- We are rolling into the fall 2023 financial aid and disbursement season! We are just as excited as everyone else to welcome new and returning students back to the Twin Cities campus. We are thankful for all of the work done around ASR to begin yet another successful year.
- As you are all likely aware, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) released a decision regarding race based practices being used in admissions. The Office of Student Finance is working closely with the Office of Undergraduate Education, Office of Equity and Diversity, Office of Admissions, Office of General Counsel, and University Relations on determining how this decision will impact the University of Minnesota system. A recent article from Inside Higher Education outlines some of the challenges ahead for higher education institutions.
- Systemwide FAFSA Simplification working groups are going strong and making decisions for the 2024-25 changes. Information for students and families has been posted to the One Stop website.
- Undergraduate and Loans Unit
- Aid year 2022-23 has wrapped up and staff are working on closing out their financial aid programs. At the same time, we are gearing up for 2023-24, making aid adjustments and certifying loans in preparation for financial aid disbursement on Monday night August 28, 2023.
- Due to the change in the 13-credit tuition policy, Twin Cities/Rochester Undergraduate students who decrease their enrollment to fewer than 13 credits may receive a tuition adjustment during the first two weeks of the term. Starting with fall 2023, full-time students who drop courses below 13 credits, are receiving certain types of financial aid, and have a credit balance, will have a temporary hold placed on their student account. This hold will ensure a refund is not immediately issued in cases when a student may be swapping courses, and allow OSF time to notify students that if they remain enrolled in fewer than 13 credits they may owe a balance on their account once their financial aid has been adjusted.
- Starting in fall 2023, the financial aid late enrollment appeal form will no longer be needed if a student adds credits after census. OSF will be running a weekly query for all careers to identify these students. Financial aid eligibility will be reviewed/adjusted accordingly. All the same aid rules still apply.
- OSF has updated our Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) email communication to students. The first sentence in the email was designed to notify the student of their SAP status and if they need to complete an appeal. A link to the appeal is provided (if applicable) with more detailed information in the email. In the past, the email had an attachment with the detailed information. It is our hope that more students will read this text and understand if there are any next steps needed to qualify for financial aid. Thank you to Meghan (OSF - Undergrad), Tom (FA-IT), and the many others that helped review the communication.
- The American Indian Scholars Program, a new program announced by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, will be implemented for 2023-24. Information has been added to the One Stop website and the system-wide implementation team is being led by Kari Ellering.
- Compliance, Graduate Unit, Athletics, Professional and Scholarship Unit (CGAPS)
- The CGAPS units continue to make manual adjustments on financial aid packages for our populations, based on scholarships and grants that are being added to students’ financial aid packages.
- Medical School financial aid kicks off our disbursement processes this week, and we are excited to work with students as they begin/continue their medical careers.
- Athletics, FA-IT, and OIT are working through an error with the NCAA Compliance Assistant software that started with a system upgrade on May 1, 2023. This upgrade introduced many changes including the reporting to PeopleSoft, and is impacting work done in multiple offices. For now, a manual workaround has been identified, however we are determining if that workaround meets all team needs.
- Fiscal Unit
- The Fiscal Unit welcomes our newest team member, Bounmee Yang, to the team! Bounmee serves as a Finance Professional 4 supervisor. Bounmee’s first day was August 21, and we are thrilled to have him on board!
- Here is the fall aid and credit balance disbursement schedule:
- Monday, August 21: Medical School initial financial aid disbursement.
- Wednesday, August 23: 1st batch of credit balances run for direct deposit.
- Friday, August 25: 1st batch of credit balances run for checks.
- Monday, August 28: All other TC careers initial financial aid disbursement
- Wednesday, August 30: 1st batch of credit balances run for direct deposit and parent checks.
- Friday, September 1: 1st batch of credit balances run for checks.
Thursday, August 24, 2023
Office of Student Finance
The Capital Project Management project website is live
Hello, Fraser Hall - Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories Enthusiasts! The Capital Project Management project website is now live. On this site, you will find periodic construction updates, photos, important campus impacts such as building outages and traffic information, the schedule, as well as a webcam (coming soon). It also includes the new building renderings and basic project information.
