The mission of Penn State College of Medicine Finance and Business team is to provide financial services to the organization in the most efficient and accurate manner, while keeping customer service the top priority.
The College Finance group works in conjunction with Penn State Finance and Business in University Park.
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Administration
The administrative Office of College Finance and Business is located in Room C1607 in the College of Medicine.
Transactions requiring assistance or signature from leadership are triaged through this office, with Jennifer Feeman, Assistant Vice President for Finance and Business, reviewing and providing signature authorization.
Additional duties include College of Medicine legal services, University Floating Permit and Main Campus permits for parking, any request for exception to policy and deposits for the College of Medicine.
Controller's Office
Located at the Hershey Consolidated Building on Granada Avenue in downtown Hershey, the Controller’s Office is responsible for payroll, accounts payable and research accounting for Penn State College of Medicine.
The Office of Research Affairs and the Controller’s Office work together to provide post-award functions for sponsored projects.
The Penn State College of Medicine bursar is Sonya Adams.
Reach her at sadams10@pennstatehealth.psu.edu or 717-531-0003, ext. 284116.
Helpful links:
- Tuition is paid through LionPath.
- A current schedule of tuition rates is available through the University Budget Office. Other fees, such as an information technology fee, may apply.
- Full tuition information is available through the Office of the Bursar at University Park.
- See the University tuition refund policy through the Bursar’s Office.
- Learn more about health insurance for College of Medicine students, including insurance requirements, through University Student Affairs.
Housing/Building Administration
The Housing/Building Administration team handles financial processes with the various buildings on campus.
Transition to SIMBA
Penn State has selected the SAP S/4HANA business system to replace its financial and other integrated systems, including Penn State’s legacy Integrated Business Information System (IBIS).
Goals
Penn State has the following strategic goals for the SIMBA project:
- Streamline arcane and inefficient business processes
- Create better business practices
- Leverage what is currently working
- Maximize robust SAP S/4HANA reporting and analytics tools to provide the institution better data
Mission
The mission of the SIMBA project is to support and advance Penn State’s teaching, research and service missions. The outcome will provide superior financial, budget, planning, and operational services through efficient, innovative, value-added processes and dynamic, real-time reporting.
Vision
The SIMBA solution will provide an intuitive solution to effectively plan, budget, manage and steward Penn State’s assets and resources to meet the expectations of internal and external stakeholders.
The University has training resources available to help with the SIMBA transition.
SIMBA 101
Users can register for SIMBA 101 via the Learning Resource Network. SIMBA 101 is a self-paced, online course that provides a solid foundation focusing on core SIMBA financial concepts before the more in-depth training that is to come. The course contains foundational information to read and watch, with a few simple knowledge checks along the way.
Support and Reference Materials
SIMBA Support and Reference Materials are available on the University’s SIMBA Resources page. Resources currently include simulations offering a demo and practice mode, an IBIS-SIMBA Terminology Crosswalk, glossaries and more. New items are added regularly, so users are advised to check back often.
The transition to SIMBA is a significant change. It is normal to have questions and feelings of unease while going through the trainings and getting acclimated with the new system.
The College of Medicine SIMBA team is here to help. College of Medicine employees should contact COM_SIMBA@pennstatehealth.psu.edu instead of the SIMBA team at University Park.
University Park SIMBA FAQs
The University has posted answers to many questions about the SIMBA transition on its SIMBA website.
College of Medicine SIMBA FAQs
The College of Medicine will be posting answers to COM-specific SIMBA questions as they are received. Click the plus sign next to any question to see the answer.
Reach the College of Medicine SIMBA team at COM_SIMBA@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
Note: Those emailing the COM SIMBA address should copy their department’s financial analyst on any correspondence.
COM SIMBA Task Force Members
- Erica Barley
- Vicki Doksa (University Park)
- Shanda Graby
- Aravind Menon
- Erlee Meyers
- Kim Schaeffer
- Marc Startoni
Work with College Finance and Business
The Financial Analyst Group group comprises those who deal with fiscal information at the departmental levels within Penn State College of Medicine.
The group meets weekly during the academic year with the mission of informing and educating personnel in items related to fiscal issues and Penn State policies as they relate to those fiscal issues.
For details on FA, contact Erlee Meyers at 717-991-5238 OR emyers1@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
FA Contacts by Department
It is the responsibility of all departmental financial analysts, in consultation with the study team, to manage the financial aspects of the clinical trials. This includes AURAs, BARAs, closeouts and extensions.
A number of University and College policies are relevant to finance and business processes. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
Full Policy Directories
- Penn State Policy site (all University policies)
- Penn State Health/Penn State College of Medicine Policy Portal (Penn State Health ePass login required)
Specific Policies and Guidelines
- University Policy AD18 – Possession, Use and Distribution of Alcoholic Beverages
- See also: College of Medicine Alcohol Policy Summary
- See also: University Procedure: Permission to Possess/Use Alcoholic Beverages (form to submit for exceptions)
- University Policy BS15 – Disposal and Purchase of Obsolete, Surplus or Scrap University-Owned Equipment, Supplies and/or Materials
- University Policy FN2 – Non-Office Telecommunication Services
- University Policy FN10 – Other Business Expenses and Activities (includes information on alcoholic beverage expenditures related to events)
- University Policy RA10 – Costing Principles for Sponsored Awards
- University Policy RAG64 – Salary Caps
- See also: NIH Salary Cap Summary (note that no individual’s direct salary may be charged to an NIH grant/contract at a rate in excess of the current NIH salary cap rate)
- University Policy TR02 – Penn State Travel Policy
For Financial Analysts
For financial analysts, the Expense Detail folder is found on the Hershey network drive in the “COM Expense Detail” folder, which is accessible with Penn State Health ePass access.
There is also a group for financial analysts and administrative assistants, FAA, which meets regularly.
For details on either of these resources, call Erica Barley at 717-531-0003, ext. 239163 or email ebarley@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
Financial System Links
- SAP Concur Employee Reimbursement System
- Strategic Information Management System (SIMS)
- University Data Warehouse
Frequently Used Information
These links include details such as the appropriate tax ID and authorized signer information.
Other Resources
- University Audited Financial Statements, OMB Uniform Guidance/Circular A-133 Audit Reports and Right to Know Law Reports
- University Object Classification Codes
- University-accepted chartered bus line vendors
- University-accepted entertainment vendors
- University-accepted caterers
- University/College of Medicine W-9 form signed by Jennifer Feeman (in OneDrive; Penn State Access ID login required)
- University State Tax-Exempt Letter and Certificate
- University Data Digest
Other College of Medicine Offices or Departments
- Office of Research Affairs
- Clinical Trials Office
- Research Development/Research Concierge
- Facilities (internal access only; Penn State Health ePass login required)
Other University Offices or Departments
- University Corporate Controller
- University Risk Management Office (part of the Corporate Controller’s Office)
- University Office of Sponsored Programs
- University Purchasing
The Compliance Hot Line can be dialed toll-free at 800-560-1637 or 717-531-1114.
For details, see the Office of Ethics and Compliance website.
Donations can be made online to either Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center or Penn State College of Medicine.
Mailing Address
Penn State College of Medicine Finance and Business
Mail Code: H157
500 University Dr., C1607
P.O. Box 850
Hershey, PA 17033
Other Contact Methods
Phone: 717-531-8500
Fax: 717-531-5481