FAS Finance Glossary of Terms
A
ABCD: ABCD Committee (University-wide computer user group)
ABLE: A Better Learning Environment (web-based documentation for new online financial tools).
Accounts Payable: Central Accounts Payable (AP) is responsible for processing of invoices for goods and services for all Harvard University vendors, new vendor set up and payment processes.
Accounts Receivable: Central Accounts Receivable (AR) provides Harvard’s local billing units that sell services and/or goods with a state of the art billing system with which to invoice, track, and collect on their receivables.
Add to the Income (Endowment) Gifts: Add to the income gifts are donations deposited to an endowment fund, but are not added to principal. These are allowed in rare circumstances and are treated as current use gifts to be spent in the near future according to the terms of the endowment fund. The decision to designate these as add to the income or current use gifts is made by the donor, not the Department or Center, in conjunction with the approval of the FAS Development and Financial offices. A donor makes this type of gift if the income expected to be generated by the fund corpus is insufficient to carry out the donor’s intent of the endowment fund. Add to the income gifts are common in recently established endowment funds where the fund has not yet received a full year’s distribution.
ADI Journal Template Latest Version 1/25/18
Administrative Systems News (eNews): A digital newsletter published monthly for users of Harvard’s Administrative Systems.
ADS (formerly RSO's) Gift Transmittal Form
AIE: Arts in Education
Amazon Prime Application Form: HCOM is the priority but should you not find what you need there on a regular basis, contact us so that we can work with suppliers to add them into the marketplace.
Applications Security (AppSec): maintains security rights to applications that provide different levels of privileges to the user. The level is determined by their assigned role and as indicated by the employee’s supervisor. AppSec also maintains the Chart of Accounts, including set up of all new chart values except restricted and sponsored funds.
ART: American Repertory Theatre
ASPerIN: (Arts and Sciences Personnel Information Network) - A web-based application for processing personnel actions such as appointments and leaves, and helping people to make efficient use of H/R information. It also has material such as course information for TA's and TF's, position tracking for staff, and teaching FTE's for faculty.
B
BBRI: Boston Biomedical Research Institute
BCMP: Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
BCSIA: Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
BGIE: Business, Government and the International Economy
BIDMC: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
BSC: Bureau of Study Counsel
BTI: Boston Theological Institute
BWH: Brigham and Women's Hospital
BWR-VAMC: Brockton-West Roxbury VA Medical Center
C
CAPS: Center for American Political Studies
CAS: Committee on African Studies
Cash Receipts: The Cash Receipts Office (CRO) is responsible for providing centralized depository services to the University.
CB: Cell Biology
CBAR: Center for Biostatics in AIDS Research
CBG: Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government
CBMI: Center for Biomedical Informatics
CBR: Center for Blood Research
CCB: Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of
CCPE: Center for Continuing Professional Education
Central Payroll: Harvard's Central Payroll processes wage payments to all employees at the University.
CES: Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies
CFA: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
CFIA: Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
Chart of Accounts: Harvard's chart of accounts provides the organizing framework for budgeting, recording, and reporting on all University financial transactions.
Check Inquiry Request: Stop or get a copy of a University check.
CHGE: Center for Health and the Global Environment
CHS: Center for Hellenic Studies
CID: Center for International Development
CJI: Criminal Justice Institute
CJS: Center for Jewish Studies
CLCS: Center for Literary and Cultural Studies (The Humanities Center)
CLM: Countway Library of Medicine
CMES: Center for Middle Eastern Studies
CMT: Harvard Condensed Matter Theory Group
CNS: Center for Nanoscale Systems
Concur: Harvard University’s new reimbursement tool which replaces Web Reimbursement. Concur allows users to create and process expense reports, upload receipts with their mobile phone, import corporate credit card transactions directly into expense reports and gain more visibility into the status of reimbursements.
Construction Gifts: Construction Gifts are gifts designated for construction projects and the entirety of the gift can be applied to costs of a construction project as specified by the donor.
COPE: Compact for open-access publishing equity fund
Corporate Card: for the payment of approved, business-related expenses, most often travel-related. An application is required to obtain a corporate card.
