November 16, 2023
Travel and expense management updates
As previously announced, the university is implementing Concur, a travel and expense management tool, as we work toward achieving operational excellence. This software will provide employees with a simplified reimbursement request process and convenient mobile application. The university will gain a digitized system for expense reporting and collect enhanced travel data to improve buying power with travel vendors.
Campus users representing every college and university administrative unit have completed initial testing and feedback sessions on the core software configuration. The Concur Project Steering Committee will utilize the insight gained during testing to ensure a successful pilot launch in January. The implementation team will work with college and administrative business officers to identify departments that best meet the qualifications required to assist in further testing during the pilot phase. Concur will go live to all campus users in February 2024.
To further enhance the university business travel experience, the university will partner with Anthony Travel to provide travel support for faculty and staff. Anthony Travel is the nation's largest provider of university travel management, specializing in athletic travel, university business travel, high-risk travel and international tours. An on-site agent will be available in January 2024 to provide lodging arrangements, transportation assistance and quick-turnaround travel planning for campus business needs.
In tandem with this initiative, the university is switching its procurement card partner from UMB Bank to U.S. Bank. The switch to U.S. Bank will bring dedicated customer service representatives to the university, provide additional card options to meet the diverse needs of university travelers and better accommodate the automation of banking information. All employees currently issued university credit cards will receive new cards from U.S. Bank in February 2024, with the current procurement cards being inactivated by March 31, 2024. Cardholders should anticipate further instructions in the coming months, ensuring a smooth transition to their new procurement card.
For more updates on this and other operational improvements, visit the strategic initiatives website.