Campus Codefest
Over 40 University developers gathered together at Wilson Library for Campus Codefest August 17-18. Developers pitched a range of projects for attending developers to choose from. In all, there were approximately 10 different projects.
The Application Development team attended both days and split up to work on several projects. Developers then had a chance to demo their projects and talk about their progress, barriers and potential future work. Special thanks to Shawn Isenhart who reassembled the committee to make Campus Codefest happen after a few years off!
The Application Development team attended both days and split up to work on several projects. Developers then had a chance to demo their projects and talk about their progress, barriers and potential future work. Special thanks to Shawn Isenhart who reassembled the committee to make Campus Codefest happen after a few years off!
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Whose Stories We Tell: Museums, Decolonization & Erasure
In an era where museums are reevaluating their collections, unearthing buried histories, and challenging problematic aspects of their past has become a call to action. With initiatives like "Museums Are Not Neutral" and exhibits such as the University of Michigan Museum of Art’s “Unsettling Histories: Legacies of Slavery and Colonialism," institutions are starting to acknowledge the often-overlooked stories rooted in colonization, Western domination ideology, and erasure. Among these narratives, one story stands out: the tale of Bélizaire, an enslaved Black or mixed-race teenager whose image was painted into a commissioned white family portrait only to be obscured later. This speaks volumes about the power of representation and erasure.
The picture challenges us to think about who is telling the story of our past, how that defines who we are and contributes to the myth-making of America, and who is included or excluded, and in this case, literally erased. Historian Katy Shannon noted, “People will know his name, they will see his face, and he will be the surrogate stand-in for so many people whose pictures weren’t painted and stories weren’t told.”
The tale of Bélizaire is an invitation to challenge the existing narratives, demand inclusive representation, and acknowledge the enduring struggles of those once relegated to the shadows. His image reminds us that history is not fixed, and those left out deserve to be seen, heard, and remembered.
Additional resources
Join our ASR DEI Community of Practice
Subscribe to our DEI Google Group to discuss the latest news, connect with the committee, and keep up-to-date with DEI initiatives. More resources and information about the DEI committee can be found on the ASR Intranet.
In an era where museums are reevaluating their collections, unearthing buried histories, and challenging problematic aspects of their past has become a call to action. With initiatives like "Museums Are Not Neutral" and exhibits such as the University of Michigan Museum of Art’s “Unsettling Histories: Legacies of Slavery and Colonialism," institutions are starting to acknowledge the often-overlooked stories rooted in colonization, Western domination ideology, and erasure. Among these narratives, one story stands out: the tale of Bélizaire, an enslaved Black or mixed-race teenager whose image was painted into a commissioned white family portrait only to be obscured later. This speaks volumes about the power of representation and erasure.
The picture challenges us to think about who is telling the story of our past, how that defines who we are and contributes to the myth-making of America, and who is included or excluded, and in this case, literally erased. Historian Katy Shannon noted, “People will know his name, they will see his face, and he will be the surrogate stand-in for so many people whose pictures weren’t painted and stories weren’t told.”
The tale of Bélizaire is an invitation to challenge the existing narratives, demand inclusive representation, and acknowledge the enduring struggles of those once relegated to the shadows. His image reminds us that history is not fixed, and those left out deserve to be seen, heard, and remembered.
Additional resources
- For more information on the museum's early practices and how they came from the spoils of colonization, read Museum Decolonization: Moving Away from Narratives Told by the Oppressors
Join our ASR DEI Community of Practice
Subscribe to our DEI Google Group to discuss the latest news, connect with the committee, and keep up-to-date with DEI initiatives. More resources and information about the DEI committee can be found on the ASR Intranet.
Staff recognition
A huge kudos to our ASR staff who have been working on the Coursedog project for the last two years. The new Coursedog curriculum and catalog tools launched this Monday, August 21. Congratulations to the team on reaching this HUGE milestone!
The launch of Coursedog marks a transition for our University curriculum staff from ECAS & PCAS to a single Software as a Service (SaaS) system that integrates course and program approval workflows and increases process transparency. Coursedog also feeds both course & program data into a University Catalog website that is more user-friendly and accessible for all students.