Corporate Card Application: Complete to apply for a corporate card. Completed FAS Corporate Card applications may be sent to Joshua Dunn, 1414 Mass Ave, 4th FL.
CPIC: Center for Public Interest Careers
CPDS: Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies
CREW: Common Reporting Environment for the Warehouse - The University’s financial reporting application, which also contains a variety of HR management, benefits, payroll, pension, and security reports.
CSWR: Center for the Study of World Religions
Current Use Gifts: A current use gift is a donation that may be spent down in its entirety. Like endowment gifts, current use gifts can either be unrestricted or restricted. An unrestricted gift may be used for the general purposes of the tub in which it is established, while restricted gifts are limited by the donor for a particular, defined purpose. Current use gift funds appear in the general ledger in the fund range: 300000 to 399999.
CWD: Center for Workplace Development (Password-protected access for Harvard employees only)
D
DASH: Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard
DBS: Division of Biological Sciences
DCE: Division of Continuing Education
DCJ: Documentation Center on Contemporary Japan
DFCI: Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Departmental Check Delivery: This is a process to be used when a department has a special need to receive the check and deliver it to the vendor or individual themselves.
Deposit, Prepayment, Enclosure, and Special Mailing Form: This form is used to request an exception process for checks with the following special circumstances:
1. A deposit needs to be made prior to receiving a purchase
2. A pre-payment needs to be made on an item prior to order fulfillment
3. An item needs to be enclosed with the check when it is mailed to the vendor
4. The department needs to have the check sent via a special mailing service, such as FedEx
Direct Deposit Form: Start or stop direct deposit of all Harvard payments and reimbursements to one checking or savings account.
Directed-to-Buy Paper Program: This program offers discounted paper pricing to Harvard University through Lindenmeyr Munroe, a paper merchant, based on our total
volume.
DJO: Digital Journal of Ophthalmology
DMS: Division of Medical Sciences
DOR: Division of Research
DRCLAS: David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies
DSG: Decision Systems Group
DSM: Department of Social Medicine
E
EAP: Employee Assistance Program
EAS: East Asian Studies
EECS: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
EH&S: Environmental Health and Safety
ELRC: European Law Research Center
Emergency Check Pick-up Form: This form should be used in emergency situations where circumstances require a check to physically be picked up at 1033 Massachusetts Avenue by a department representative.
Endowment Gift: An endowed gift requires the gift corpus be held in perpetuity and only the income generated by investing the corpus may be spent. Most endowment gifts are invested in the endowment pool, and units of the endowment are assigned to the individual endowment fund. Units are, in effect, a share of the endowment. The number of units a fund receives is based on the gift value as well as the value of the endowment pool at that time. The University calculates the unit value of the endowment pool monthly. Units are then used to monitor the market value and to determine the annual treasurer’s distribution to the fund. Income distributed per University policy becomes available for current use spending. The funds must be spent in accordance with the terms set forth by the donor. Endowment funds may be categorized as unrestricted or restricted.
ENRP: Environment and Natural Resources Program
EPS: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Equipment Management: Methods for managing capital assets including tagging equipment.
Equipster: A database for FAS capital and non-capital equipment. Equipment-related financial transactions are downloaded from the Data Warehouse to allow department equipment managers to record additional equipment assets. This database also tracks the depreciation of the recorded assets.
ERC: Educational Resource Center for Occupational Safety and Health
Escheat Due Diligence: According to Massachusetts Abandoned Property Law, any financial asset that has been inactive for more than 3 years is declared abandoned and turned over to the State Treasury. All uncashed checks (non-payroll) are considered Abandoned Property after 3 years, and we are required by law to due diligence on these checks.
ESE: Environmental Sciences and Engineering
ESPP: Environmental Science and Public Policy
Eureka: Job aids and training videos for Harvard systems
Exception Request: Exception requests for expenditures outside of standard University policy.
F
FAD: Financial Administration
FAS Faculty of Arts and Sciences
FAS Admin Systems & PeopleSoft Access Request Form: This form is to grant access to Asperin, Aurora, CARAT, Gifts and Endowments Reporting, PeopleSoft, Roster Wizard, RUFFAS and SPECTRA.
