College of Arts and Sciences operations teams provide units throughout CAS with effective, responsive support in core functional areas, including communications and events, facilities, finance and analytics, grant management, human resources and information technologies.
Teams of specialists in each area are committed to providing all units in the college full support and work to establish consistent policies, practices and processes enabling all members of our college community to work as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Our Teams
Academic Operations Support
All CAS departments, and many of our centers and programs, have staff members embedded within the unit. These personnel are the front-line staff who help faculty and students meet their business and academic needs and keep the unit operating smoothly. You can use the staff directory at the top of this page to identify all staff who support your unit.
Business administration
Your business administrator (BA) is the professional partner to the chair or director on all day-to-day operational matters. They manage the unit’s operational business and serve as the administrative hub facilitating connections and communication between all functional areas of the CAS Operations teams.
Your BA should be your first point of contact for any “how do I ….” questions you may have as you pursue your work goals at UD. They are your resident experts on policies and procedures related to all business matters: purchasing, grants, hiring, and so on. If you’re not sure where to go or what to do, ask your BA and they’ll gladly assist you.
The BAs report to a senior business administrator (SBA) who provides the training and support they need to do their job effectively and helps department leadership resolve operational staffing issues as they arise.
Academic program coordination
Each CAS department will have at least one academic coordinator (AC) and may have multiple ACs specializing in undergraduate or graduate program administration, depending on the size and complexity of the unit. These individuals work closely with department and faculty leadership and BAs to manage operational aspects of the undergraduate and graduate programs to ensure student progress toward degree completion. This includes scheduling courses, submitting curricular changes, resolving registration issues, assigning advisors and planning student recruitment activities & other events, among a host of other tasks needed for a successful academic program.
Please feel free to reach out to Jeff Rybicki, director, academic operations support, with questions or concerns.
Communications
The CAS Communications team provides timely, professional communications services and support through collaborative partnerships with CAS units, focusing on student success and adhering to industry and UD best practices.
CAS Comms works directly with the Office of Communication and Marketing (OCM) to provide branding guidance, creative services and other communications services. The OCM website has resources on University communications brand and standards.
The team supports task-oriented work through the request intake process and strategy-driven projects with a project lead and strategic planning.
The majority of projects can be completed in 5-10 business days, with large projects requiring a time-line determined by the project lead in collaboration with the requesting unit.
For long-term communications projects and planning, contact Kajsa Haracz, CAS communications director.
Here is a list of the services our team provides for CAS units:
Admissions communications
- Engagement with prospective students
- Admissions events (Blue & Golden, Decision Day)
- Marketing to prospective students
Editorial/storytelling
- Storytelling strategy
- Editorial/media requests
- For the Record
- Alumni communications
- Event promotion
Creative Services
- Brand requests and reviews
- Collateral (brochures, rack cards, information sheets, banners)
- Events collateral (invitations, flyers, digital assets)
- Merchandise
- Newsletter/reports template request
- Photography/video request
- Social media graphics
Web and Social Media
- Social media request (new account requests, content strategy, analytics)
- Web content (analytics, strategy, new/revise content, content archiving)
- Email mass communication (MailChimp account training/branding, email marketing strategy)
Department Specific Resources
Events
The CAS Events team provides creative and logistical support through strategic partnerships with CAS departments, units, and centers while adhering to industry and UD best practices. The team will design and implement event strategy with a focus on individual event goals and student, faculty, and staff success. The Events team will provide support and guidance for or manage event operations for all CAS in-person, virtual or hybrid events such as:
- Faculty lectures or speaker series
- Panel presentations
- Honors or awards banquets
- Networking receptions
- Student engagement and recruitment events
- Alumni outreach & fundraising Initiatives in partnership with Development & Alumni Relations
Department, unit, & center events
CAS department, unit or center events include functions of all sizes and formats and only include participants within the specific unit hosting the function. The Events team member assigned to your event will provide guidance and support to your department resource and help connect them to available resources for tasks like:
- Assistance with securing a venue
- Coordination of room set-up
- Food & beverage menu selection
- Procuring branded giveaways (pens, stickers, etc.)
CAS or University-wide events
CAS departments, units or centers hosting a function that will include participants from multiple departments or colleges across the University can request support from the Events team for everything above plus:
- Coordinating University Media Services (UMS)
- Securing UD Mover Services
- On-site event management
- Creating or managing virtual meeting set-up
- Liaison with CAS Communications team for event promotion
UD community or public-facing events
CAS departments, units and centers hosting functions off-campus or inviting participants from the community and beyond onto campus can request support and event management for everything above, plus:
- Negotiating vendor contracts
- Securing a keynote speaker
- Inviting and managing VIP guests and officials
- Executing sponsorship benefits
To ensure the success of each event please complete the brief event form below, and a member of the Events team will be in touch to set up a time to review and confirm the event details provided. Each event will be supported by a member of the events team based on the event details provided.
