Last issue, we called upon our IU Finance colleagues to share their favorite go-to recipes. A huge thank you to each and every one of you who contributed to this special project!
This digital recipe book is the result of 28 submissions by staff across the Finance division, with everything from appetizers to desserts, all for your enjoyment. Take a look, try something new, and perhaps add a new recipe to your weeknight standards or holiday favorites!
Each recipe in the Table of Contents is hyperlinked so you can click and jump straight to the recipe you want to view. Need to zoom in? Hold the "ctrl" key on your keyboard and scroll up on your mouse’s scroll wheel (or down, to zoom out). On a laptop with no mouse? Hold "ctrl" and pinch out on your trackpad like you would on a phone screen.
Thank you, again, to everyone who contributed to our first-ever recipe book!
Feature Story: From Education to Repayment: University Collections & Loan Services
Most people think University Collections & Loan Services (UCLS)’s primary function is to collect and manage IU’s university-held loans. We know… the term “collections” holds a negative connotation to many, but there is much more to what we do than calling delinquent debtors. UCLS, a group within the Office of the University Controller (UCO), manages a portfolio of approximately $40 million in over 40 different loan funds, and each program has different requirements and options available to our borrowers.
One of our most important responsibilities is borrower education. For example, did you know that Perkins loans may be eligible for up to 100% cancellation based on length of service in certain employment categories? Or that there are multiple ways that borrowers can defer payments such as unemployment or experiencing hardship? We work with our students to educate, address their individual situations, and assist them in bringing their accounts current. Our cohort default rate is just 1.37%. Most of our accounts are in good standing!
UCLS's dedicated staff includes four Collections Specialists—Lisa Canada, Amanda Light, LeAnn Snoddy, and Andrea Smart; one Student Loan Specialist—Ann King; two Accounting Associates—Lori Nunn and Joel Easton; one Payment & Records Specialist—Victoria Puro; two Collections & Processing Assistants—Kristina Westfall and Tania Dimick; and Manager Ireli Babbs.
CaptionClockwise from left: Kristina Westfall, Andrea Smart, Ireli Babbs, LeAnn Snoddy, Victoria Puro. This picture was taken at the 2023 Holiday Luncheon.
Our involvement with student loans starts while students are still enrolled. We work closely with the Financial Aid offices on each campus to ensure awarded loans have required documentation and loans disburse according to regulations. As students prepare to graduate, we generate exit interviews, another regulatory requirement.
Once loans enter repayment, collectors work with borrowers to help keep them on track. Some behind the scenes responsibilities include auditing our servicer to ensure accurate handling of student accounts, assisting with internal and external audits, ensuring accurate credit reporting, monitoring and honoring bankruptcies, reviewing accounts for student deferments, tracking special repayment arrangements, processing payments to ensure funds are kept whole, maintaining documentation for ongoing federal reporting, tracking updates across multiple internal and external platforms, and ensuring compliance with all institutional, state, and federal guidelines. We also work with various collection agencies as they attempt to collect our most delinquent loans. Our responsibility doesn’t end when individual loans are paid in full. Credit reporting is maintained for 7 years after repayment, and federal reports require cumulative accounting from the inception of the loan fund.
We also learn from other institutions to see how we can improve our processes. Recently Ireli Babbs and LeAnn Snoddy attended the PDG Student Loans, Collections & Financial Services Conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Ireli and LeAnn connected with staff from a variety of universities, compared notes, and shared ideas. The various sessions attended were insightful including Legal and Regulatory Updates, Higher Education topics, and ideas to streamline policies and procedures. They learned some new tools for enhancing collection efforts and have already implemented some of what they learned.
We hope you enjoyed this quick look into the world of UCLS!
As we approach the end of 2024 and the holiday break, I wanted to take time to highlight some big projects and work our team has accomplished as we close out the year. Exceptional work is taking place, and I want to acknowledge its impact on IU and our community.
