ctcLink Learning Opportunities & Support Roundup: Dec. 3, 2025

To plan further ahead or find the latest learning opportunities, as well as notices of cancellation or schedule changes:

• See the complete calendar at the ctcLink Training & Learning Opportunities Registration page or
• The SBCTC meetings and events calendar (apply ctcLink Learning Opportunities filters).  

 

Learn about how to register, badging opportunities, and more at the Professional & Personal Development Workshops page.

Registering for the workshops is easy!

1. Visit the SBCTC meetings and events calendar
2. Filter by "CTC Professional Development » Personal & Professional Development Suite"
3. Click "Sign up" button to enroll

Process Alignment Workgroup seeks Employee Onboarding & Offboarding “Bright Spots”

Process Alignment Workgroup: College-driven, Agency-supported, Leadership-endorsed

The Process Alignment Workgroup (PAW) Employee Onboarding & Offboarding (EO&O) Task Force members have begun their work toward aligning our system’s 34 colleges in common employee onboarding and offboarding practices.

To help inform their efforts as they review processes in the weeks ahead, the PAW EO&O task force welcomes input from college staff involved in employee onboarding and offboarding activities on their campuses — including HR team members, other HCM users, such as supervisors, instruction office staff, training personnel, ctcLink security, and others involved in these processes.

What’s good?

“Bright Spots” highlight the good stuff, so others can learn from your successes and feel more confident about making improvements.

Submit your thoughts at the Bright Spots Survey: Employee Onboarding & Offboarding today!

Please focus on any aspects of your college's ctcLink Employee Onboarding & Offboarding processes that work well and could be adopted by other colleges.

Get Involved in PAW

The task force aims to engage with all relevant subject matter experts (SMEs) for input and review. They encourage everyone to get involved however they can.

A systemwide EO&O subject matter expert (SME) list is being compiled to encourage collaborative communication and participation systemwide.

cCCG Co-chair Pat Daniels sent the PAW: Employee Onboarding Offboarding College SME Contact List - Google Sheet to the ctcLink College Collaboration group to gather this information.

What is PAW?

The Process Alignment Workgroup (PAW) is a systemwide, college-led volunteer effort formed at the behest of WACTC presidents to create common ctcLink business processes in the three ctcLink pillars (Campus Solutions, Human Capital Management, and Finance). 

PAW efforts are supported by SBCTC project management office and ctcLink team members, but no additional state or college funds or resources are available to offset these efforts. 

Learn more about PAW Activities

• Process Alignment Workgroup (PAW) Project Overview
• Process Alignment Task Forces
• Employee Onboarding/Offboarding Task Force Resources

Contact

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns about the Process Alignment Workgroup activities:

• Please reach out to Sindie Howland, Associate Director for Change Management & Process Improvement at Everett Community College, if you have any questions about the Employee Onboarding & Offboarding Process Alignment Task Force.
• Contact Jason Hetterle, PAW Team Lead, Director of Technology & Enterprise Solutions, Wenatchee Valley College, if you have any questions or concerns about the Process Alignment Workgroup activities in general.

Travel & Expense Process Alignment: Tools and Training Ready for Use

The systemwide Process Alignment Workgroup (PAW) has concluded its inaugural travel and expense process alignment task force and passed the baton to the ctcLink Support and Training teams.

Recommendations and best practices for alignment are regularly updated and incorporated into ctcLink reference and training materials.

Colleges and SBCTC staff are encouraged to dive in to explore and take advantage of Travel and Expenses Training Resources, including:

• Self-Paced Travel & Expense Training Courses
• Travel & Expense Learning Opportunities - Instructor-led sessions designed for staff who have successfully completed the self-paced Travel & Expense Canvas course trainings. Sessions are delivered on a cyclical basis — monthly, quarterly, or yearly — with the goal of strengthening participant skillsets.
• Recurring FIN Work Session: Travel and Expenses Mini Training & Workshop
• Fluid vs Classic: The Travel & Expense Task Force has recommended using the Fluid interface going forward, as Oracle is no longer providing updates to “Classic” pages. Training materials are being updated to reflect Fluid pages, while maintaining the instructions for “Classic” to allow colleges time to make the transition. Also, Fluid better meets accessibility requirements and is responsive to device size.
• Reference Center Resources: detailed user guides and step-by-step instructions for creating, submitting, approval, and managing travel authorizations, cash advances, and expense reports, as well as delegation workflows, troubleshooting errors, budget exceptions, and administrative maintenance tasks.

In January 2026, the PAW Organizational Change Management volunteer subgroup will launch additional resources to help colleges manage the internal and interpersonal processes required to help staff and leadership transition to new ways of doing business.

