Finance
Overview | Accounting | Procurement | Travel | Human Capital | Research & Grants
Overview
Finance Team:
Josh Brewer, Chief Business Officer
(615) 322-7593
josh.brewer@vanderbilt.edu
Eric Dye, Senior Administrative Officer for Sponsored Research
(615) 343-1710
eric.dye@vanderbilt.edu
Natasha Duncan, Senior Administrative Officer for Social Sciences
(615) 322-3561
natasha.duncan@vanderbilt.edu
Jerry Hager, Senior Administrative Officer for Natural Sciences
(615) 322-8332
jerry.hager@vanderbilt.edu
Ashley Lemieux, Senior Administrative Officer for Humanities
(615) 322-6267
ashley.billingsley@vanderbilt.edu
Amanda Celaya, Assistant Director of Finance
(615) 875-3370
amanda.celaya@vanderbilt.edu
Meagan Artus, Administrative Officer
(615) 936-7236
m.artus@vanderbilt.edu
Annual Finance Trainings
The Dean’s Office finance team provides annual training for administrators on the following topics. Check in with your Senior Administrative Officer (SAO) about when the next training opportunity will take place.
- Event planning (logistics & expenses)
- Expense delegate training
- Financial Unit Manager (FUM)
- Graduate award forms
- Grant life cycle
- HR masterclass
- Human Capital Management (HCM)
- Retro Cost Transfer (RCT)
- Undergraduate student hiring
Finance Policies
Please visit the Vanderbilt Finance website for in-depth information about all Vanderbilt finance policies.
Financial Accounting
Tax Exemption
Vanderbilt University is exempt from sales tax on OneCard purchases being shipped to and being used or consumed in furtherance with Vanderbilt’s exempt mission. More information can be found on the Finance website.
Please note the Tennessee tax-exempt number is also located on your OneCard.
Chart of Accounts (COA)
A COA is the internal account used to process expenses. Vanderbilt Finance has a variety of resources, charts, and internal guides on how to properly utilize COAs.
Functional codes are a new process that includes a 3-digit code in each COA. The list of these new functional codes, and a link to Functional Code Training can be found on the Finance website.
Billing Program and Activity Codes
Refer to the list of A&S billing program and activity codes. If you have any questions about this list, please reach out to your SAO.
Expense Reporting
For any business needs that are purchased, the administrator will need to create and submit an expense report through Oracle. Please note that departmental administrators can submit expense reports for their OneCard and for faculty members, if they are an approved expense delegate. Please reach out to your department’s SAO for additional training on expense reporting.
If you need to receive a small-dollar reimbursement for a cash or check deposit, please complete this form.
Annual/Monthly Closing Schedule
Transactions need to be processed by monthly closing schedules (due dates) prepared by Vanderbilt Finance. In addition, the annual closing schedule exists when closing out the fiscal year in preparation for the next. View the schedules (scroll to the Month End section).
Capital Assets
Capital assets are high-cost items (over $5,000) that will last for several years, and are classified into two categories: real property and moveable equipment. Vanderbilt Finance has a variety of training materials about capital assets that can be accessed here (scroll to the Capital Asset Training section at the bottom of the page).
Procurement
OneCard Expenses
For administrators who are responsible for purchasing business needs for their department, or for guest travel coordinators, a OneCard is the corporate credit card issued through Vanderbilt Finance, on behalf of JPMorgan. For copies of the Expense Policy and OneCard Policy, and a direct link to apply for a OneCard, please visit the Vanderbilt Finance website.
Payment Services
Vanderbilt Payment Services manages supplier purchase order payments and Non-Purchase Payment requests (NPO) for the university. The Finance website details the Accounts Payable Corrections policy, Independent Contractor policy, Invoice Processing policy, and Non-PO Payment policy.
Professional Service Agreements
More information about independent contractors/external consultants (professional services) are detailed on the Vanderbilt Finance website.