IU’s 2024 audited financial statements were presented to the Board of Trustees during the November meeting, and I am happy to report we had another great audit review and continue to report a strong financial position for IU! A big hand to the Controller’s Office (UCO) team, led by Anna Jensen, on compiling the financial information and working with our external audit partner Plante Moran to provide the Board an overview of the 2024 fiscal year. This was a big milestone, and teams continue to focus supporting the single audit and improving internal controls. Congrats, UCO team!
In the budget world, Megan Ornellas and the University Budget Office (UBO) team worked this summer and into the fall to develop, model, and implement a new University Administration (UA) Assessment Allocation methodology for fiscal year 2026 and beyond. Megan and Nathan Schroder of UBO worked closely with campus financial leaders to develop a new data driven allocation method, creating a clearer, understandable, transparent, and data driven model. This new model is forward looking and replaced an outdated and complex methodology that was often difficult to explain. Great work!
Another big accomplishment in early November was the creation of the IU Budget Redesign website for the IU community. Great support from Luc Sinex in UITS and collaboration with IU Strategic Operations resulted in the creation and launch of the website. The site provides the IU community with a one-stop location to learn about the budget redesign work being undertaken at the UA and campus level. A big thanks to Luc for supporting IU Finance during this project! Check out the Budget Model Redesign Initiative site to see the great work and learn more about budget redesign.
Baris Kiyar’s Procurement Services teams are gearing up for the Purchasing Transformation. The transformation is three-fold: increase compliance with competitive bid requirements set by State and Federal agencies, empower departments to get what they need in a timelier manner, and reorganize Purchasing into three new teams focused on Operations, Sourcing, and Functional Excellence. The target implementation date for these changes is February 2025. Watch a webinar recording of a Purchasing in 2025 info session to learn more.
Finally, Don Lukes and his team presented housing and dining rates for the Bloomington, Indianapolis, South Bend, and Southeast campuses to the Board during the November meeting. Don worked closely with the campus financial and housing leaders to review current housing and dining plans, financial requirements to ensure future investment and stability, and maintain affordable rates for IU students. The Board approved the rates for 2025-26, which include the re-opening of the newly renovated Wright Quad in fall 2025 (my old stomping ground). Thanks, Don, for all the work and review!
As we head into the holiday break, I want to thank all the team members of IU Finance for the great work you do day in and day out to keep IU heading in the right direction. We are moving the needle forward on many initiatives, and folks are taking notice of the great work you are producing. The Board, President Whitten, Deans, Vice Presidents, and faculty are grateful for the support we provide them and the transparency we bring to our work. Keep up the great work!
"Meet Your Leaders" is a feature that helps IU Finance staff get to know senior management. Each individual is asked the same 8 questions. This issue, we're getting to know Amanda Srichareon.
What is your job title and how long have you worked at IU?
My title is University Bursar and I’m also the Bloomington Bursar. I have worked at IU for over 16 years.
Where are you from originally and what brought you to IU?
I am originally from Greenwood, Indiana. I grew up in the Center Grove area. I earned my bachelor’s degree from IU Indianapolis and started working at the Indianapolis Bursar Office during my senior year. I later joined UITS on the Student Information System (SIS) team focusing on Student Records. I missed bursar so much I joined University Bursar and I’ve been bursaring ever since.
What departments are a part of your unit?
University Bursar Shared Services, Bloomington Bursar (including Banking), and the Account Resolution Team (aka Bursar Collections).
What does a day in the life of your position consist of?
No two days are the same. I try to make myself available for the Bursar team so nothing gets held up. The chaotic days typically include finding creative solutions to resolve unique or escalated student issues. We focus a lot on process improvement, so I spend a good chunk of my time collaborating with others to increase and improve our services to students and the campuses.
What is your favorite thing about your position?
My favorite part of the job is definitely the people I work with. The team is collaborative, supportive, open to change, and always willing to help one another. They make the workday more fun and less stressful.
What upcoming initiatives or projects are you most excited about?
We are working on a proposal to update the tuition appeal process. I’m hopeful we can standardize the process across all campuses. I’m also excited about creating new collection campaigns that focus on specific student populations that could benefit from the extra assistance.
