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Banner Finance

Banner is a comprehensive, Oracle based computer information system that contains the necessary components of the university's administrative services. Banner operates in five areas: Finance, Student Services, Alumni and Development, Human Resources and Financial Aid.

Access

Banner Finance access will be granted upon receipt of a properly prepared and approved Banner Finance Account Request Form. Training appropriate to the role for which access is being requested must be completed before access will be granted. Banner Finance users’ access will be re-certified at least annually to assure it is job appropriate.

Banner Finance Access Procedures:

  • Complete the Banner Finance training materials found off the Financial Services Home Page.
  • Submit the Banner Finance Account Request Form to the Systems and Procedures unit of the Controller's Office
  • Systems and Procedures will confirm/assess requestor training needs based upon role being requested and inform requestor of any additional training requirements
  • Systems and Procedures will coordinate and/or route requestor to appropriate training resources
  • Systems and Procedures will submit access request to IT for processing upon confirmation and/or attestation from requestor that all training requirements have been satisfied.

Training efforts and materials are focused towards those users who can update Banner Finance and in areas where interpretation of Finance data is deemed more critical. NO USER with update privileges to Banner Finance will be granted access prior to completion of appropriate training. Requests for query only access must include attestation from the requestor that campus-specific, self-directed training materials provided by the Controller's Office will be competed prior to accessing Banner Finance (see Request Form for attestation).

Campus specific training is available on the Financial Services Home Page in MyWCU. You must be logged into your campus computer or accessing campus resources though Multi-Factor Authentication in order to view this content which is behind the university firewall. For detailed instructions, please contact the IT help line at 227-7487.

Query Access

  • New employees will be given access instructions to Banner Finance self-help training materials as part of new employee intake through the WCU Human Resources Department.
  • New employees or employees new to Banner Finance will be required to certify that self-help training materials will be utilized prior to attempting to access Banner Finance.
  • Self-help training materials will be made available online to WCU employees, secured within the WCU intranet.
  • Self-help materials for beginner, intermediate and advanced users will be made available on the Financial Services Home Page in myWCU.
  • Individual or group "in-person" training session will be offered to supplement the online materials as requested or deemed necessary based upon user interaction.

Update Access

  • Formal training sessions and training materials will be developed as appropriate and as necessary for all users who will be granted updated access to Banner Finance.
  • A training program specific to the user will be developed utilizing SunGard provided materials to the fullest extent possible, with local materials developed and provided as needed.
  • All training will occur in a test environment until the user can demonstrate competency in Banner skills appropriate for production (PROD) level access.
  • The Systems and Procedures unit of the Controller's Office will, upon confirmation that formal training has been completed, submit a formal Banner Finance security class request to IT granting access appropriate to training and desired role(s) within Banner Finance.

 

Understanding Banner Funds

The Banner financial system is based on the fund accounting concept where financial transactions are accounted for and reported in separate, self-balancing accounting units called FUNDS. Specifically, each fund has its own asset, liability, revenue and expense accounts. Separate accounting units (fund types) ensure that the funds received are accounted for in a manner that will demonstrate compliance with legal requirements, the purposes for which the funds were established, and the authority provided by the State of North Carolina.  

For accounting purposes, University funds are separated as follows:

State funds are funds subject to the Executive Budget Act. They are generally "appropriated by the General Assembly of North Carolina" and/or "collected by or for the State, or any agency thereof, pursuant to the authority granted in any of its laws" (Chapter 143, Article 1, General Statutes of North Carolina).

State funds in Banner are all begin with a “1” and are numbered 101xxx-199999.

While contract and grant funds and trust funds are maintained separately by the University, both are institutional trust funds as described in General Statutes 116.36.1 and 116.36.5 as follows:

  • moneys, or the proceeds of other forms of property, received by an institution as gifts, devises, or bequests that are neither presumed nor designated to be gifts, devises, or bequests to the endowment fund of the institution;
  • moneys received by an institution pursuant to grants from, or contracts with, the United States Government or any agency or instrumentality thereof;
  • overhead receipts collected from contract and grant funds are classified as institutional trust funds, effective July 1, 1998;
  • moneys received by an institution pursuant to grants from, or contracts with, any State agencies, any political subdivision of the State, any other states or nations or political subdivisions thereof, or any private entities whereby the institution undertakes, subject to terms and conditions specified by the entity providing the moneys, to conduct research, training or public service programs, or to provide financial aid to students;
  • moneys collected by an institution to support extracurricular activities of students of the institution;
  • moneys received from or for the operation by an institution of activities established for the benefit of scholarship funds or student activity programs;
  • moneys received from or for the operation by an institution of any of its self-supporting auxiliary enterprises, including institutional student auxiliary enterprise funds for the operation of housing, food, health, and laundry services.
  • moneys received by an institution in respect to fees and other payments for services rendered by medical, dental or other health care professionals under an organized practice plan approved by the institution or under a contractual agreement between the institution and a hospital or other health care provider.
  • moneys received from the disposition effected pursuant to Chapter 146, Article 7, of any interest in real property owned by or under the supervision and control of an institution if the interest in real property had first been acquired by gift, devise, or bequest or through expenditure of moneys defined in Section II.A. as "trust funds", except the net proceeds from disposition of an interest in real property first acquired by the institution through expenditure of moneys received as a grant from a State agency (Chapter 529 of the 1981 Session Laws);
  • moneys received from operation and maintenance of institutional forest and forest farmlands, provided that such moneys shall be used, when used, by the institution for support of forest-related research, teaching, and public service programs.

Special funds are described in State legislation General Statute 116.36.2 as follows:

  • moneys received from or for the operation by an institution of its program of intercollegiate athletics;
  • moneys held by an institution as fiscal agent for individual students, faculty, staff members, university-related foundations and organizations.

Endowment funds result from donations where the principal is to remain intact and is to be invested to produce income which may be expended or reinvested. Endowments are defined under General Statute 116.36. The solicitation of these funds is usually coordinated through the Office of University Advancement. Title to endowment assets is vested by statute in the Board of Trustees of the Endowment Fund of Western Carolina University. 

Trust fund legislation

Establishing A State Fund

State funds are funds subject to the Executive Budget Act. They are generally "appropriated by the General Assembly of North Carolina" and/or "collected by or for the State, or any agency thereof, pursuant to the authority granted in any of its laws" (Chapter 143, Article 1, General Statutes of North Carolina.)

  • Complete the Fund Authority Form
  • Contact the Budget Office for questions on establishing or modifying State Funds (ext: 7321)
  • Retain a copy for departmental reference
  • Submit the original to the University Budget Office for pre-audit and processing (HFR 460)
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