Please contact Coleen Popp, CAS director, strategic events, with questions.
Facilities
For information on the Facilities team contact director of College Facilities and Planning.
Faculty Administration
The CAS Faculty Administration can assist with:
- Faculty Recruitment (launching approved searches through offer letter preparation to complete hiring process).
- Promotion and Tenure
- Peer Reviews
- Appointment Letters
- Sabbaticals
- General faculty questions/concerns
Please email us at [email protected] for assistance with any of these topics.
Financial Planning and Analytics
The Finance Planning & Analytics team works together to support CAS fiscal management, planning, and analytic needs.
The Budget Planning Process
The College undertakes a financial planning process on an annual cycle. The purposes of financial planning are:
- to ensure that the College has the best chance of achieving its financial operating strategy
- to highlight what must happen (in financial terms) to get the College from where it is now to where it wants to be in the future
- to understand the impact of internal and external factors that will affect the College’s finances
- to enable the College to forecast how much income it will generate and how much it can spend on different activities
The financial planning process involves the Dean, Associate Deans, Sr. Business Officer, Director of Financial Operations, Chairs and Directors, and Business Administrators from the College.
Stages of the Budget Planning Process:
July/August
- Year-end close
September
- Release of budget meeting processes/procedures and budget templates guidance shared
- Planning templates released
- Begin scheduling November budget meetings
October
- Completed templates due
November
- Budget meetings begin
- CAS leadership reviews requests
December
- College leadership reviews and validates allocation requests
- Release of next fiscal year GTA allocations and temp faculty renewals before holiday break (as possible)
January
- Mid-year review of budget vs actuals
- Projections and variance commentary due
February/March
- Faculty and staff position planning
- CAS faculty and staff position planning proposal presented to Provost
May
- Dean’s office issues consolidated budget memos (including GTA, supp teaching, S&E, renewal of temp faculty)
June
- Purchase order and credit card deadlines
- Review of year-end deficits
Analytics
CAS Department Dashboards
The CAS Dashboard is an interactive tool that helps departments monitor the operational efficiency of their unit, identify challenges, and investigate those challenges.
Additional reporting options are being developed within Tableau. Access, resources, and trainings will be provided at a later date.
Financial Operations: Transactional Processing and Analytics Support
The CAS Financial Operations Team is here to support you. Each department (portfolio) has a designated Financial Analyst and a team of Financial Processors for support with reporting, budgeting, and transactional processing.
Transactional Processing
The Financial Operations Processing team works to facilitate the purchasing of goods and services, non-payroll payments to individuals, and provides travel and expense reconciliation support for the College of Arts and Sciences. The team works in collaboration with partners in central departments, such as Procurement, General Counsel, and Human Resources, as well as other Arts and Sciences teams and units. These partnerships support the goal of ensuring efficient and accurate processing as well as compliance with University and sponsor guidelines and regulations.
The team of transactional Processors utilizes a shared email to best serve our College partners through the management of workload and timely responses. While we do align workload for our team by department, application of the shared inbox strengthens efficiencies during busier periods and during staff absences or transition. For financial transaction requests, please send your messages to [email protected]. The subject line should include your department name and a succinct description. You may also include an “attention to:” component if necessary. There isn’t a need to also tag a team member’s email in the messaging, as all members of the team have access to this inbox and regularly work within its contents.
How to Purchase Equipment, Supplies, and Non-contractual Services
The University has established relationships with vendors to allow for direct purchasing and preferred pricing through the UDExchange catalog. These vendors include Fisher Scientific, Bio-Rad, Chemglass, Agilent, and others.
If you need to buy a piece of equipment that is $5,000 or greater, the Financial Operations team will submit a requisition and need the following:
- Description of the equipment/services
- Cost and funding source
- Vendor name and contact information
- Quotes received from possible vendors (refer to UD’s Quote Guidance) [additional documentation may be needed depending on what quote details are provided for equipment/services $10k and above]
How to Pay an Individual
Payments to individuals commonly include honoraria, award payments, participant incentives/support, speaker fees, and student stipends. To pay an individual, UD requires the completion of appropriate tax forms (e.g. W-9/W-8).
Here are a few tips on the distinct types of payments:
- Honoraria payments serve as a thank for time and talent when pay is not required or negotiated
- Award payments require an award letter to the recipient
- Participant incentives are specific to human subjects for involvement in a clinical trial
- Participant support payments are provided to study participants or workshop attendees, for example, to support direct costs, such as stipends/travel/registration fees in connection with conferences/symposia/training projects
- Payments to non-resident aliens are subject to 30% withholding Operations
Concur Travel and Expense Support
For assistance with business travel arrangements or hosting, the following details are needed:
- Description of hosted event (include dates, attendee list (names), meal allowances, etc. as applicable)
- Approximate cost or budget and funding source
- Traveler’s name and contact info
- The dates and purpose of the travel
- Any special accommodations or notes
See the Procurement Services Travel site for updates, tips, tools, and useful info.
