• Given the current climate and the need to reduce expenditures, meal costs will continue to be reviewed at a very detailed level.
• Please ensure any food costs are truly necessary and critical in nature.
  • Pre-approvals at this point should be submitted for any food expense.
  • There is no guarantee of allowable expenses or reimbursements.

Please read the Guidance on Essential University Travel released by the President and Provost.

Deadline to validate and submit course schedules in CLSS for the Spring 2026 semester is Friday, Sept. 12.

• To accommodate upcoming Graduate Assistant Open Enrollment and scheduled system maintenance, the following changes will be made to Core-CT system availability. Please be sure to plan accordingly with the following dates in mind:
  • Wednesday, July 30 – Core-CT will be unavailable for Pay-Confirm activities.
  • Thursday, July 31 – Core-CT will be available from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.
  • Friday, August 1 – Core-CT will be unavailable.
  • Monday, August 4 – Core-CT availability will be reinstated at approximately 4 a.m.

• Please note that if an account has multiple recipients of the same award, they should all be listed on one form when submitting within the systems.
  • All submissions that total $10k or more in disbursements to students on one form should have a copy printed by the submitter and emailed to the Shared Services Business Center.
  • Please see the Training Materials for both Kuali Build forms.
  • Please see the Scholarship vs. Fellowship Guide in the CLAS Knowledge Base.

• When processing an Audit Hire in PageUp, please use the “1. ALL UNITS: AUDIT/WAIVER + APPROVER” approval workflow. This workflow requires manual selections before submitting in PageUp:
  • "Org Head/Org Head Proxy" should be Michelle Hicks.
  • "School/College/Division" should be Mackenzie Murphy for all NTT/TT positions or Erin Szela for all other positions.
  • "HR Ad Coordinator" will auto populate, do not change.

• Effective July 24, the following are restricted for purchase on the University Pro Card:
  • Web hosting services and web site domain registration must be hosted by the University and use a uconn.edu domain.
    • This is per University standards and ensures that brand, web, accessibility, and security standards are met.
• ChatGPT is available to UConn faculty and staff and must be purchased through ITS.
  • If you have paid for a ChatGPT account, please transfer it over to a university license.
  • A refund for any remaining balances will be issued from OpenAI for transferred accounts.
  • All University ChatGPT licenses, new and transfers, must be purchased directly from software.uconn.edu and will require a KFS account number.

• Procurement has launched a Commodity Code Dictionary on the UConn Knowledge Base.
  • This will be integrated directly into HuskyBuy forms in the future which will make it easier to:
    • Select the correct commodity code at the point of requisition.
    • Access clear definitions and examples for each code.
    • Streamline the procurement process and reduce delays.

• When sponsoring a conference or event, please be sure to route advertising and sponsorship opportunities through CLAS Communications before moving forward with any advertisements.
  • Departments will need to seek Dean-level approval before approving any documents or moving forward with any efforts.
  • This will ensure that brand-standards are met and logos are used appropriately.

• The Office of Student Financial Aid Services (OSFAS) is seeking to connect with scholarship administrators within CLAS to better understand each department’s scholarship awarding process.
  • These conversations will inform recommendations for best practices and help evaluate potential software solutions that support, replicate, or enhance the important work done by your departments and by OSFAS.
  • Your input will be essential in shaping a more unified and effective scholarship management process across the University.
• Please sign up for a session today using OSFAS’s ​Sign Up Sheet. This may require you to request access to the form.

• Reminder regarding post-doc appointments and renewals:
  • All post-docs need to be renewed with a 3% increase (increases are not allowed outside of renewal period).
    • Effective July 1, 2024, post-docs need to be hired at least at $60k starting salary (Please review the 2024-2027 Postdoctoral Employee Contract. Compensation is under Article 23.).
    • If a PI would like to pay above the 3% increase at the time of renewal, please obtain approval from the CLAS Shared Services Business Center (please email bsc@uconn.edu) with justification for the increase.
  • Appointments are typically for 1 year at a time; any appointments under 100% FTE or under 1 year, require approval from the CLAS Shared Services Business Center and Labor Relations (please email bsc@uconn.edu with all request information).
  • Approval is required to hire a post-doc beyond a 5-year term, so please consult with the CLAS Shared Services Business Center if this situation arises.
  • Post-doc appointments cannot contain any teaching duties – must be strictly research based.
    • If there is a teaching component, that should be processed through Special Payroll, in addition to their unclassified post-doc position.
• You can read more about Appointment/Reappointment Details for PostDocs on the CLAS Knowledge Base.
• If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the CLAS Shared Services Business Center (bsc@uconn.edu).

• CLAS is teaming up with the UConn Police Department to put on a Teambuilding Training hosted by Sergeant Justin Cheney.
  • Focus will be on building communication skills, problem solving and leadership through a series of hands-on activities, followed by a facilitated discussion.
  • The training will be held on Wednesday, July 30 from 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in BOUS A106.
    • Please note that this will require light physical activity, please let us know if you require physical accommodations and dress comfortably for the event.
    • Light snacks will be served at the training.
• Please RSVP for the event. Space is available on a first come, first served basis and will be capped at 50.

• Monthly meetings will take place between CLAS Shared Services Management and the following:
  • Procurement will take place on Friday, July 31 & August 15.
  • Procurement and A/P will take place on Monday, August 11.
  • Payroll will take place on Thursday, August 7.
• CLAS Business Center Monthly Topic Overview will be held on Thursday, August 14 from 1:30-3 p.m.
  • Dan Warren and Nancy Patrylak will discuss travel policy updates.
  • Please reach out to bsc@uconn.edu with ideas for future topics.
• Please feel free to reach out to bsc@uconn.edu with any areas of concern to be discussed at any of these meetings.

