DFL weekly update - February 10, 2023

Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance

  • Friday, 2/10 - Submit Reserve Analysis templates (today)
  • Thursday, 2/16 - Submit completed and approved org tree change requests
  • Friday, 2/24 - Queue commitments for Q3 requests

UAW Agreement Financial Impacts and Budget

VCF is building the campus financial model to understand UAW financial impacts

Pending the resolution of a few outstanding issues, the financial model is largely complete. We are currently planning a joint meeting of the CAOs, DFLs, and chiefs of staff to review the model and other matters related to the strike on Thursday, February 16, from 3:00 to 4:30 pm. The model draws from UCPath and SIS data at the employee level and will deliver aggregated results by title (GSI, GSR, PostDoc, Academic Researcher), department, and award. We would prefer that all schools and colleges use the data set within the model as a starting point for your own calculations to avoid inconsistent reporting for critical decision-making. Completion of the model is essential to finalizing the assumptions for and launching the FY24 budget process, which we will touch on briefly at our meeting next Thursday.

Action Items

Submit Reserve Analysis templates by Friday, February 10 (today)

The Reserve Analysis templates will be due on Friday, February 10. The Reserve Analysis template is in your division folder under FY2023-24 Budget Process > Reserve Analysis Template. A copy of the prior year’s completed template is included in this folder for your reference. More information is available on the Reserve Analysis web page. We are also offering office hours on Mondays. These will be on January 23, January 30, and February 6 from 11 am to 12 pm to help answer any questions you might have regarding this exercise. Sign up for the Reserve Analysis office hours by completing the linked Google Form. The Zoom link is included in the sign-up form.

Submit completed and approved org tree change requests by Thursday, February 16

If you would like to submit changes to the Org Tree, please submit your completed, Budget and Financial Operations (BFO) Committee approved request by Thursday, February 16. We recommend that you submit your change request form for review as soon as possible to allow time for the BFO team to review your request, follow up with you for any necessary clarification, approve your request, and allow you time to obtain all required signatures before the submission deadline. This is for all org changes with the exception of Org Node and DeptID moves.

The time needed to review change requests will vary, depending on the complexity of the request. For more information:

Queue commitments for Q3 requests by Friday, February 24

Please complete the Commitment Queue Request form by Friday, February 24, for commitments to be funded in the third quarter of FY2022-23. Please note that the following commitments do not need to be queued: Budget Decisions; EVCP TAS; Star Awards; Bear Grants; both Productivity Suite and Campus Data Network assessments and endowment payouts for rotating chairs. Commitments are processed on a quarterly basis. You only need to use one commitment queue google form to submit your commitment requests for both faculty and non-faculty funding commitments. Faculty commitments are defined for this purpose as Start-up; Retention; ASMD; and Chancellor's Professorships. Chancellor’s Professorships are those that are offered via start-up or retention in lieu of an actual chair - until one can be found, and are funded by central resources. For more information about queueing commitments and documentation required, please visit the Commitments page. Please note that if you are working remotely, you must log in through VPN for these forms to work. Please email dfl_concierge@berkeley.edu with questions.

Informational Updates

TSA PreCheck event in March

From March 6 -10, 2023 the Travel Team is offering a week of interview appointments to complete the TSA PreCheck enrollment process on campus. This is an opportunity for UC Berkeley faculty, staff, students, and their families who are eligible to schedule an interview with TSA on campus. Visit the TSA PreCheck event page on the travel website to read detailed instructions on how to apply. If you are interested please do not delay, as we expect the appointments to fill up fast. The TSA PreCheck event webpage is the best source for event news. Please contact the Accounts Payable and Travel office at travel@berkeley.edu with questions.

CalPlanning training

The next series of CalPlanning and Smart View training classes begin Thursday, September 8. The curriculum uses a blended learning model. Courses begin with self-study using online “books” divided into chapters supplemented with practice exercises and short videos. Courses culminate with a group session using Zoom in which participants work on case studies in small teams to apply the material covered in the self-study. The self-study materials are available on the website for everyone to use; they can be a helpful resource for those that have already completed the training and are looking for a refresher. Review the CalPlanning training page for schedules, links to enroll, and to access the self-study materials.

Office Hours for CalPlanning and Smart View

Office hours are available so that you can ask specific questions about CalPlanning and Smart View. Request office hours and indicate the topic for which you are requesting support. Office hours are an opportunity to get individual support for a specific challenge your unit is facing; they are not a replacement for training.

Cal Answers Training

Please review the self-service learning resources on the Cal Answers website, where Cal Answers users will find a complete course in basic navigation as well as short videos, job aids, wiki documentation, and a list of Frequently Asked Questions. Additionally, the two-hour instructor-led classes build on the basic navigation skills covered in the self-study. There are separate courses focusing on financial dashboards and student data dashboards. In the class, a subject matter expert will guide a deep dive into the reports and data available in the dashboards and answer specific questions.

Changes to the DFL in your division?

If the DFL role in your division is changing, email fpa@berkeley.edu to ensure our website, communications, and training plans are updated.

DFL Weekly Updates Page

As a reminder, these updates are regularly posted to the DFL Weekly Updates page so you can reference past updates at any time. Additionally, the Operational Deadlines page provides an overview of deliverables by quarter.

Thank you,

Office of the Vice Chancellor of Finance