URO Transition Memo

June 13, 2022

Dear Colleagues: 

Over the past year, the URO has been working to build our team expertise and improve our processes to better manage your awards. As a researcher conducting a project within the University Research Organization (URO), I would like to update you on recent organizational changes, several process updates, and provide new contact information. 

New Team Member 
Shannon Dalek has joined the URO team as Office Coordinator to provide financial and administrative support. Before joining MSU, Shannon was a Senior Executive Assistant for the Kellogg Company with a supporting role in Global Insights & Analytics, Sales Capability and Revenue Growth Management. Shannon will be working closely with Jennifer Schmaltz, the URO Research Administrator. 

Access Control Plan Update Coming 
Working with our new Director of Export Control and Trade Sanctions {ECTS), Krista Campeau, we anticipate that changes to the access control plan {ACP) process will be made in the coming months to simplify the processes for URO projects that have no specific participation restrictions. To ensure participation compliance and to avoid an excess of cost redistributions and iterations with departments for active projects, we are introducing the following changes for post-award account management: 

Personnel Appointments 

• Graduate student appointments will continue to be routed through your home unit since the URO would not have knowledge of their academic progress. URO accounts can be used and will be routed to the Research Administrator for approval.
• We have reached out to your home unit administrators to initiate the HR form to transfer your hourly student(s) to the URO organization code. This transfer is being completed to help the URO better manage your awards for both financial and participation compliance review.
• Many departments have transitioned to the EBS system for hourly entry for student and temporary employees and we will have this option available. If your department has not transitioned to this system, please let us know so we can provide additional information to you and your students on this process.
• If you need to hire a new student or temporary employee, please reach out to URO@msu.edu to begin that process which will include adding individuals to the access control plan for compliance. If an individual has not been vetted through Export Control for compliance, the individual will not be added to the URO account.
• For faculty or support staff account changes that impact URO projects, please contact Jennifer to provide the necessary accounting information to facilitate those change. She is able to work closely with the proper academic unit to ensure that the appropriate changes are processed timely. 

Purchasing 
Your teams are welcome to contact our staff with any purchasing questions and requests that you may have. The attached form will need to be completed for all purchases. This document will be used to justify the purchase and will be attached to the e-document along with any other necessary documentation. This form is also available on our website, 
https://research.msu.edu/uro. Routing purchases directly through the URO will allow us to gather all information needed to approve the request and provide you with more accurate financial guidance. This should eliminate the need for duplicative processing in the home units for account approvals required on URO projects. 

Travel Delegate 
Shannon Dalek is available to assist with your travel requests and reimbursements. She will need to be added as a delegate for your trip: Frequently Asked Questions I Travel @ State I Michigan State University (msu.edu). Since travel participation is governed by the same restrictions as any other part of the project, URO must ensure that the participation compliance is followed with effort reflected on the project or a general fund account. 

Meetings and Reports 
URO encourages quarterly meetings with our team to discuss the progress of your accounts. Monthly reports will continue to be sent for your review. If you find an error on the operating statements or labor distribution reports, please reach out so we can resolve the issue quickly. Failure to transfer effort or expenses in a timely manner may lead to unallowable charges on the project. All charges should be transferred within 90 days. Any charge being transferred after 90 days will require a cost transfer form and additional justification for audit purposes. 
I appreciate your assistance and patience during this transition. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have. 

Sincerely, 

John D. Albrecht, Ph.D.
Executive Director 
University Research Organization