Suppliers
Commercial relationships between Vanderbilt and suppliers are managed by Purchasing Services. More information and guides for both departments utilizing suppliers and the supplier themselves can be found on the Finance website.
Travel Coordination
Vanderbilt Finance has a dedicated website for any travel-related policies or guidelines. If you are an administrator who has further questions about Vanderbilt travel, please email travel@vanderbilt.edu.
Booking Travel through Concur
Concur is the travel procurement software embedded in Oracle, managed by our travel agency, World Travel. The platform supports procuring flights, hotels, and car rentals. Concur is mandatory for purchasing any university-related air travel and is optional for hotels and car rentals. Staff can gain access to facilitate purchasing for others; all group travel should be organized directly with World Travel.
Review the user guides available to administrators (scroll to the Concur Quick Guides section).
Vanderbilt Travel and Business Expense Policy
Prior to booking any travel for faculty or students, please ensure that you review and understand the A&S Travel and Expense Reimbursement Policy and the Vanderbilt Travel and Business Expense Policy. These policies gover all Vanderbilt expenses and travel that are processed through a personal funding source or Vanderbilt OneCard.
If you need to request an exception to the A&S and VU travel policy, please complete this form.
Business Travel with a Personal Vehicle
If the traveler is using a personal vehicle for any Vanderbilt business travel, mileage rates should be calculated. Guidelines for appropriate use of mileage rates can be found in the Vanderbilt Travel and Business Expense Policy.
Guest Travel Coordinator
A Guest Travel Coordinator (GTC) is allowed to book airfare on behalf of visitors with a Vanderbilt OneCard. To be designated as a GTC for a unit, administrators must apply and have access to Concur and already have a OneCard. If you have any questions about GTC-specific duties, please reach out to your unit’s Senior Administrative Officer (SAO).
Group Travel
For any group travel (more than 10 people travelling together), administrators will need to contact group travel agent Robyn Williams through World Travel.
International Travel—Global Safety Checklists
Vanderbilt Finance has created global safety checklists for faculty, staff, and postdoctoral scholar travel and for student travel. If you need additional information, please email travel@vanderbilt.edu.
Human Capital Management
For staff who serve as Human Capital Managers (HCM) for their unit, all required trainings will be distributed through SkyVU. Training dates and links will be sent directly to HCMs via email.
Timesheets and Payroll Calendar
The Vanderbilt HR website includes the timesheet process, quick guides, and an FAQ for administrators assisting with student employees. View the payroll calendar for the calendar year.
If an HCM needs to request an off-cycle payroll payment for an employee or a student employee, please complete this form.
I-9 at Vanderbilt
For a guide on how to complete an I-9, please visit the People Experience website. If you have questions, contact the I-9 Office at i9@vanderbilt.edu.
Student Employment
If your unit is interested in hiring a Vanderbilt student, you must post and advertise the position through HireADore. Once a student is selected, a department administrator who is designated as the student’s line manager will navigate the hiring and onboarding process directly with the student. See more information about the student hiring process, hour limitations, and federal work study eligibility.
Please note that the hiring process for international students is slightly different.
If administrators have questions about student employee costing, hiring students in Oracle, or the student work assignment approval process, contact your department HCM.
For students serving as Learning Assistants, the student initiates the process within a unit by applying through the LA Program’s website. This process is navigated by the LA Program’s administrative team and has no oversight from the Dean’s Office. Any questions can be directed to the LA Program leadership team.
Research, Grants, and Endowments
Grants and Endowments
The College of Arts and Science Office of Research provides guidance to faculty with grant development and grant management. In addition, they ensure that faculty, staff, and students adhere to the highest ethical standards in research-related work. They can assist with effort reporting, grant projections, and endowment spending.
If you have any questions related to grants, please contact CASResearch@vanderbilt.edu.
If you notice that information on this site is out of place or missing, please submit a request so we can address it.