It took a lot of people to make this project possible, and a sincere thank you goes to everyone who contributed to its success. Special thanks to the following ASR staff members who helped with the Coursedog Project: Allie Cummelin, Annalee Tomsicek, Christina Herold, Christopher Abts, Christopher Smith, Dan Delaney, Danielle Eberhard, David Norman, Frank Morello, Heather Micek, Ingrid Nuttall, Jennifer Peterson, Jennifer Selander, Jessica Clem, Kate Sophia, Kathryn J. Kvam, Matt Plachejo, Max Herman, Renae Faunce, and Sara Cokl.
Several project team members will continue supporting users and ongoing development of the Coursedog product post go-live. Special shout-out to Matt Plachejo who has taken on the role of Coursedog Product Owner. Matt will continue to work with the Curriculum Administration Best Practices governance group to implement University curriculum administration decisions into the tool and provide the University community with ongoing product feature updates.
The launch of Coursedog marks a transition for our University curriculum staff from ECAS & PCAS to a single Software as a Service (SaaS) system that integrates course and program approval workflows and increases process transparency. Coursedog also feeds both course & program data into a University Catalog website that is more user-friendly and accessible for all students.
It took a lot of people to make this project possible, and a sincere thank you goes to everyone who contributed to its success. Special thanks to the following ASR staff members who helped with the Coursedog Project: Allie Cummelin, Annalee Tomsicek, Christina Herold, Christopher Abts, Christopher Smith, Dan Delaney, Danielle Eberhard, David Norman, Frank Morello, Heather Micek, Ingrid Nuttall, Jennifer Peterson, Jennifer Selander, Jessica Clem, Kate Sophia, Kathryn J. Kvam, Matt Plachejo, Max Herman, Renae Faunce, and Sara Cokl.
Several project team members will continue supporting users and ongoing development of the Coursedog product post go-live. Special shout-out to Matt Plachejo who has taken on the role of Coursedog Product Owner. Matt will continue to work with the Curriculum Administration Best Practices governance group to implement University curriculum administration decisions into the tool and provide the University community with ongoing product feature updates.
ASR Staff Engagement August 24th Survey
This week’s ASR Staff Engagement Survey is related to data security. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences.
According to the last survey, most are feeling pretty good as fall semester approaches (38.4%). We received lots of great feedback when asked what advice you would give to new staff going into the start of the semester. Taking breaks when needed and taking things one day at a time were mentioned frequently. All responses will be included in the N&N blog.
When asked about favorite places to get food on or around campus, Wally’s and Bahn Appetit received the most responses. Finally, most are planning to attend the State Fair this year (53.8%). Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated.
August 10th, 2023 survey results
As Fall semester approaches, how are you feeling (1= I’m feeling stressed to 5=I’m feeling good!)?
- 1 (19.2%)
- 2 (7.7%)
- 3 (34.6%)
- 4 (19.2%)
- 5 (19.2%)
What advice would you give to new staff going into the start of the semester?
- Get up and take a break from the screen from time to time.
- Buy your favorite stress snack in bulk.
- Don't stress! One step at a time and all will go well.
- Do not do a minute of work above your normal hours unless you'll be compensated for it.
- Just assume you will just be helping students all day.
- Take things step by step, and remember to breathe.
- It's a whirlwind! But remember to leave work at work - it will be there tomorrow!
- All hands on deck.
- Things will calm down.
- It is just one more stop on the cycle.
- It gets a bit crazy, so make sure to take time for yourself as well and take breaks when needed.
- Take part in all the fun events on campus.
- Remember, that even if you've answered a particular question 1000 times, it's the first time for THIS student.
- Keep your head up and prioritize.
- Buckle up.
- Take it one day at a time.
- Ask lots of questions.
What are your favorite places to get food on or around campus?
- Banh Appetit, Wally's, Frank and Andrea's
- Banh Appetit, The Cove, Potbelly
- Raising Canes, Schwang Chen, Crisp and Green
- DP Dough - To Each His Zone
- Wally's!!!!!