What shows or podcasts are you streaming when you're "off the clock?"
Anything WWE. I enjoy watching the weekly TV shows with my husband and son. You can catch me listening to Busted Open on SiriusXM radio when I’m in the car.
What's one fact about you that would surprise everyone?
I think the love for WWE was likely surprising – but probably how to pronounce my last name. Srichareon is pronounced See-chur-lynn.
Thank you, Amanda, for sharing a bit about yourself with the rest of the division!
The Training team has been abuzz wrapping up projects and preparing for 2025. Here’s what they’ve been up to.
Earlier this fall, Juliet Roberts wrapped up the Instant Card pilot program, a new travel card solution. The pilot tester feedback was insightful and helped Training and Travel Management learn how to better promote and support this new program when it launches sometime next year. September saw the launch of the Travel Support Form. This new contact method for the Travel team will replace their existing email addresses, travel@iu.edu and travelbl@iu.edu, on February 3, 2025. Most recently, Juliet began developing a new online course: Travel Expense Reporting. The course will teach traveler arrangers the basics of expense reconciliation and reimbursement in Chrome River. The course is slated to launch in June 2025!
Over the first two weeks of October, Sarah Chavez was busy hosting the Purchasing in 2025 info sessions and doing similar presentations in person at the IU Indianapolis Business Officer meeting and Campus Administrative Team Series (CATS). Over 1,200 staff and faculty attended the online info sessions! The info sessions brought awareness to the changes coming to Purchasing and BUY.IU as part of the Purchasing Transformation. Another key part of this transformation initiative is the review and rework of Purchasing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). SOPs are being reviewed and refocused on the “when” and “why” of Purchasing processes. The “how” is being transformed into training documentation that will be hosted on the Training team’s site. Sarah also reviewed the Budget Redesign pages prior to publication. It was a welcome break from the very busy world of Purchasing (not that she doesn’t love Purchasing! 😉).
Angus Burke was also involved in many Procurement-related projects this fall. He was Sarah’s co-pilot during the Purchasing in 2025 presentations where he shared helpful links in the chat, managed each session’s Q&A, and distributed presentation slides to attendees. Angus’s other area of focus has been digging into the BUY.IU contract request form. Angus is on a mission to document the ins and outs of the contract request form so departments know what they need to do and how to do it. It’s a complex process that requires a high level of detail. The training guides will be published ahead of February 10, 2025, the date of the BUY.IU system update.
Three exciting updates on the web development front. Luc Sinex built an enhancement to the Diverse Supplier Search tool. Search results can now be sorted by campus. This means users can more easily find diverse suppliers that are close to their home campus and offer the goods or services they need. Very cool! Luc was also heavily involved in building the Travel Support Form and ensured it was up and running by launch day. Last but not least, Budget Redesign pages were added to the IU Finance website. These pages were shared with leadership across all IU’s campuses and will be the go-to source for updates about the initiative.
Office of the Treasurer
Insurance, Loss Control, and Claims (INLOCC)
As is tradition, the INLOCC team decorated a float and participated in the IU Homecoming parade. This year’s theme was “Hollywood Hoosiers”, and their float certainly fit the bill. The audience was impressed by their efforts and the team won the Community Float category! Check out the float in the pictures below, plus a bonus picture from the Annual INLOCC Fall Cookout.
From left to right, Dave Owens, Linda Braunlin, Luke Robertson, and Amanda Owens prep for the Homecoming parade!The title of this year’s float was “Now Showing: Hoosiers!” The float struck a great balance between glitz and education reminding folks not to “drop the ball” on fire safety.INLOCC has inspectors on every IU campus. Each fall the entire team gets together for a cookout.
Treasury Operations
Treasury Ops had an amazing time at our team-building event on November 11 at the “Get Out Bloomington” escape room. We chose a scavenger hunt that led us all around downtown Bloomington, solving challenging clues. It wasn’t easy! We split into two teams, and we were left wondering how the winning team managed to return in a record-breaking hour. The final mystery was solved when we discovered that most of the winning team members were left-handed! Could that have been their secret weapon?
