PeopleSoft Campus Solutions 9.2 Upgrade Project wrap up

The PeopleSoft Campus Solutions 9.2 Upgrade Project officially concluded on June 30. This project kicked off in April 2017 and was completed in two phases. The first phase—a technical upgrade of Campus Solutions from version 9.0 to 9.2—was delivered in September 2017. The second phase delivered functional improvements over several months. This included 16 individual initiatives focused on leveraging delivered functionality not already in use.

In summary: the University is now the most current it has ever been with PeopleSoft Campus Solutions releases and is positioned to take advantage of new functionality. Project teams explored the application of Fluid pages and Enterprise Component Tools (Activity Guides, CAF, Forms Builder, WorkCenter, Notification Framework, and Pivot Grids) to meet business needs and delivered Service improvements for students, faculty, and staff.

For more detail, see the CS 9.2 Completion Report.

uAchieve implementation update

The project to replace DARS with uAchieve is underway! The project, which officially kicked-off July 2, is a re-implementation of the system that provides the University with transfer articulation and degree audits. Some existing ASR staff have transitioned to the project, and some new staff have been hired to fulfill project responsibilities. You can find them in 150 Williamson.

The first year of the project includes a vendor services contract with College Source, the parent company of DARS, TES, and Transferology. They will be performing much of the technical work to switch the University over to their new platform, uAchieve. Project team members will be consulting with subject matter experts in ASR and system campus partners to make sure the University’s business needs are met. The team is looking forward to connecting with a wide array of ASR and Admissions staff as they reach out with questions or to validate business needs.

For more details, take a look at the project status dashboard.

Some systems unavailable this weekend—MyU, Perceptive Content

Due to a planned software update this weekend, July 21 and 22, some MyU features will be unavailable from noon Saturday through noon Sunday. You will not be able to access the My Time, My Pay, My Info, My Benefits, and Manager Info tabs, along with HRMS-related queries in the Reporting Center.

Additionally, Perceptive Content (formerly Image Now) will be unavailable from 5:00 a.m. on July 21 through noon on July 22 as technicians perform a system upgrade.

Visit IT Service Status for updates.

Organics recycling from the ASR Suggestion Box

A recent submission asked about the possibility of adding a compost bin in Williamson Hall. After further research, we have found that Facilities Management (FM) is currently rolling out an organics recycling program to all UMN-TC over the next two years. With this implementation, the quad system will transition to one bin each for trash, can/bottle recycling, paper, and organics. Once implemented, it will be the responsibility of each person to empty their desk-side bin into the appropriate quad bins. An ETA has not yet been set for ASR buildings. We will give updates as we learn more.

Jokes from popsicle sticks

Some ASR staff recently shared a few laughs over jokes found on popsicle sticks. Are you able to crack any of these?


Where does a catcher sit down for dinner?
Behind the plate.


What do you do when your fish sounds bad?
Tune A Fish


What kind of snacks to computers eat?
Micro chips


Why did the birdie go to the doctor?
He needed some tweetment


Where did the elephant store it’s suitcase?
In its trunk


What is the most musical part of the turkey?
The drumstick


Why didn’t the hockey player want to pay for dinner?
He was a cheapskate


What kind of boats do vampires like?
Blood vessels


How does the ocean greet the beach?
It waves


What gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel

Why is it a bad idea to work for elephants?
They pay peanuts


What gets whiter as it gets dirtier?
A blackboard


What kind of call does a marathon runner always make?
Long distance


How many apples grow on a tree?
All apples grow on a tree

Changes to cost of attendance page

The cost of attendance page on the One Stop website has some changes to note:

• A new estimated cost of attendance chart for 2018-19 
• A simplified cost of attendance chart for undergraduates (with actual COA figures) 
• A new page dedicated to COA for graduate students

These changes are the result of feedback from students and staff, with an effort to make cost of attendance information easier to find and use.

How do you like to be recognized?

As part of responding to E2 (employee engagement) survey results, we are reviewing methods to recognize employees for a job well done. Please take five minutes to share your recognition preferences.

While it is not guaranteed that all methods of recognition will be available all the time, it is the intention for supervisors and directors to review these results so that recognition can be based on preferences.