Feel free to reach out to Gretchen Fulmer, Associate Director of Training, if you have any questions.

Are You Receiving ctcLinkAlerts?

SBCTC uses the ctcLinkAlerts eList to send notices about planned downtime for system updates, production alerts, urgent issues, and any unplanned downtime.

Each college maintains a local ctcLinkAlerts email distribution list (e.g., ctclinkalerts@columbiabasin.edu, ctcLinkAlerts@spscc.edu) which your ctcLink College Leader maintains as needed.

These college lists, not individuals, are subscribed to ctcLinkAlerts@lists.ctc.edu.

Each college chooses who to include, but typically colleges include their local ctcLink leadership, local ctcLink committee or task force members, key subject matter experts, IT, Help Desk, and PIO.

Restock Your Resiliency Toolkit

Take a moment to take care of yourself! Professional and Personal Development Suite workshops are open to all Washington state community and technical college employees, whether faculty, staff, or exempt.

This series of soft-skill workshops was initially developed to support SBCTC IT staff. Once the workshops were discovered on the agency calendar by other SBCTC and college employees, they asked if they, too, might participate on a case-by-case basis.

Learn more about how to register, badging opportunities, college requests for group training, and more at the Professional & Personal Development Workshops page.

The workshops are cross-linked from the SBCTC Professional Development page and the ctcLink Training & Learning Opportunities page.

Questions? Reach out to Corinne Taylor, Professional/Personal Development Trainer.

Upcoming offerings

AI Essentials in Education (AI-Ed) Course for Everyone

SBCTC is excited to announce the launch of AI Essentials in Education (AI-Ed).

This asynchronous, self-paced, online Canvas micro-course is designed to equip faculty, staff, and administrators across all 34 Washington community and technical colleges with the knowledge and skills to integrate AI responsibly into teaching, learning, and campus services.

This is not a ctcLink offering, but no matter your role with the colleges, this course offers practical, ethical, and actionable ways to engage with AI today.

Built by and for our system

AI-Ed is the result of collaboration between:

• Authors and co-chairs of the eLearning Council (eLC) AI Task Force: Joni Gutierrez, PhD, Tacoma Community College Accessible Technology Specialist and Founder of CHAIRES, and Ronald (Ron) Lethcoe, MEd, Clover Park Technical College Curriculum and Instructional Design Specialist,
• The eLearning Council (ELC) AI Task Force, and
• Contributors from the Instruction Commission, Strategic Technology Advisory Council, and SBCTC.

Their collective feedback and support ensured the course aligns with statewide needs and practices.

What you’ll learn

AI‑Ed builds foundational AI literacy with a strong emphasis on ethics, human‑centered practice, and practical application in teaching, learning, and day‑to‑day work. In this course, participants will develop skills to evaluate AI outputs critically, use tools responsibly, and contribute confidently to systemwide AI conversations. The course features five focused, one‑hour modules:

• Defining AI – Core concepts and common myths
• The Ethics of AI – Bias, fairness, and responsible decision‑making
• AI in Action – Tools, prompts, and practical applications
• Redefining Work – Human–AI collaboration and emerging skillsets
• Navigating Change – Adapting and leading with AI literacy

How the course works

• Format: Asynchronous, online, and self-paced in Canvas
• Enrollment: Open, year-round enrollment
• Audience: Faculty, staff, and administrators seeking responsible, practical ways to use AI in higher education
• Time Commitment: Approximately five hours to complete all modules
• Recognition: Earn SBCTC-issued badges for each module, plus the SBCTC AI Essentials in Education (AI-Ed) pathway badge for completing the course

Enroll now!

• Visit the SBCTC eLearning Training Registration page to enroll.
• Follow Canvas login guidance to access the course.
  • SBCTC Agency staff log in with SBCTC credentials; college faculty and staff log in via your home college Canvas.

Questions?

Reach out to Guava Jordan, SBCTC Policy Faculty Development and Ensured Learning.

How to Check the Status of an Enhancement Request

The ctcLink Customer Services Teams have documented all Enhancement Request (ER) forms submitted.

The ctcLink Enhancement Request Status lists are updated the first and third Wednesday of each month to align with the ctcLink Working Group calendar.

You can see where each Enhancement Request is in the governance review process, approval status, and/or any other actions taken in a couple of different views.

High-Level Summary At-a-Glance

The Full Enhancement Request List is sorted by status.

CS Core Updates

College Input Needed for the 2026 CS Core Work Session Calendar: Deadline Friday, Dec. 5

As CS Core begins planning our 2026 Work Session calendar, we want to ensure the sessions we offer are truly valuable: relevant to your work, aligned with your interests, and worth your time.