FAS Exception Request Form: for expenditures outside of standard University policy.
FAS Office of Finance: responsible for establishing policies and procedures for implementing key internal controls; communicating guidance to tubs, departments and centers to ensure key internal control objectives are met; working with tubs, departments, and centers to resolve payroll issues as appropriate; and reviewing and approving payroll reports assigned to FAS Payroll Services in accordance with this document and maintaining evidence of their review and approval.
FASSPAR: FAS Sponsored Project Accounting Reports - A web-based system that draws from the Harvard Data Warehouse (HDW) and FAS web applications to provide up-to-date information on actual expenses, equipment encumbrances, and personnel appointments. FASSPAR also does automatic projections and provides a projection spreadsheet that can be customized and uploaded for later use.
FDO: Freshman Dean's Office
FEP: Field Experience Program
Financial Accounting and Reporting: The Financial Accounting and Reporting office (FAR) oversees general accounting and reporting needs for the University, including developing Harvard's annual financial report.
Financial Policy: The Financial Policy Office (FPO), within the Office of the Controller, oversees the development, communication and management of University-wide financial policies.
FIRS: SAO Far-Infrared Spectroscopy Group
Fiscal Year End: the completion of a one-year, or 12-month, accounting period.
FMO: Facilities Maintenance Operations
FSC: Film Study Center
Furniture Requests: OPRP - Requires Department Administrator Access (All others will be directed to Non-Furniture Work Order form).
FXB: Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights
G
GCC: Gutman Conference Center
GCD: Genetics and Complex Diseases
GEA: Global Environmental Assessment Project
General Ledger: An Oracle-based application that enables users to enter, query, and reverse journals online.
Gift: A gift is an unconditional donation to an institution for which the donor does not expect to receive any reciprocal benefit. For the purposes of this document we focus on monetary gifts.
GLACIER: Harvard University's online tax compliance system that specializes in tax issues for foreign nationals. By answering an individualized series of questions, GLACIER will calculate your tax residency status and determine whether you are eligible to claim any tax treaty benefits on your earnings here.
GMAS: Grants Management Application Suite - a web-based grants management system that connects everyone involved in and responsible for sponsored research administration. Users have access to all the terms and conditions of their projects, including copies of all sponsor correspondence. In the future, GMAS will be used for the development and routing of all proposals for review and approval, the development and uploading of budgets, and for sending reminders about upcoming deadlines and deliverables.
GSAS: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
GSD: Graduate School of Design
GSE: Graduate School of Education
H
HAA: Harvard Alumni Association
HAI: Harvard AIDS Initiative
HAM: Harvard Art Museums
HAPR: Harvard Asia Pacific Review
Harvard Travel Portal: Preferred Hotels/Airlines/Ground transportation vendors.
Harvie: Harvard information for employees
HBR: Harvard Business Review
HBS: Harvard Business School
HBSP: Harvard Business School Publishing
HCL: Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory
HCL: Harvard College Library
HCOM: Harvard Crimson Online Marketplace - Procure to Pay System.
