Unit Liaisons are appointed by their dean or director to represent their school, college or organization on projects related to, and on-going support for, the university's central administrative systems.
ULs fulfill two main functions:
- Facilitate unit communications
- Facilitate administrative systems access for the unit
Unit Liaisons support the following Administrative Systems:
UL Responsibilities by Function
Unit Communications
- Share information from ITS about the Administrative Systems with:
- Faculty and staff
- Deans, directors (for unit planning, budgeting, staffing)
- System Administrators (for computer support)
- Provide feedback to ITS from a unit perspective
System Access
- Review the Access Validation report in M-Reports bi-annually
- Assist faculty and staff with ITS system access requests using the Online Access Request System (OARS), including:
- Completing/approving/modifying access requests
- Removing access as appropriate (e.g., staff turnover)
- Ensuring Administrative System users in your unit have appropriate training and software licenses
Note: Documentation for unit liaisons is on the OARS website.
For HRMS Unit Liaisons
Have questions about certain HR roles in OARS? See the ULÂ Guide to Approving HR Roles.
Why the UL Role is Important
Many U-M initiatives impact central administrative systems and related unit processes. ULs help their unit plan for and adjust to any changes resulting from these initiatives. Examples of common action items are:
- Identifying key participants for project teams, pilot programs
- Soliciting unit feedback
- Advertising informational and training opportunities
- Verifying appropriate system access and/or unit data
How to Obtain Information to Share with Your Unit
- Attend and participate at UL meetings (via Web conference)
- Check the UL website regularly (meeting and communication materials, action items)
- Review emails from ITS and/or U-M central offices, forward to unit personnel as applicable
Process to Change Unit Liaison for Your Unit
Unit Liaisons are appointed by their unit's dean, department head or director. Once you have their approval to make a change, please submit a ticket through the ITS Service Center and include the following:
- The name and uniqname of the new and the old unit liaison
- Department name and department IDs impacted
- Effective date of this change
- Unit Liaison program impacted (i.e. Financials, HRMS, Student Administration)
ULE101 Unit Liaison Access Responsibilities is a required eLearning course for all new ULs.