A message from Vicki Nichol

To our campus partners as we look ahead to the next fiscal year:

This month, I transitioned to my office on the fourth floor of the ARC building after working remotely since my start as the Boulder campus controller in September 2020.

My energy and anticipation were renewed as I saw and spoke with people who, for over a year, I had mostly “met” via a digital meeting room. As I look back on my first year and look ahead to the next fiscal year, I am filled with appreciation, excitement and hope.

This last year, we developed innovative and creative solutions in response to the challenges of the pandemic. I experienced firsthand the communicative, collaborative nature of our campus as we worked together to ensure research and financial compliance. With the help of everyone involved, we were able to move several initiatives forward.

Some of our many successes include:

• Taking inventory of our assets and completing cash audits despite working remotely; 
• Delivering 27 training courses (including 12 new ones) attended by 1,470 people;
• Increasing the completion and certification of effort reports for research projects; and 
• Meeting our fiscal year-end entry and reporting deadlines.

I am encouraged by the campus engagement in several working groups designed to improve our financial and administrative processes and look forward to putting many of your ideas into action.

Some of our long-term goals include:

• Embarking on a significant training initiative designed for research administrators;
• Continuing to refine our financial processes, reporting tools, and technological solutions to provide accurate and timely information; and
• Strengthening our collaborative relationships to meet the needs of our campus partners.

I believe the CCO leadership team is positioned to provide you with seamless financial and compliance solutions. I expect many challenges while we work to meet this goal, but I look forward to our journey.

Please continue to communicate with us and provide any feedback you might have. Thank you!

Vicki Nichol, Controller