Are you planning to attend the State Fair this year?
- Yes (53.8%)
- I’m not sure (19.2%)
- No (26.9%)
Update from Stacey
I’m dashing off a quick update as I juggle the usual beginning of term things. There is so much preparation leading up to the start of term and your effort is appreciated! For me, it means an uptick in policy questions, FERPA questions, and making sure everyone has the decisions they need for a successful start of the school year. There are several unique things happening this fall as well with people in new positions and vacant positions. I’ll be getting to know new Vice Chancellors in Duluth and Rochester in the coming weeks and share what ASR does to support their campuses. Please remember to help each other out, connect with your colleagues, and share your knowledge. Thank you for everything you do to support our students and the University as a whole!
On a personal note, we are also getting ready for the start of the school year at home. My eldest is packing to move into the residence hall on Monday. Convocation and Pride & Spirit will feel a little different knowing that I have a child (adult?) in the room. Many of you are experiencing similar seasonal changes and I wish you all well, whatever you are juggling at home alongside your professional lives.
Thursday, August 10, 2023
ASR-IT
- Application Development
- Planning for Q4 prioritization is underway!
- The team has been focused on the upcoming Drupal 10 upgrade:
- Both classroom.umn.edu and all campus One Stop sites are affected.
- The One Stop Kiosk underwent a long-overdue upgrade. There were no functional changes, but this paves the way to reduce our tech debt for this application.
- We’re poised to begin addressing tech debt for the Tuition and Fee Management System (TFMS), which needs a few upgrades to stay in compliance.
- The team will participate in Campus Codefest August 17 and 18.
- Our custom Class scheduling distribution summary (CSDS) application has been moved to Tableau with the help of Ian Whitney and the Student Data Analytics team. This allows us to decommission several things in our portfolio.
- Campus Community/Shared Data/Student Financials IT
- Fall preparation activities are taking up most of the team’s time (tuition setup for all campuses and other start of term readiness items).
- Participated in PI Planning with OIT.
- Completed a project to export certain fee data into the Common Data Layer.
- Continued to work with OIT on Proposed Changes to Email Offerings.
- Tools 8.59.19 CPU testing and Financials Image testing.
- Financial Aid IT
- Fall preparation activities are in full swing (Packaging/Repackaging, SAP evaluations, Disbursements) for all campuses.
- FAFSA Simplification/Student Aid Index activities.
- One Term Exceptions with OSF/SDP.
- OSF/Admissions AY start-up discussion.
- NCAA CAi upgrade analysis and assistance
- PeopleTools 8.59.19 CPU testing
- Student Records
- Participated in PI Planning with OIT.
- Continued to work with OIT on Proposed Changes to Email Offerings.
- Tools 8.59.19 CPU testing.
- Preparing for Coursedog launch.
- Working with the Learning Abroad Center to see if we can assist with automating any of their business processes.
- Summer term grading.
- 13 credit exemption retirement.
- Student Data and Analytics
- Admission Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW)
- On track for end of September launch admissions trackbook dashboard
- Building 3 more dimensions
- Build RPD and testing
- Retention Priority
- Training fall 2023 to spring 2024 campus and cohort specific models
- Delivered Class Scheduling Distribution Summary (CSDS) Dashboard to OCM
- Ongoing Enhancements
- Waiver dashboard (Tuition Attribution)
- Partnering with OIT HR to recruit a new SDA team manager (see notes above). Ingrid Nuttall will be leading the search with OIT HR supporting the hiring committee with the hiring process.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
All-Staff Assembly follow-up
Thank you all again for your thoughtful participation during our DEI Committee presentation on July 27! We enjoyed hearing your responses to the ASR DEI Vision Statements and look forward to sharing opportunities to engage in similar conversations over the coming months.
As a way to connect diversity, equity, and inclusion to the work of all ASR staff, we have asked that you incorporate the DEI Vision Statements into your individual development plans. Here are a few of the resources we shared to get you started:
Finally, the DEI Committee will be meeting on September 18 to discuss our goals for the upcoming year, and we would love to hear from you! Please email us at asrdei@umn.edu with any ideas or recommendations for this planning session.