• LinkedIn Learning is now available at no cost to all UConn staff on Storrs campus as an e-learning resource.
  • LinkedIn Learning offers an opportunity to develop professional skills through a digital library of over 6,000 courses.
  • Visit the Microsoft App store and navigate to the LinkedIn Learning application to activate your license.
    • Please reach out to brandon.murray@uconn.edu with any questions.
• CLAS Shared Services has a lending library with a variety of books on professional development and self-improvement.
  • For more information on how to borrow a book, please contact Emily Petry.
• Academic Impressions offers professional development resources for higher education professionals. Resources include hundreds of hours of trainings in topics such as Academic Leadership, Advancement, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Faculty Success, Leadership Development, Compliance, and more.
• The Lexington Group, Inc is UConn’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The Lexington Group provides confidential face-to-face counseling, or in certain circumstances video counseling, to assist employees in identifying and resolving personal problems no matter how unique and diverse they appear. Examples include family and marital conflicts, stress, substance abuse, depression, and other emotional issues. The Lexington Group also assists with referrals for eldercare support, childcare, as well as legal and financial guidance through our Life Care program.
  • Employees may call The Lexington Group for immediate and confidential assistance at 1-800-676-HELP (4357) or access their website. The Lexington Group is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

• HuskyBuy Invoice Review & Approval Training.
  • Accounts Payable will be holding a training to address:
    • The responsibilities of invoice approvers.
    • Strategies to avoid common pitfalls that may delay or put a hold on PO invoices.
    • Frequently asked questions.
  • The training will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 6 from 1-2:30 p.m.
  • Register for Demystifying Invoicing in HuskyBuy.
• Concur Open Labs Registration.
  • Travel Services will be holding bi-weekly Open Labs at 3 Discovery Drive in the Bid Room.
  • Please come prepared with receipts and supporting documents saved to your laptop or in Concur.
    • The next sessions will be held on Wednesdays, July 30.
    • Half hour slots are available between from 10 a.m.-noon.
  • Visit the Travel Services website for more information.
• Form I-9 Training.
  • Please sign up for HireRight training on Learning@Work.
    • Thursday, July 29 from 9-10:30 a.m.
    • Thursday, August 12 from 2-3:30 p.m.
  • HireRight access is not granted without an employee having attended training.
  • Please be sure to fill out the HireRight Access Request form in KualiBuild after the training is completed.
• PageUp Training.
  • Regular Payroll Registration.
    • August 11 from 9-11:30 a.m.
    • September 29 from 9-11:30 a.m.
  • Special Payroll Registration.
    • August 12 from 9-11 a.m.
    • September 30 from 9-11 a.m.

• For the month of May, CLAS faculty submitted 53 grant applications with a total requested amount of $72M.
• For the month of May, CLAS faculty were awarded 14 new awards with a total funded amount of $4.4M.
• GMS Postaward Team will be pre-encumbering Fall GAs on sponsored project accounts.
• OVPR has launched UCONN EMERGE provides short-term (<12 months) essential support when external funding for an investigator has been interrupted due to circumstances (broadly related to recent changes in federal policies and priorities) beyond the investigator’s control. Please have your faculty contact GMS if they have any questions.

• As you may be aware, Windows 10 will soon reach its end of life, and systems running this operating system will no longer be supported. To help you transition to a compliant and supportable system, CLAS-IT is offering several upgrade options. Please review the options below and determine which best fits your needs.
  • Option 1 – Reclaimed Systems (No Cost).
    • We have approximately:
      • 20 All-in-One PCs.
      • 10 iMacs.
    • These systems were reclaimed from labs refreshed this summer. They support modern operating systems approved for use on the UConn network and will be provided at no cost to departments or recipients.
    • Important notes:
      • These machines are 5–7 years old, out of warranty, and may struggle with modern applications like Adobe Creative Suite, data analysis or video conferencing tools.
      • Systems will be delivered properly imaged and managed by CLAS-IT.
      • Ideal for areas/roles that typically do not receive funding for equipment, such as:
        • Graduate students.
        • Research areas.
        • Student worker workstations.
  • Option 2 – Subsidized Systems.
    • We have available:
      • 100 brand-new Dell Pro 14 Plus laptops.
      • Full 4-year warranty.
      • Subsidized cost: $900 per system.
      • Recommended for faculty with outdated secondary/lab systems not covered by the standard 5-year replacement plan.
    • Additionally, we have:
      • 5 older Dell 2-in-1 laptops.
        • Cost: $500 each.
        • 1-year warranty remaining.
      • 5 older Dell Detachable systems.
        • Cost: $500 each.
        • 1-year warranty remaining.
  • Option 3 – Standard Replacement Program
    • Our standard inventory of laptops and desktops is available through our regular procurement channels.
      • View CLAS IT Standard Computer Configurations.
      • If you're eligible for the 5-year replacement cycle, the cost of your primary system will be covered up to $2,000 by CLAS-IT.
    • Not all positions are eligible for the 5-year replacement. If you're unsure, please email clasit@uconn.edu with your system’s asset tag and primary user info, and we’ll confirm eligibility.
• Please reach out to clasit@uconn.edu if you have any questions or need help selecting the right option.