HCP: Health Care Policy
HCPDS: Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies
HCRA: Harvard Center for Risk Analysis
HCS: Harvard Computer Society
HCTAR: Harvard Center for Textile and Apparel Research
HDM: Harvard Design Magazine
HDP: Human Development and Psychology
HDS: Harvard Divinity School
HEAL: History and East Asian Languages
HEPG: Harvard Education Publishing Group
HEPG: Harvard Electricity Policy Group
HER: Harvard Educational Review
HFA: Harvard Film Archive
HFRP: Harvard Family Research Project
HGSE: Graduate School of Education
HGSE IT: Harvard University Graduate School of Education Information Technology
HHP: Harvard Homepage
HICRC: Harvard Injury Control Research Center
HIID: Harvard Institute for International Development
HIIP: Harvard Information Infrastructure Project
HILR: Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement
HILT: Harvard Initiative for Teaching and Learning
HIO: Harvard International Office
HIR: Harvard International Review
HIRES: Harvard University job listings
HKS: John F. Kennedy School of Government
HLR: Harvard Law Review
HLS: Harvard Law School
HMNH: Harvard Museum of Natural History
HMS: Harvard Medical School
HOPE: Harvard open-access publishing equity fund
HPAC: Harvard Public Affairs & Communications
HRES: Harvard Real Estate Services
HRI: Human Rights Policy, Carr Center for
HRL: Harvard Robotics Laboratory
HRP: Human Rights Program
HSA: Harvard Student Agencies
HSDM: Harvard School of Dental Medicine
HSPH: School of Public Health
HTC: Theatre Collection, Houghton Library
HTUP: Harvard Trade Union Program
Hubs: Harvard University Budgeting System - A web-based Oracle Hyperion Planning application used for budget data entry, estimates, annotations, reporting, and submission associated with the annual budget and planning cycles.
HUDS: Harvard University Dining Services
HUCE: Harvard University Center for the Environment
HUECU: Harvard University Employees Credit Union
HUH: Harvard University Herbaria
HUHS: Harvard University Health Services
HUHEPL: High Energy Physics Lab
HUID: Identification and Data Services
HUIT: Harvard University Information Technology
HUNAP: Harvard University Native American Program
HUP: Harvard University Press
HUPD: Harvard University Police
HURI: Ukrainian Research Institute
HWP: Harvard Web Publishing
I
IAAS: Inner Asian and Altaic Studies
IATT: Institute for Advanced Theatre Training
ICCB: Harvard Institute of Chemistry and Cell Biology
ICG: Instructional Computer Group
ILSP: Islamic Legal Studies Program
IMS: Instructional Media Services
In Lieu of Invoice Form: This form should be used to process payment in situations where it is not possible or appropriate for an individual or vendor to provide an invoice.
IOP: Institute of Politics
IPNI: International Plant Names Index
IQSS: Institute for Quantitative Social Science
iReceivables: This Oracle module allows users to view customer account information, transaction information, export and report information, and reprint invoices.
IRS Mileage Reimbursement Rates: Internal Revenue Service standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.
ITAMP: Institute for Theoretical Atomic and Molecular Physics
ITP: International Tax Program
L
M
M-4 Massachusetts State Withholding
MBB: Mind/Brain/Behavior Interfaculty Initiative
MCB: Molecular and Cellular Biology
MCZ: Museum of Comparative Zoology
MEEI: Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
MFDP: Minority Faculty Development Program
MGH: Massachusetts General Hospital
MIDMAC: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development
Missing Receipt Affidavit: Use this form to request a reimbursement when no receipt is available.
MRSEC: Materials Research Science and Engineering Center
N
O
O&I: Outings and Innings
OAP: Office of the Assistant to the President
OASIS: Online Archival Search Information System
OBI: Oracle Business Intelligence - The University's newest suite of reporting tools that will replace CREW. Reports previously run in CREW are now referred to as "dashboards" and exist in subject matter "folders."
OCS: Office of Career Services
OEB: Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Office of the Controller: responsible for communicating key internal controls required by the University, and Reconciling the payroll registers to the general ledger at the University level.
OFS: Office of Financial Systems
OGC: Office of the General Counsel
OHR: Office of Human Resources
OIS: Office for Information Systems
OPRP: Office of Physical Resources & Planning
OSC: Office for Scholarly Communication
OSR: Office for Sponsored Research
OTD: Office of Technology Development
P
PBHA: Phillips Brooks House Association
P-Card: The Purchasing Card settlement system.
PCard Application Form: Form required to obtain a PCard. Completed FAS PCard applications may be sent to Joshua Dunn, 1414 Mass Ave, 4th FL.
PCMM/IDI: Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine/Immune Disease Institute
PeopleSoft: The on-line payroll system that generates paychecks and manages tax and benefit information.
PEPG: Program on Education Policy and Governance
Petty Cash: an accessible store of money kept by an organization for expenditure on small items.
Petty Cash Replenishment: Using HCOM to replenish a departmental petty cash account.
