David Guerra's Archive

As a reminder, the Office of General Counsel (OGC) provides guidance to streamline the review, approval, and execution process of university contracts for the Abilene campus and outlines the contract signature authority delegated by the President to various university officers. This policy applies to all university employees.

For a complete overview of the policy and procedures, please visit the University’s Contracting Procedures web page. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the General Counsel’s office at  ogc@acu.edu.

Do you need to update the amount you contribute to your retirement account? You may change the amount of your contributions any time. All changes will become effective as soon as administratively feasible and will remain in effect until modified or terminated by you. You may discontinue your contributions anytime. Once you stop making contributions, you may start again at any time. You can find the Retirement Plan Salary Election Form here.

We are nearing the end of the testing phase in our Workday implementation project, where teams have been running hundreds of end-to-end scenarios to ensure the system works seamlessly across the university. This process has required extensive collaboration and communication across departments, strengthening both the system and our campus connections. As testing wraps up, we are preparing training, refining data, and building resources to support a smooth transition at go-live. To learn more about the Workday Project, visit our website at acu.edu/workdaytransition. We’ve recently updated the site with some live demonstrations of the Workday system so you can start getting an idea of what you can expect when we go live in December.

In response to many inquiries about approved AI tools for campus and related recommendations, we wanted to provide the following guidance. While the university does not prohibit the use of other AI technologies, the Office of Information Technology recommends using the tools available through our campus Google Workspace license, such as Gemini and NotebookLM. For Zoom meetings, we recommend use of the built in Zoom AI Assistant. These tools offer powerful features and are covered by our university’s existing licensing. Regardless of which tool you use, it is critical to remember that sensitive or confidential university data must never be uploaded to an AI platform not managed by the university. For more detailed information, security best practices, and links to the recommended tools, please check out our full support article.

In preparation for our transition to Workday, beginning October 1, 2025, non-student charges will no longer be billed to employee accounts. Tuition and fee charges for employees who are also students will remain on student accounts, but services such as Medical and Counseling Clinic visits, ACUPD parking permits or tickets, Bookstore purchases, and Off-Campus Housing rentals must be paid at the point of service. Employees should ensure that any existing balances on their employee accounts are fully resolved by May 31, 2026. For assistance, please contact the Accounts Receivable/Billing department.

If your department is hosting an event for students during the first four weeks of school, complete this form to let us know what you have planned so we can include your event in our student engagement promotions.

When scheduling your eye exam for 2025, please keep the following information in mind. Before your appointment, it is important to verify that providers accept insurance. If you enrolled in ACU’s vision plan, visit vsp.com to find a provider. ACU’s medical plan pays for preventative eye exams. Please be sure to verify that your eye doctor is in-network if you plan to utilize your medical insurance for your vision visit. How do I find an in-network doctor? You can call 800-687-0500 or go online. For HealthSmart (covered employee resides in Texas): Visit providerlookup.healthsmart.com/. Select “HealthSmart Physician/Ancillary Only” as your network If you do not see your provider listed as in-network, you can nominate a provider here. For Prime Physician (covered employee resides outside Texas): Visit occunetpon.primehealthservices.com.

Staff Senate would like to share with all staff that the optional CompassPro for Staff initiative is live and running for this academic year. Download the Suitable app today so you can learn about opportunities and share your campus involvement (including attending presession!). We’ll have monthly engagement winners and incentives for those who complete the Staff Community Involvement badge. Learn more on our webpage or through this video. Staff Senate’s Service Committee would also like to share links to the following organizations that have been actively involved in relief efforts following the loss and destruction caused by the flash floods in July. May we all continue to remember those involved in prayer. Christian Relief Fund, Kerrville Church of Christ, Church of Christ Disaster Relief.

Join us at this year’s Wildcat Week Goodbye Blessing, August 19, 2025 5PM – 6PM in Moody Coliseum, to serve as prayerful encouragers for students whose parents or family cannot attend. We’ll provide buttons so you can be easily recognized as you offer a warm smile, kind word, and prayer, especially for those who may be alone or far from home. Your presence will help new Wildcats feel seen, valued, and welcomed into the ACU family. Please reach out to PJ Martinez (pjm21b@acu.edu), if you’d like a button.