the 2020 Project is complete. Take a closer look.
the 2020 project is complete. take a closer look.
It’s done. The third and final phase of the four-year Merced 2020 Project was completed this summer, completing a fundamental reshaping the university’s physical space and a dramatic expansion of its capacity. The 2020 Project added 1.2 million square feet of space for teaching, research, housing, dining, administration and recreation. It was the largest public-private partnership social infrastructure project completed in U.S. history.
The facilities completed this summer include student housing, classrooms, teaching and research space, student wellness and counseling facilities, and recreational spaces. It created a new “main entrance” to UC Merced, marked by a walkway framed with tall palms to the new Administration Building.
“This on-time, on-budget completion of the 2020 Project shows that incredible things can happen when all stakeholders work together with a true spirit of partnership,” said Dale Bonner, executive chairman of Plenary Concessions.
Here’s a closer look at the main features of the third phase, including sneak peeks inside the new buildings.
CLICK ON THE ICONS BELOW TO EXPLORE UC MERCED
$1.3 BILLION PROJECT
1.2 MILLION SQ. FT.
13 new gold leed certified buildings
CBS2 Expands Administrative Support
CBS2 Expands Administrative Support
For years, the university has provided centralized administrative support that meets high standards of service and frees up staff to focus their energy on the specifics of their department. Such support, however, has been used only by a portion of campus. That changes this year, as centralized administrative support for campus procurement and travel is extended to the entire campus with the Center for Business Services and Solutions. You can call us CBS2.
The center builds on the foundation of excellent service standards, quality monitoring and time-saving automation started five years ago by the Administrative Coordination Team (ACT). Services CBS2 can provide include procurement, travel reservations and reimbursements, set-up for new vendors, and various financial processes, such as recharges and budget reconciliations. CBS2 also has a Customer Relationship Team that will resolve issues quickly and efficiently while building long-term relationships.
Alpha Financials Begins Testing
The Alpha Financials project for the implementation of the Oracle Financials Cloud system continues to make progress, with the system’s capabilities planned for availability to UC Merced end users in January 2021.
This extensive project will lay the foundation for ongoing enhancements that will dramatically improve access to our financial data. The project team completed the first round of Systems Integration Testing (SIT1) in June and is currently in the second round (SIT2), which allows the implementation team and subject matter experts to be hands-on in the system. The goal is to validate the design and integration with key UC Merced systems.
The implementation team consists of staff from the Division of Finance and Administration (DFA), the Office of Information Technology (OIT), our implementation partner, Deloitte, and campus-wide stakeholders.
The project team has identified key end users who will receive training beginning in September. Another project working in parallel with Alpha Financials is the development of a new chart of accounts (CoA) that will support the campus’ financial structure and reporting needs. In July, the CoA team released the new campus organizational hierarchy. This hierarchy, as well as other important information, can be found at the Alpha Financials website.
New Travel System En Route
The Concur travel and reimbursement system for campus employees, which replaces Express (hosted by UCLA) is coming soon. Concur will provide streamlined data entry and a more flexible user interface, including a mobile application. Project Status The system has been configured and the project team has completed two cycles of testing. The technical team has been working alongside the Alpha Financials team to build integrations into Oracle. Training materials are being developed for release this fall, along with instructor lead training sessions. More information about training will be distributed in October.
What do I need to do to prepare for the launch?
- Users: Submit any outstanding travel or entertainment reimbursement requests to Express. Data will not be converted, and all reimbursements must be processed in Express prior to Nov. 30. Or delay making requests until Concur is live.
- Approvers: Review approval queue and ensure all items are processed by Dec. 4.
- T&E Card holders: Submit reimbursements through Nov. 25. Concur is live, submit request for transactions Nov. 26-Dec. 25. Personal Information: Make note of any personal information keyed into Connexus such as frequent flyer number or rental rewards, that will need to be keyed into Concur Request after go-live on Jan. 1, 2021.
NOV. - DEC. 2020
Instructor-led training sessions
Dec. 14, 2020 - Jan. 3, 2021
System downtime;
no access to Express or Concur
JAN. 4, 2021
Concur goes live
JAN. 2021
Post-go-live support and refresher training
University Store: New Operator, New Site
University Store: New Operator, New Site
The Division of Finance and Administration is excited to have a partner company serve as the operator of the University Store. Follett has been in business for more than 140 years and partners with hundreds of universities across the U.S. The company’s staff brings years of expertise and customer service experience to our students, faculty and staff.
Follett is set to reopen the University Store soon inside the Kolligian Library and will move into a new space in the recently completed Merced 2020 Project as soon as circumstances allow. Please visit the new University Store website at ucmercedstore.com for textbook and course materials, as well as the latest UC Merced gear.
If you have questions about the store, please contact store manager Jon Neeper at j.neeper@follett.com.
