Congratulations to Lisa Marden who is the new supervisor at the UMW Post Office! Lisa has been a dedicated staff member at the Post Office for two years and we are so excited to have her as our new team lead. If you have any questions or concerns about the UMW Post Office please feel free to contact Lisa at 654-2073 or lmarden@umw.edu.

The personal vehicle mileage reimbursement rate has been changed to $.56/mile, effective Jan. 1, 2014. The rate for travel that took place prior to Jan. 1, 2014 is $.565/mile. When submitting your travel reimbursement, please be sure to use the form that correlates with your actual travel dates. Travel reimbursement forms may be found at http://adminfinance.umw.edu/ap/travel/travel-expense-reimbursement-form/. 

Please remember to visit the Accounts Payable website to obtain the most current forms and rates related to travel, lodging and per diem. Other important information to remember:

• Lodging and Per Diem rates that went into effect for dates of travel Oct. 1, 2013, can be found on the Accounts Payable website at http://adminfinance.umw.edu/ap/travel/per-diem-and-lodging-rates/. Please note that the lodging rate for the Fredericksburg area was reduced to $85.

• Business Meal rates for this area remained the same. Business Meal Forms can be found at http://adminfinance.umw.edu/ap/business-meals/.

• All Travel regulations can be found at http://adminfinance.umw.edu/ap/travel/.

• Reimbursements must be submitted within 30 days of the last date of travel. Effective July 1, 2013, any travel reimbursements submitted 90 days or more after the end of travel will be taxed according to IRS regulations.

Please contact the Accounts Payable department at payables@umw.edu if you have questions.

Thank you.

Allyson Moerman
Associate Vice President for Finance and Controller

The University of Mary Washington’s Office of Finance hosted the Fall 2013 FOCUS (Fiscal Officers of College and Universities State Supported) Conference Nov. 12 to14, 2013, at the Fredericksburg Hospitality House and Conference Center. The two-day conference brought in over 137 attendees from various Higher Education Institutions in Virginia. 

The conference opened with President Hurley sharing his personal experience with higher education. Agenda items included an interactive session on customer service, a tuition differential panel and updates by the Auditor of Public Accounts (APA), Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC), and the Department of Human Resources and Management (DHRM). Attendees participated in roundtable discussions on topics such as payroll, financial reporting, ARMICS and accounts payable. Conference participants also enjoyed a visit to the UMW Fredericksburg Campus with dinner at Seacobeck and a special viewing of Spring Awakening, highlighting UMW’s talented students. 

Fall FOCUS 2013 was a great success!  A special thank you to the outstanding Finance Staff, and all others who contributed.

At the peak of last week’s heat wave, Dominion Power asked its large energy users along the East Coast to reduce consumption as much as possible. Last Wednesday, UMW asked the campus community to help manage the strain on the grid by allowing cooling temperatures to rise slightly and turn off electrical lights and equipment when not in use. Our UMW staff managing energy consumption led by Jay Sullivan, were also able to engage in several  innovative actions that further limited demand. The result was a significant drop in consumption which played a small part in avoiding potential rolling brown outs Wednesday afternoon.

Thank you for your participation in this critical effort.

Richard R. Pearce
Vice President for Administration and Finance and CFO

Accounts Payable will be holding a travel training/overview session on September 4^, beginning at 2 p.m. in the Red Room.  We encourage any employee who may travel or who organizes travel to attend the session.  A separate session for Admissions is being held the afternoon of September 5.

The University of Mary Washington is now enrolled in the Commonwealth’s Vehicle Management Control Center Program.  The program provides a centralized 24/7 roadside assistance service to users of state vehicles, whether in Virginia or other states.  Vehicle information packets have been updated to include the contact telephone number.

Additionally UMW will be switching from the Shell and Exxon/Mobil gasoline credit cards to the state’s Voyager card which can be used at many more service stations.  The Voyager cards will soon be available and information on their use will be included in vehicle packets.