Join our ASR DEI Community of Practice
Subscribe to our DEI Google Group to discuss the latest news, connect with the committee, and keep up-to-date with DEI initiatives. More resources and information about the DEI committee can be found on the ASR Intranet.
Thank you all again for your thoughtful participation during our DEI Committee presentation on July 27! We enjoyed hearing your responses to the ASR DEI Vision Statements and look forward to sharing opportunities to engage in similar conversations over the coming months.
As a way to connect diversity, equity, and inclusion to the work of all ASR staff, we have asked that you incorporate the DEI Vision Statements into your individual development plans. Here are a few of the resources we shared to get you started:
- ASR Staff Site
- DEI Committee Page (vision statements and other resources coming soon)
- IDP Page
- Office of Equity & Diversity
Join our ASR DEI Community of Practice
Subscribe to our DEI Google Group to discuss the latest news, connect with the committee, and keep up-to-date with DEI initiatives. More resources and information about the DEI committee can be found on the ASR Intranet.
Staff recognition
Congratulations to Cathy Schuster, Student Finance Counselor in the Office of Student Finance, for being named a 2023-2024 Gilman Advisor Ambassador! Focusing on scholarships for international educational opportunities, Cathy has helped countless students achieve their dreams of studying abroad during their careers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Way to go, Cathy, for joining this select group of individuals and representing our University in the study abroad community!
Public building hours and access
On August 1, many campus buildings moved to no public hours, meaning buildings are locked but still accessible via U Card to all faculty, students, and staff during specified hours. So remember to carry your U Card with you whenever you are on campus. You can view these hours for all campus buildings on the Twin Cities Building List.
West Bank One Stop location closing
The One Stop West Bank location will be permanently closing. The last day of service at this location will be on August 18, 2023.
Since returning to in-person services in 2021, the One Stop West Bank location has seen a significant drop in in-person visits from students. To best serve students and manage staff resources, we are consolidating One Stop locations.
One Stop Student Services will continue to provide in-person service at our East Bank (Bruininks Hall) and St. Paul (Coffey Hall) locations. Additionally, students have the option of meeting with a One Stop counselor by Zoom appointment, chat, email, and phone.
There are many past One Stop staff who remain in ASR and have fond memories of the small but mighty West Bank office. Thank you to the many in One Stop and across ASR who have supported the West Bank One Stop office over the years.
Since returning to in-person services in 2021, the One Stop West Bank location has seen a significant drop in in-person visits from students. To best serve students and manage staff resources, we are consolidating One Stop locations.
One Stop Student Services will continue to provide in-person service at our East Bank (Bruininks Hall) and St. Paul (Coffey Hall) locations. Additionally, students have the option of meeting with a One Stop counselor by Zoom appointment, chat, email, and phone.
There are many past One Stop staff who remain in ASR and have fond memories of the small but mighty West Bank office. Thank you to the many in One Stop and across ASR who have supported the West Bank One Stop office over the years.
Coursedog launches August 21
Coursedog—the integrated course and program approval workflow system replacing ECAS, PCAS, and University catalogs—will launch Monday, August 21! All previous users of ECAS and PCAS will automatically have equivalent access in Coursedog. Post-launch information on requesting access, completing training, and support contact information can be found at z.umn.edu/coursedog-support.
ECAS and PCAS will be available as view-only for several months as a historical reference.
This launch is the culmination of more than a year of work involving curriculum management representatives systemwide. More information about this is on the Coursedog Project webpage. Project manager Sara Cokl also presented on this project and the future of ASR projects at this morning’s ASR Staff Assembly. A recording of that presentation will be available soon in the ASR All-Staff Assemblies Google folder.
If you have questions, please direct them to coursedog@umn.edu.
ECAS and PCAS will be available as view-only for several months as a historical reference.
This launch is the culmination of more than a year of work involving curriculum management representatives systemwide. More information about this is on the Coursedog Project webpage. Project manager Sara Cokl also presented on this project and the future of ASR projects at this morning’s ASR Staff Assembly. A recording of that presentation will be available soon in the ASR All-Staff Assemblies Google folder.
