Approving a Payables Request as a Budget Owner in Self-Service at Adler University

As an assigned budget owner at Adler University, you play a key role in reviewing and approving payables requests submitted by your staff inside your assigned department(s). This article will guide you through the newly enabled approval feature in the Self-Service by Ellucian portal designed for submitting third-party and self-reimbursement requests to the Accounts Payable team for payment processing. By understanding how the portal works and what to expect in the approval workflow process, you’ll be able to manage requests more efficiently to ensure timely payment & processing. This resource will help you navigate your responsibilities with confidence and clarity.

1. As a budget owner, you will receive an email from [email protected] when a staff member from any of your teams submits a request for your review/approval into Self-Service.  That should prompt you to, at your next opportunity, sign into your Self-Service account using the link here.
2. Upon successful login, you should see a Financial Management option on your main landing page, as displayed in the screenshot below.  Should you not see that upon login, please do not hesitate to contact helpdesk@adler.edu right away to request access to this feature. However, should you currently see it, click on that option...
   
3. Next, click the Approve Documents tile, as shown in the screenshot below.
   
4. Once you've landed on the 'Approve Documents' main page, scroll down to the Vouchers section to see any & all outstanding requests listed that are awaiting your review.
   
5. Next, once you've located the Voucher request you'd like to review, it is recommended to have you next select the Voucher ID No. hyperlink shown for the listed request, as shown in the screenshot below. An 'Overview' for Voucher Details will pop-out from the right in your Self-Service account, as shown in the screenshot below, with additional details & more options for further review.
   
6. For reference, clicking the 'View' button, as shown in this next screenshot, will you to download the PDF invoice attached by your requesting staff member, along with any additional relevant documentation your requester chose to upload w/ this request.
   
7. Further, clicking the hyperlink of the Voucher ID No. at the top of the right pop-out box section in Self-Service will open another browser window/tab & take you to visibility on details including the exact GL Account No. to which your requester is suggesting this expense should be allocated, etc..
   
8. Clicking the line item(s) in the next screen will grant more detailed visibility on each line item's GL allocation, per your requester's suggested allocations, as shown in the screenshot below.
   
9. Once you've reviewed all request details & are ready to put a decision through, go back to your Self-Service tab.  It should be labeled 'Approve Documents - Self-Service'.
   

   2. To Approve:  

      1. Left-Click the checkbox indicated in the above screenshot to mark w/ your approval.
      2. Lastly, click the 'Submit' button in the bottom-right of your Self-Service screen.  It should be activated & turned blue, now that you've inputted your decision in the 'Vouchers' portion.
         
   3. To Reject & return to your requester w/ note:
      1. Left-click the arrow to the immediate right of the 'Approve' checkbox, which will prompt you to submit revision commentary for the original requester, as shown in the screenshot below.  
      2. Choose 'Submit' once you have submitted the necessary revision suggestions.
         
         

That is the review/approval process, in a nut shell!  Do route any questions to [email protected], as mentioned above, should you require any additional help!

Thank you & happy budgeting!

Adler University IT Department