Per Diem rates- Foreign: Foreign Per Diem rates are established monthly by the Office of Allowances as maximum U.S. dollar rates for reimbursement of U.S. Government civilians traveling on official business in foreign areas.
Per Diem rates- US/Domestic: US General Service Administration. Rates are set by fiscal year, effective October 1 each year.
PHP: Division of Public Health Practice
PIL: Program of Instruction for Lawyers
PIRP: Program on Information Resources Policy
PNP: Plant Names Project
PON: Program on Negotiation
PPE: Programs in Professional Education
Procurement Tax Forms: This list of forms and best practices will help guide tax-exempt purchasing on behalf of the University.
PSN: Public Service Network
R
Record Retention Guidelines: Records Management Services has developed University-approved policies on retaining and disposing of records to enable offices to make informed decisions about their records.
Reimbursement and Card Services: Harvard Credit Card Services administers the University payment card programs, Corporate Card and PCard, and manages University reimbursement services.
Resource Booklet for New Assistant and Associate Professors: Faculty Development maintains a Resource Booklet for New Assistant and Associate Professors with a list of funding resources available at Harvard.
RIJS: Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
RITG: Research Information Technology Group
RL&L: Romance Languages and Literatures
RSEA: Regional Studies: East Asia
Ruffas: Reporting Utility For FAS - A web-based reporting tool that allows departments to search on gift and endowment funds terms, gift advices, security roles, and historical vacation liability with results available in .pdf, .html, or .csv formats.
S
SAO: Smithsonian Astrophysics Observatory
SDR: Student Disability Resources
SEAS: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
SED: Science Education Department, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
SEO: Student Employment Office
SERI: Schepens Eye Research Institute
SICA: Summer Institute on College Admissions
SPECTRA: a new FAS Supplemental Pay, Effort Commitment Tracking and Request Application. According to Harvard’s Effort Reporting Policy, University faculty are expected to certify their time to sponsored awards commensurate with the committed effort expended on activities they perform. Payroll charges to sponsored awards, and cost sharing recorded for faculty, serve as the initial data points for the University’s effort reporting system.
SSP: Secondary School Summer Program
ST-2: (MA certificate of sales tax exemption): Verify Harvard's tax-exempt status (Massachusetts sales tax).
Student Financial Services: Student Financial Services (SFS) is comprised of the Student Receivables Office, the Student Loan Office, and the University Financial Aid Liaison Office.
Student Quick Hire Form: used only for student temp positions (those with object code 6110), not TF’s or TA’s.
T
TAP: Tuition Assistance Plan
Tax Services: Tax Services provides guidance on related areas such as payroll tax, corporate tax, sales and meals tax, and tax reporting.
Tax Withholding Allowance Certificate (IRS Form W-4): Authorize Harvard to change your federal withholding exemptions and additional income tax withholdings.
Telecommunications Payment Allocation: For use in allocating expenses related to cell phone calls and data usage.
Temporary Social Security Request Form: If a new employee requires a temporary social security number, complete this form and email it to faspayroll@fas.harvard.edu. Do not send an I-9 to UFS until a temporary social security number has been assigned by FAS Payroll.
TEP: Program on Technology and Economic Policy
TIE: Technology in Education
U
UC: Undergraduate Council
UCE: University Center for the Environment, Harvard
UD (Unrestricted Designated) Fund Request Form
UDO: University Development Office
Underwater Funds: The term “underwater” is used to describe an endowed fund when its current market value is less than its historic dollar value (the historic dollar value = donor gifts and donor required capitalizations. The book value that appears in the general ledger is the current proxy for historic dollar value). While a fund is underwater the annual income distribution may be limited.
UOS: University Operations Services
UPD: Urban Planning and Design
UPO: University Planning Office
UTEP: Undergraduate Teacher Education Program
V
W
WAPPP: Women and Public Policy Program
WCFIA: Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
Web Reimbursement: A web-based tool for processing reimbursements, corporate card payments, employee travel advances, and payments to BCD Travel.
WJH: William James Hall
WSRP: Women's Studies in Religion Program