For assistance with Concur expense reconciliation, please provide:
- Name and contact info for the cardholder
- Nature of the Request (new card, cancel a card, change a credit limit, help with submitting my expense report, etc.)
See Procurement Services ‘Concur Travel & Expense Solution’ site for trainings and resources.
Analytics Support
The Financial Operations Analyst team has designated analysts by academic portfolio to support individual department and center reporting and analytical needs. Analysts provide regular financial updates to Associate Deans, support Business Administrators in providing financial reporting to Chairs/Directors, and are available for support in navigation of any Financial Operations need. The Analysts are your direct contact for data needs and inquires, such as how to handle a unique situation. If you are unsure regarding your correct analyst contact, please reach out to [email protected].
Sponsored Programs Administration
Managing the business aspects of research takes a team of experts. The CAS Sponsored Programs Aministration team works closely with the University of Delaware Research Office to support investigators in all aspects of research administration such as providing sample proposal templates, preparing a budget, internal proposal routing, subcontract information/contracts and more.
To create a successful proposal, investigators are encouraged to contact the Sponsored Programs Administration team as soon as possible for assistance in grant planning and submission.
Grants administration timeline:
3-4 weeks before due date | Grants Analyst
- Notification
10 working days prior to sponsor due date | Grants Analyst
- Abstract
- Budget
- Budget justification
- Provider category determination worksheet for vendor/sub/consultants
- Sub award documents
6 working days prior to sponsor due date | Grants Analyst
- All other forms as required by the agency/funding opportunity announcement
- Completed PeopleSoft record (and signed proposal webform)
- Complete proposal in agency’s portal (Cayuse, ProposalCentral, etc.)
- Up-to-date COI
- PI eligibility form (if applicable)
- Tuition waiver (if applicable)
The Timeline for Sponsored Project Submissions includes information specific to NIH, NSF and NASA grants
Please contact Nicole Buckley, director of CAS Sponsored Programs, with any questions.
Student Success Center
The CAS Student Success Center (SSC) provides information and answers to any questions related to advising, academic services, and co-curricular coaching for undergraduate students.
The SSC is made up of:
- Two Advising and Academic Services (AAS) teams
- One serving bachelor’s degree program students on our main campus in Newark
- One serving associate’s degree program students on our three AAP campuses in Wilmington, Dover, and Georgetown
- One Co-Curricular Coaching (CCC) team
- One team of administrative assistants
The Advising and Academic Services (AAS) teams help students succeed by assisting them with:
- Academic advising, for both short-term and long-term academic planning, for CAS first year and sophomore students
- Questions about University and College degree requirements, excused absence notifications, Transfer Credit Evaluation forms, and academic concerns due to extenuating circumstances
The Co-Curricular Coaching (CCC) team helps students succeed by connecting them with:
- Mentors
- Research opportunities
- Internships
- Academic support resources
If you have questions for us, you can:Learn more on our SSC website Email the AAS-Newark team at: [email protected]Email the AAS-AAP team at: [email protected]Email the CCC team at: [email protected] Contact a member of the team
Human Resources
The CAS HR team are Human Resources professionals who support CAS and work in partnership with business administrators in CAS departments and centers on all aspects of human resources related activities within the College. The CAS HR team are subject matter experts in all functional areas of human resources who provide consultation and support in these areas to all faculty and staff.
- Talent acquisition & management The systematic process of attracting, developing, engaging, and retaining the talent necessary to meet current and future business needs.
- Employee relations Manage the employee and employer relationship regarding the terms and conditions of employment.
- Compensation & benefits Total compensation to include competitive salaries to both staff and faculty as outlined in the AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement, annual and sick leave program, position management, and more.
- Payroll Payment of salaries, wages, and withholdings for CAS employees.
Information Technology
All CAS departments, centers and programs have IT staff embedded within the unit. These personnel are the front-line staff who help faculty and students meet their IT needs and keep the department operating smoothly. You can use the staff directory at the top of this page to identify all staff who support your unit.
Departmental computer support specialists
Each department has a point person assigned to it, and they should be the first point of contact with all IT issues and projects. If your project requires consultation from the systems team or Central IT your point person will coordinate the effort.
College systems team
Our College Systems team handles college-wide projects and supports our computer support specialists. While specific foci are listed for each of the Systems team in the directory at the top of this page, you will access them through your departmental computer support specialist.
Undergraduate Recruitment
The Undergraduate Recruitment Team leads the College’s enrollment management efforts and works with College leadership to develop and implement the annual undergraduate recruitment strategy. They work closely with UD’s Admissions Office and College Leadership to ensure alignment between College and UD-wide recruitment strategies as well as all departments to develop appropriate recruitment tactics for each program. Their goal is to increase the quality and quantity of the College’s applicant pool, improve yield rates, and reduce melt.
Please contact Alison Gondos, CAS Undergraduate Recruitment Manager, with any questions.