Communications: Electronic Signatures

 

To: Deans, Directors and Department Heads

From: Suellyn Hull, Interim Director, Operations, Financial Services Office

Date: 10/26/2005

Re: Electronic Signatures

 

Recently, Financial Services Office - Operations has experienced a high number of mismatched electronic signatures when approving documents. This results from a number of factors; new employees in Operations, updates to the CatCard digitized signature database and name or staff changes in campus departments. With our increased emphasis on internal controls and audit results from Internal Audit, we need to make a concerted effort to correct these signatures. We are asking for campus help to do so.

When we received our first CatCard, many of us entered our signature in the CatCard electronic database. Over the years, our name or the way we sign university documents may have changed. For those of us who have been signing documents for years, this may not present a problem since our signature is readily known by staff in Operations.

When new employees are hired in Operations, recognizing signatures becomes an issue. A new employee will not immediately recognize signatures or know of name changes and will follow policy, checking the electronic signature database. When the signature does not match the electronic signature, the Operations employee will send a request through the Information Services Web (ISW) to have the document electronically approved. The FSO-Operation's employee will also request that the signature be corrected in the database to prevent future document delays.

 

This signature review is conducted as part of our total review process to verify that the document was appropriately prepared and signed by the correct personnel.

 

Updating a Signature
Signatures can be updated in the database by visiting The CatCard Office. The CatCard Office will collect the new signature, and store it for use in validating signatures. Replacement of a CatCard is not necessary. This process takes just a couple of minutes. The CatCard Office is located in the Student Union Memorial Center on the north side of the main floor.

 

Adding Approvers
In addition to completing the FRS Account Update Memo to add the signer to FRS, signers must also have a digitized signature in the CatCard database.

Employee Reimbursements
Anyone requesting a reimbursement will need to have their signature available electronically within the CatCard database. We ask for your understanding in helping us update electronic signatures. Some of you have made changes previously and occasionally the new signature does not appear. This is a rare occurrence but has happened when the electronic signature database is updated. We apologize when we must ask something of you more than once. Our goal is to protect you, your department and the University from fraudulent expenditures. Using the electronic signatures instead of the old paper signature memos, allows quick changes, more accurate approvals and faster document turnaround. Thank you for your assistance with this ongoing process.

 

If you have questions, please contact me at 626-3275, Tammy Strom (Operations) at 307-0960, Diane Tatterfield (CatCard) at 621-1709 or Ada Estudes (ISW) at 626-3072.