We wrapped up our event with a brisk walk to Upland for a fabulous lunch, great conversation, and plenty of laughs. What a fantastic way to build a strong team!
Team building started with a scavenger hunt across downtown Bloomington! Starting on the left, Brian Moellers, Kylee Harding, Matt Schaefer, and Don Lukes work together to decipher a clue.Next, the team celebrated their scavenger hunt victory with lunch at Upland. Starting in the bottom left and working clockwise around the table: Kim Stuart, Kylee Harding, Don Lukes, Matt Schaefer, Diane Thrasher, Petra Bragt, Shalom Drummond, Brian Moellers, and Melissa Smith.Kim Stuart (center) hands out trophies to the winners of the scavenger hunt.Kylee Harding (center) poses with her trophy while Kim Stuart (right) celebrates.
University Bursar
University Bursar recently hosted the Big Ten Bursar Conference, bringing together Bursar leaders from across Big Ten institutions. The event was a great opportunity to network, share best practices, and collaborate with amazing colleagues. We had a wonderful time hosting and showcasing the beautiful Bloomington campus. The highlight of the event was the performance by the Jacobs School of Music. A string quartet played covers of classic rock from the 70s and 80s at the opening reception. We are extremely grateful to Sue Fleener who agreed to be our control-ling bus driver, transporting attendees to Assembly Hall for a tour.
Bursar also had a fantastic time at the recent in-person Bursar Council meeting held at IU Kokomo. It was an incredible opportunity to collaborate with an amazing group. We accomplished a lot, shared ideas, and tackled important issues while also enjoying some good laughs together.
Dina Adkins and Amanda Srichareon presented at the CACUBO conference with Nelnet Campus Commerce. The presentation included a history of sponsor billing at Indiana University and highlighted the Lean process improvement review that eliminated waste and identified areas where time could be saved. The presentation also covered a high-level overview of the Nelnet Sponsor Billing & Payment portal.
Check out these pictures from Bursar’s adventures!
Bursar leaders from across the Big Ten met in Bloomington.The University Bursar team prepares to enjoy the opening reception. Back row left to right: Matt Gonzalez, Jason Myers, Dawn Cordray, Sarah Baize, Darian McBride. Front row left to right: Hannah Crow, Dina Adkins, Amanda Srichareon, Amanda Thoman.Sue Fleener, Bloomington Campus Controller, lended the Bursar team her bus driving skills to get the group from the IMU to Assembly Hall. Tips were not expected but were accepted if offered.Bursars from across IU met at IU Kokomo. Check out that Hoosier spirit!Dina Adkins and Amanda Srichareon presented at the CACUBO conference in Indianapolis.
Finally, Spring 25 is here! University Bursar has been working on the Spring 25 tuition and fee assessment along with all the tasks that come with starting a new semester. The first bill will be issued on Thursday, December 19.
Office of the University Controller (UCO)
Capital Asset Management
We are excited to announce that Natalie Whitman joined the UCO team in the newly created role of part-time IU Indianapolis UITS Inventory Scanner on November 11. Prior to joining IU, Natalie had an array of positions from main administrator to a home care company, to managing a catering business in Carmel, to being a private nanny for multiple families over the course of a decade. Natalie lives in downtown Indianapolis with her two sons. She enjoys spending her free time traveling to find the next family friendly event, baking at home, or visiting friends. She doesn't know a stranger and enjoys meeting new people. Welcome, Natalie!
Procurement Services
Accounts Payable
Welcome to Lelah Fletcher, our newest AP team member! Lelah joined the team in October and has been at IU for over 7 years. A Bloomingtonian from birth, she trains and competes in weightlifting and coaches CrossFit. When she isn’t hitting the gym, Lelah enjoys gaming, Dungeons and Dragons, nerdy shows and reading while cuddling with her two bunnies Raven and Moose. She’s happy to be in the CIB and look forward to meeting everyone!
