The Controller’s Office assists campus personnel with grants management in the following areas:
- The Controller chairs the Grants Review Sub-Committee
- Award setup in Workday
- Award budget revisions
- Invoicing and billing the various awarding agencies
- Reporting
Grants Process
WNC supports grant involvement across all areas of the campus. When finding grant opportunities, the Principal Investigator (PI) is responsible for spearheading the writing of the grant proposal with assistance from the grant writer and applicable department heads.
When the PI has completed the grant proposal, the documents (narrative, budget, etc.) should be submitted to the Grants Review Sub-Committee Chair (the Controller). The PI must also complete the Grant Proposal Review Form. Once the committee has reviewed the grant, the PI will then need to obtain all of the appropriate signatures and is then able to submit the proposal to the awarding agency.
Once the award has been approved, the PI should send all the formal documentation to the Controller. This initiates the Award setup in Workday. The Controller will offer training to the PI on how to review the various Workday grant reports and budgets.
On a monthly basis, the Controller’s Office prepares invoicing for all awards and will often reach out to the PI if there are questions on a particular expenditure or related to spending levels. We pride ourselves on working closely with each PI so that they can focus on the work of the grant, while we focus on the financials of the grant. We will work with each PI to inform them of upcoming due dates or deadlines to ensure that the funding is spent in accordance with the award specifications.
Roles & Responsibilities
PI Roles and Responsibilities
A principal investigator (PI) is the individual who assumes full responsibility for completion of a funded sponsored project by directing the project work and reporting directly to the funding agency. Below are some of the key responsibilities undertaken by a PI at Western Nevada College.
- Originates the idea for research or project
- Determines possible funding sources
- Understands institutional policies and procedures as they relate to sponsored projects
- Studies sponsor guidelines and submission instructions
- Plans research or project
- Determines personnel needed for project and corresponding effort requirements
- Works with department for salary projections
- Collects applicable proposal materials such as biosketches, letters of collaboration, current and pending, etc.
- Completes research plan, budget and budget justification, and all other components of the proposal
- Allows a minimum of five business days for the Grants Review Committee to perform the review
- Is available for feedback and requests for revisions as requested by the Grants Review Committee
- Edits proposal as needed after receiving suggestions and comments from the Grants Review Committee
- Obtains all appropriate signatures on the Grant Proposal Review Form
- Submits the completed proposal to the awarding agency
- Maintains a record of all grant expenditures and outcomes
- Maintains effort reports for individuals paid by the grant
- Maintains information related to cost share/matching
- Retains all records in accordance with NSHE policy in the event of an audit
- Maintains all equipment/property greater and $5,000 and understands the equipment disposition for that award
Controller’s Office Responsibilities
- The Controller serves as the chair of the Grants Review Sub-Committee and will circulate the grant proposal for review
- The Controller will notify the PI when the grant is reviewed and ready for signatures
- Award setup in the accounting system
- Budget amendments
- Monthly invoicing to the awarding agency
- Drawdown of funds for awards with a letter of credit (LOC)
- Resolve system issues related to grant accounting
- Assists the PI in preparing yearend financial reporting and/or closeout reporting
- Assists the PI in determining the proper disposition of grant purchased equipment at the termination of the award
- Closeout of the award in Workday
- Annual grant reporting to NSHE System Office and auditors