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Banner System and Procedures
Effort Certification uses Banner Self Service and allows faculty and staff to access and complete effort reports online. Effort reports are provided for the following categories of university personnel who are paid from a federal and/or state grant/sponsored project:
- Faculty
- Staff and students
- Non-exempt paid support staff
- Part-time, hourly paid support staff
Banner Effort Certification System
Phases of the Effort Certification Process
Summer Salary - 10 Month Faculty Appointments
Principal Investigator Stewardship
Banner Effort Certification System
The Banner Effort Certification system documents the portion of time devoted to research, teaching, and other activities related to an individuals appointment / position; expressed as a percentage of total university compensated effort. University compensated effort is based on an individuals' Institutional Base Salary (IBS), and the effort report shows all compensation; including non-sponsred (department/unrestricted) funding sources. The Banner Effort Certification module is used to complete pre-reviews, certifications, and post-reviews of effort reports.
To use the Effort Certification system, you need to log into the Self Service Banner module, and then click on Employee tab and then click on the "Employee Dashboard" link. In the Employee Dashboard, click on the Effort Certification link to go to the effort certification module.
Click here to go to Self Service Banner.
Phases of the Effort Certification Process
Pre-Review Phase - Approximately 2 weeks
Department Administrators that manage or perform oversight of sponsored projects will complete a pre-review during this phase. If a pre-review is not completed, yet required for the effort report, then Principal Investigators (PIs) cannot certify and review reports. If a department administrator misses the timeframe when the pre-review should occur, the Department Administrator can still complete their pre-review during the other phases of the effort certification process - Certification and PI Review phase.
Certification Phase - Approximately 2 weeks
The individual or PI can certify an effort report during this phase. While not required, it is recommended that a PI communicate to all faculty, staff, and personnel to log into the Banner Self Service effort certification module and review and certify their own report. Students should not be required to certify an effort report. Students include all undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, graduate assistants, and research assistants.
PI Review Phase - Approximately 4 weeks
PI can certify and review effort reports. Graduate students and assistants are not required to certify their own effort report, so a PI must certify and review those effort reports.
End of Effort Certification Period (Cut-off)
A cut-off date is applicable to every effort certification period. This date is approximately 30 days after the end of the PI review phase. Any adjustments to a locked effort report after the cut-off date may not be allowed, and any adjustments after the end of PI review phase and before the cut-off date to a locked effort report may be subject to cost transfer rules and policy.
Summer Salary - 10 Month Faculty Appointments
Summer salary and wages that will be reimbursed by federal departments or agencies must be charged and based on the Institutional Base Salary (IBS) of the 10 month appointment and cannot exceed 2 months.
If 10 month faculty will receive two (2) full months, (July and August) of salary, then the faculty must notify their respective Chair or Department Head that they will work in the summer and not take a vacation. The PI requesting full summer salary and their respective Department Head/Chair, Assoc. Dean, or Dean should attest and sign an approval form, indicating the faculty will not take vacation and will work, full-time, in the summer.
The 10-Month Faculty Summer Salary Approval Form can be located on the Office of Sponsored Programs Forms and Templates webpage. This form must be retained by the faculty and/or PI so that it can be made available upon request from external auditors and inspectors, as well as sponsors. Faculty receiving two full months of salary during an effort certification period that includes the months of July and August can send the completed, signed approval form to Effort Certification for retention with the faculty's effort report.
Principal Investigator Stewardship
The Principal Investigator (PI) is the primary contact and manager in the stewardship of sponsored project funds. They are responsible for the overall technical and financial management of the sponsored project, and in that capacity, PIs should have an understanding of who is paid from their sponsored project and the work performed.
Failure for a PI to certify and review effort reports can lead to mismanagement of sponsored projects funds and lack of good stewardship of federal and state funds. Stewardship of federal and state funds is important to the PI, Rowan University, and the sponsors of those funds; as it provides the basic understanding between all parties that Rowan University and the PI will conduct the necessary technical and financial management and oversight of the sponsored project to ensure costs and work is compliant with and meets the expectations of federal and state statutes and regulations, sponsor policies, and terms and conditions of the award.