Card Services
Card Services is welcoming a new, but familiar, face to their team: Jim VanDerMark. You may know Jim as a member of the Travel team. We’re excited for him to join Gina Stillions on the Card Services team. Congratulations, and best of luck in your new role, Jim!
Travel Management Services
Amber Turner is the newest member of the Travel team! She joined us in November as a Travel Associate. As the former Administrative Generalist Coordinator for the Spanish & Portuguese and French & Italian departments, Amber brings tons of knowledge about travel, reimbursements, customer service, and more.
Amber loves knitting and cross-stitching, building Lego sets, Dungeons and Dragons, video games, and the web series “Critical Role”. Amber has two adorable pets: a dog named Luc and a cat named Minnie. Welcome, Amber!
Celebrating the amazing accomplishments, both professional and personal, of our IU Finance colleagues!
Kudos
Congratulations Amanda Coats and Alan Haupert on your one-year anniversary as Purchasing Business Analysts! You’re doing a wonderful job making more things possible. So happy to have you on the team!
Kudos to the Tax and Payroll teams for the continued hard work on our cyclical compliance while also juggling internal/external projects and requests!
Kudos to Lorna Butler in Accounts Payable for her attention to detail in monitoring Telecom payables. She identified a refund due from one of our suppliers and followed up. The supplier issued a refund to IU in the amount of $20,030.30. This diligence is a great benefit to our departments. Thank you, Lorna!
A big thanks to Amanda Thoman, Matt Gonzalez, Dawn Cordray, Sara Hawk, and Amber Pruett (all with University Bursar) for helping Student Central during the first week of classes. Having the extra specialized resource at Student Central during the busy season leads to better service for our students. Amanda is pictured with a Melissa Myers from the Office of Student Financial Assistance.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to Karen Easter for organizing the Summer Picnic! The food and space were fantastic. We can’t wait for the next division event 😊
Kudos to Angelica Perez-Camacho (AP), Tim Keene (AP), Jessie Bise (AP), Lorna Butler (AP), Kaelie Dobson (AP), Jennifer McCallister (AP), Sara MacMorran (AP), Aaron Hawes (AP/SDM), and Joey Griffin (SDM) on completing a major project to limit access to invoices with PHI. The project lasted several months and:
Involved auditing more than 108,600 invoices
Moving more than 32,200 invoices to a secure database
Included the rollout of an ongoing review process for incoming invoices
The team accomplished all of this while continuing to provide excellent service to IU departments and suppliers. Their continued hard work is much appreciated!
A big thanks to Jason Myers (University Bursar) for his efforts on the IU/Purdue split work related to Student Financials. Thanks for all you do!
Congratulations to Margot Burke, UCO, and Sarah Chavez, ESTC, on their election as representatives to the IU Bloomington Staff Council!
Congratulations to Mary Byrde, Procurement Services, on being elected to a third term as Secretary of the Board of the Network for Change and Continuous Innovation (NCCI).
Thanks to Linda Yake, Melanie Rubeck, Barb Johnson, and Justin Jerles (all with University Bursar) for their efforts to get student bursar/scholarship payments processed accurately and timely during our busiest period of the year! We appreciate you!
Kudos to Connie Strange, Amber Pruett, Amanda Thoman, Sara Hawk, Dawn Cordray, and Matt Gonzalez (all with University Bursar) for leading their first continuous improvement project which resulted in consistent and efficient handling of returned bursar payments. They rocked it out!
Congratulations to Angus Burke, ESTC, on completing his second year as a Training & Communication Specialist. You’ve grown leaps and bounds and we are so proud of the work you do and to have you on the team!