If you have questions, please direct them to coursedog@umn.edu.
Continued alignment work
Last year, a cross-functional group of ASR staff members convened to look for alignment opportunities, improvements, and efficiencies in our information technology work. One of the group’s recommendations was to further awareness and alignment of the valuable work of student data analytics and its connection to ASR’s stewardship of student data. This update highlights two key changes that will advance this recommendation.
First, ASR will soon be hiring a manager for the Student Data & Analytics (SDA) team, a replacement for a position previously held by John Vlk who left in October 2022. This position will be posted in the next few days in the hopes of hiring a new manager in September. In addition, the SDA manager and team will report directly to Stacey Tidball once the position has been hired. This change supports their highly collaborative role as they work with strategic leaders in all Twin Cities colleges, University Data and Institutional Reporting, the Office of Undergraduate Education, the Graduate School, all University campuses, and the Office of Information Technology to deliver meaningful insights regarding potential barriers in the student lifecycle.
This change in reporting structure is important, but so are the connections between analysts and data experts in other teams, both in and outside of ASR. The new manager position will be charged with further clarifying those connections and establishing more routine collaboration to enhance the work of student success analytics.
First, ASR will soon be hiring a manager for the Student Data & Analytics (SDA) team, a replacement for a position previously held by John Vlk who left in October 2022. This position will be posted in the next few days in the hopes of hiring a new manager in September. In addition, the SDA manager and team will report directly to Stacey Tidball once the position has been hired. This change supports their highly collaborative role as they work with strategic leaders in all Twin Cities colleges, University Data and Institutional Reporting, the Office of Undergraduate Education, the Graduate School, all University campuses, and the Office of Information Technology to deliver meaningful insights regarding potential barriers in the student lifecycle.
This change in reporting structure is important, but so are the connections between analysts and data experts in other teams, both in and outside of ASR. The new manager position will be charged with further clarifying those connections and establishing more routine collaboration to enhance the work of student success analytics.
ASR Staff Engagement August 10 Survey
This week’s ASR Staff Engagement survey examines our thoughts and feelings as we near fall semester. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences.
We had a wide array of responses when asked what movies you have seen the most. Disney movies were mentioned most frequently, including the Little Mermaid, Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. When asked what movies remind you most of summer, we again had a wide array of responses with many folks mentioning movies featuring baseball, such as The Sandlot and Field of Dreams.
When asked about favorite movie snacks, popcorn was the overwhelming favorite along with Junior mints. Finally, most plan to see either Barbie or Oppenheimer in theaters (41.7%), while 33.3% are waiting to see one or both digitally. Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated. Results from the last survey are available below.
July 27, 2023 survey results
We had a wide array of responses when asked what movies you have seen the most. Disney movies were mentioned most frequently, including the Little Mermaid, Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. When asked what movies remind you most of summer, we again had a wide array of responses with many folks mentioning movies featuring baseball, such as The Sandlot and Field of Dreams.
When asked about favorite movie snacks, popcorn was the overwhelming favorite along with Junior mints. Finally, most plan to see either Barbie or Oppenheimer in theaters (41.7%), while 33.3% are waiting to see one or both digitally. Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated. Results from the last survey are available below.
July 27, 2023 survey results
In your estimation, what movie have you seen the most times?
- The Land Before Time
- Wizard of Oz
- Parent Trap (with Lindsey Lohan)
- Clue
- The animated Little Mermaid or the first Pirates of the Caribbean
- Stand By Me
- Top Gun and Dazed and Confused
- Aquamarine, Jumanji
- Grease
- My Girl
- Popcorn and Junior Mints
- Popcorn and Raisinets (I obviously have not been to a movie in 20 years)
- Buttered Popcorn & Twizzlers
- Skittles and popcorn!
- Popcorn and nachos
- Yes, I’ve already seen one or both! (16.7%)
- Yes, I’m planning to see one of those in theaters (41.7%)
- Yes, but I’m waiting until they are available digitally (33.3%)
- No, I’m not planning to watch either (8.3%)
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