Financial Affairs recognizes Elizabeth Bay as its fourth quarter (FY 2010-2011) recipient of the Financial Affairs Employee Recognition Program Award.

During the critical time for budget preparation, Elizabeth moved from Budget to Management Reporting. With the PeopleSoft project claiming a Budget staff member, Elizabeth's efforts to automate several processes were vital to meeting essential reporting deadlines.

Elizabeth collaborated with MRAS's Senior Director to automate several key budget reports, including the Budget Reconciliation Review, the creation of the B-2 SRECNA, and the automation of the review process for submitting Requests for Budget Changes to the UT System. She worked closely with team members to identify reporting and analysis needs.

Elizabeth's automated reconciliation review accelerated the completion of budget preparation by one week, nullifying review time that previously occupied two staff members. Her automated B-2 SRECNA process provided results to support the analysis required for the Budget Hearing with UT System. Elizabeth's streamlined RBC review process saved three days' manual work.

Elizabeth's efforts, contributions and teamwork have been recognized by her supervisor and co-workers as characteristics which embody Business Affairs' Guiding Principles to foster excellence in the UTSA community. Congratulations Elizabeth.

Financial Affairs recognizes Cynthia (Cyndi) Schweers as its third quarter (FY 2010-2011) award winner for the Financial Affairs Employee Recognition Program Award.

Cyndi is a tireless Senior Accountant in the Accounting Services department whose teamwork and vigilance exemplify Business Affairs' purpose We Make Success Happen.

Recently, Cyndi assumed the regular workload of other departmental staff members re-assigned to the PeopleSoft project. Additionally, she handles accounting procedures for UTSA's Capital Projects, working closely with Facilities and the UT System Office of Facilities Planning and Construction. Notably, Cyndi worked to establish a system for billing the City of San Antonio for the Athletics Complex at Park West, ensuring UTSA is repaid and maintains contract compliance.

Cyndi has shown initiative for efficient accounting processes, utilizing technology to create journal entries, to automate special purpose reports and to reconcile assets to Annual Financial Report schedules. She has also accomplished the development of a new account structure to allow project reporting by creating 121 new budget groups and transfer asset balances categorized by capital asset group. She worked closely with UT Austin to partner for a successful solution for programming changes to account for capital asset activity by project at a sub-ledger level.

Cyndi willingly takes time to train staff on accounting procedures, journal entries and DEFINE functions, and is spoken of highly by customers and co-workers alike for her helpfulness and teamwork. She directly impacts the success and good-standing reputation of the UTSA community. Thanks Cyndi, and congratulations.

Financial Affairs recognizes Reyna Zuzak as its second quarter (FY 2010-2011) award winner for the Financial Affairs Employee Recognition Program Award.

Reyna is a highly motivated Surplus Property Department team member demonstrating excellence, creativity and initiative through the fulfillment of her daily duties. She diligently screens and audits all incoming property pick-up forms for accuracy and ensures 100% accountability of assets removed from UTSA inventory accounts when submitted to Surplus. She assists customers, taking advantage of teaching moments to inform about the operation of the Surplus department and the proper completion of required forms. This work has helped decrease documentation errors.

As Reyna has organized and managed UTSA Surplus Property auctions, her efforts have resulted in over $177,000 returned to UTSA since she joined Surplus in November 2009. Her administration of the Surplus Property Departmental Request Program has culminated in issuing UTSA departments used furniture and equipment at no charge, saving thousands of dollars.

In addition to these tangible savings, Reyna's customer-first approach has earned accolades from both inside and outside UTSA. "I have received numerous praises from our internal and external customers on the top-notch service and assistance she provides," says Surplus Supervisor Ed Minter. Reyna has shared her knowledge of surplus property procedures during Inventory Contact Person training.

Ultimately, Reyna exemplifies Business Affairs' Guiding Principles to make success happen. Her positive attitude and attention to detail make her a valuable and beneficial asset to the UTSA community. Thank you, Reyna, and congratulations.

Financial Affairs recognizes Fred Brito as its first quarter (FY2010-11) award winner for the Financial Affairs Employee Recognition Program Award.

Fred is a Cognos System Administrator in the MRAS Department lauded for his initiative in researching and creating an automated process to distribute sub-certification notifications to all unit administrators. Fred researched and developed automated processes in multiple applications that replaced manual, time-consuming input. These automated processes generated a report distributed to all unit administrators to identify the appropriate accounts requiring sub-certification.

After developing these processes, Fred worked with Compliance staff to understand the certification process and requirements, as well as process distribution. He then trained Compliance staff on the usage of his new automated reporting process, teaching the staff to own, manage and execute the report at their discretion. He accepted their feedback and conducted modifications for the next certification period.

Finally, during the intense year-end process, Fred altered his regular work schedule due to high volume and system usage restrictions in order to receive data and begin processing earlier to accommodate Accounting staff for year-end accounting transactions, entries and adjustments.

In employing his creativity, initiative, and understanding, Fred's production provided a beneficial impact on the UTSA Accounting staff's output. In turn, this impact benefitted the entire UTSA community. Thank you, Fred, and congratulations.