Service Milestones
Congratulations to the Finance & Administration staff celebrating a service milestone this quarter! Be sure to congratulate them the next time you see them 😄
Staff Member
Department
Years of Service
Valerie Pritchett
University Bursar
40
Laura Kremer
Finance Shared Services
35
Vickie Woodruff
Purchasing
35
Denise Gardiner
Finance Shared Services
30
Deb Doub
Office of the Controller
25
Lora Monix
Office of the Controller
25
Lori Nunn
Office of the Controller
25
Jason Dunn
Purchasing
20
Jason Lett
Controller's Office
15
Amber Hanners
Office of the Controller
10
Holly Hooper
Office of the Controller
10
Eric Mokube
Finance Shared Services
10
Keenan Mumma
Finance Shared Services
10
Tina Smith
Office of the Controller
10
Jennifer Burns
Finance Shared Services
5
James Schuster
INLOCC
5
Celebrations
Babies, wedding bells, and a couple of the cutest puppies around!
Kathi Sipes, Purchasing, has new grandson! He was a surprise that arrived at 12:05 am, June 23, 2024. Caiden Bowen weighed in at 5 lbs 8 ozs, and 18.5 inches long.Amber Pruett, University Bursar, welcomed grandbaby #6. Autumn Rae Dilts was born Aug 5 weighing 7lbs 6 oz and 21 in long. Big sisters Tatum (5) and Mila (3) are smitten.Maria Nguyen, Purchasing, married her (now!) husband, Jacob Crowe, in Iceland this summer! Jacob proposed at Glacier Bay National Park surrounded by glaciers and icebergs, so the couple thought they’d keep the theme going. The newlyweds took advantage of Iceland’s beautiful scenery and honeymooned on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Congratulations, Maria and Jacob!On August 8, Valerie Brenes from Travel Management Services got engaged! The special moment took place during a sunset picnic on the beach in Florida. It was a complete surprise, but she figured it was only a matter of time before her high school sweetheart popped the question. Congratulations, Valerie!Margot Burke, UCO, and her husband Niles welcomed 7-month-old Luffy to their family in early July. Luffy loves tennis balls and has been reminding his adoptive parents how nonstop puppy energy is. Just look at those sweet eyes. What a lover!Ali Kisse, FNSS, adopted a 3-month-old German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois puppy from the German Shepherd Rescue in Indianapolis at the end of July. Her name is Callie, and she is now 4 months old. She is the sweetest little puppy, but her teeth are razor-sharp!
Are you or a friend looking for a new gig? Just curious what openings are available in Finance & Administration? Look no further! The table below contains links to open job postings as of September 6, 2024.
Ever wonder how IU keeps its data safe and secure? The answer lies behind lock and key at the IU Data Center! Explore this top-notch, secure, and resilient environment for safeguarding IU’s critical information and IT resources as part of the Lunch & Learn series this fall. Attendance is limited.
In this session, learn the basics of Lean process improvement which can help you increase efficiency, improve quality, reduce time, and optimize resources.
Bring your KFS, Chrome River, P-Card, or BUY.IU questions to this open office hours session and a member of the Financial Training & Communications team will assist you.
In this session, learn the basics of the Lean Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology, which will help you clearly define your process objectives and successfully execute a project to meet these objectives.
Bring your KFS, Chrome River, P-Card, or BUY.IU questions to this open office hours session and a member of the Financial Training & Communications team will assist you.
In this session, learn how Lean tools support the Plan-Do-Check-Act framework for process improvement to help you successfully define, implement, and measure process improvements.
Bring your KFS, Chrome River, P-Card, or BUY.IU questions to this open office hours session and a member of the Financial Training & Communications team will assist you.
In this session, learn how Lean leadership differs from traditional management and supports a culture of continuous improvement and developing Lean leadership in others.
Bring your KFS, Chrome River, P-Card, or BUY.IU questions to this open office hours session and a member of the Financial Training & Communications team will assist you.
Bring your KFS, Chrome River, P-Card, or BUY.IU questions to this open office hours session and a member of the Financial Training & Communications team will assist you.
Bring your KFS, Chrome River, P-Card, or BUY.IU questions to this open office hours session and a member of the Financial Training & Communications team will assist you.
Bring your KFS, Chrome River, P-Card, or BUY.IU questions to this open office hours session and a member of the Financial Training & Communications team will assist you.
