community Wide Emergency Checklist

• Coolers for Ice and Food Storage
• Flashlights and extra batteries or hand crank flashlights
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
• Extra batteries
• Battery or Solar Powered Lanterns
• Car charger for mobile phone
• Battery operated digital TV with car adaptor
• Grill with extra propane, charcoal, or Sterno (OUTDOOR Use only)
• Matches in waterproof container or butane lighter/starter for grill and candles
• Paper plates, plastic utensils, moist towelettes
• Manual can opener and bottle opener
• Cleaning Supplies
• Non scented liquid chlorine bleach or water purification tablets to purify water
• Duct tape
• Work gloves
• Plastic Sheeting
• Rope
• Basic tool kit
• Two-way radio if power and phones are not available
• Fire Extinguisher
• Smoke Detectors
• Carbon Monoxide Detectors
• Water-at least a 3-day supply; one gallon per person per day
• Food-at least a 3-day supply of non-perishable, easy-to-prepare food
• First aid kit
• Medications (7-day supply) and medical items (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, cane)
• Multi-purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items
• Copies of personal documents
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family and emergency contact
• information
• Extra cash
• Emergency blanket
• Map(s) of the area
• Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
• Pet supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, bowl)
• Tools/supplies for securing your home
• Extra set of car keys and house keys
• Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoes
• Rain gear
• Insect repellent and sunscreen
• Camera for photos of damage
• Medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth Certificates, Insurance policies)

President Wolfe recently issued a revision to Executive Order 28 (EO28), Section 110.015 of the University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations, entitled Facilities Needs Funding and Reporting.  This revision modifies the methodology the university currently uses for Facilities Needs Funding.  A copy of the revision can be found here.

EO28 originated in 1994 when former UM System President Russell established a goal for each campus to spend 1.5% of building replacement value for maintenance and repair needs.  This goal was the industry’s best practice and was supported by studies relating the decay of building components and the cost of building maintenance.  EO28 recognized the need for the University of Missouri to renew its facilities; more specifically, it addressed deferred maintenance and ensured the modernization of campus facilities.

Moreover, the revised policy will also adhere to industry best practices by establishing facilities renewal goals, thus, enabling campus facilities to meet the standards of a world-class university.  The campuses, using information management tools unavailable in the 1990’s, can track both facility replacement value and the cost to repair and renovate each building through periodic facility condition audits.  This allows each campus to tailor its facilities renewal programs to the actual condition and age of its buildings.  With this information, the campus can determine the unique Facilities Needs Condition Index (FCNI) of each building and the overall campus.  FCNI is the cost to repair or renovate a building divided by the building replacement value.  The current industry best practice is to achieve an FCNI of 0.30 or less.

Lastly, the facility condition audit technology used by the university allows each campus to budget towards a unique campus FCNI goal and to predict the long-term impact of campus spending on its FCNI.  The latest report on EO28 can be found here.

The revised Executive Order 28 was formulated and recommended by a system-wide task force.  The task force members included David Sheahen, James Krueger, Robert Simmons, James Packard, Gary Ward, Larry Eisenberg, Vickie Moore, Jeffery Brown, Gregory Watts, Cuba Plain, Karla Dowd, and Brenda Hogenkamp.