You balance many competing priorities every day, so attendance has been lower the past couple years. That’s exactly why your feedback is so important.

Your time, continued partnership, and your insights help us build sessions that are more meaningful, engaging, and useful to truly support the important work you do every day.

How You Can Help

Please take a few minutes to complete the 2026 CS Core Work Session Planning survey by Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.

New to Work Sessions?

Our monthly Work Sessions are collaborative discussions, not formal training. They provide space to:

• Share and learn about ctcLink functionality and processes
• Discuss business practices and best practices
• Ask questions and exchange discoveries with colleagues

Some sessions have prepared content, while others are open discussion/Q&A, but every session is designed to support you and foster shared learning across our community.

Campus Solutions (CS) Core Pillar Support Web Page

Visit the Campus Solutions (CS) Core pillar support web page at ctcLink Support for all things CS Core-related:

• ctcLink Reference Center Quick Links
• ctcLink Onboarding Training Manual
• Learning Opportunities & Training
• Lists and groups
• Pillar newsletter
• Oracle and PeopleSoft resources

Running Start Series

SBCTC Dual Credit presents monthly virtual sessions for college Running Start staff. Each session includes SBCTC/OSPI updates and time for Running Start college staff to come together and connect. Participants cover a wide range of topics, including Campus Solutions - Student Financials.

The presentation portion is recorded and posted to the SBCTC Dual Credit YouTube playlist.

Feel free to contact Stephanie Rock, SBCTC Student Services & K12 Alignment Policy Associate, with any questions.

CS Core Learning Opportunities

CS Core Training

CS Core Trainings, a valuable learning opportunity, are held on the third Wednesday of every month from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. The dates may change, and notifications will be sent in advance. The CS Core training alternates between refreshers and different process approaches. We highly value your participation and welcome all end-users to attend these training courses.

You can find details about upcoming meetings on the SBCTC Calendar, CS Core Weeklyish COREspondence, and CS Core listserv. Please visit the QRG Campus Solutions Learning Opportunities Recordings for a list of previous recordings.

CS Core Work Sessions

Campus Solutions (CS) Core Work Sessions, open to ALL end users, are generally held the first Thursday of each month, from 1 to 3 p.m., but may be offered on an alternative schedule (e.g., to accommodate holidays).

The CS Functional Support team facilitates, alternating between functional team delivered content and college user delivered content with functional team support. Each meeting includes time for colleges to ask questions about other topics or service tickets.

CS Core Work Session features

• Include community engagement within each session (rather than having a formal, predetermined college panel). When possible, we will post the anticipated questions ahead of time so that you can be prepared.
• Dedicate at least the last half hour (2:30 to p.m.) to Open Q&A.
• If the scheduled session ends early and all related questions have been answered, Open Q&A will begin (i.e., it may begin earlier than 2:30 but will begin no later than 2:30 p.m.)

Find details on the SBCTC Calendar and in the CS Core Weeklyish COREspondence (sent on Fridays to the CSSupport listserv).

Core Sessions: College System & SBCTC Calendar

Coming up next!

Join us for CS Core Work Session: Quiz COREner: Get on the sCOREboard! on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.

As the year ends, let’s take some time for some fun and games!

Your CS Core team will host this light-hearted trivia-esque experience. The winning college not only gets bragging rights and a shout out in our Weeklyish COREspondece, but they ALSO get to work with us to ensure that one of their most desired topics is addressed in a 2026 work session.

This is your opportunity to show off you’ve been scouring your bulletins, attending work sessions, and bookmarking your QRGs/Canvas courses. We may even throw in some random college and Washington state facts just to keep everyone on their toes and even on the playing field!

The game will last one hour (approximately 60 questions) with contestants competing as individuals and our very own Ryan Jackson as host!

Questions? Contact CS Core Support.

FIN Updates

Travel & Expense Process Alignment: Tools and Training Ready for Use

The systemwide Process Alignment Workgroup (PAW) has concluded its inaugural travel and expense process alignment task force and passed the baton to the ctcLink Support and Training teams.

Recommendations and best practices for alignment are regularly updated and incorporated into ctcLink reference and training materials.

Colleges and SBCTC staff are encouraged to dive in to explore and take advantage of Travel and Expenses Training Resources, including:

• Self-Paced Travel & Expense Training Courses
• Travel & Expense Learning Opportunities - Instructor-led sessions designed for staff who have successfully completed the self-paced Travel & Expense Canvas course trainings. Sessions are delivered on a cyclical basis — monthly, quarterly, or yearly — with the goal of strengthening participant skillsets.
• Recurring FIN Work Session: Travel and Expenses Mini Training & Workshop
• Fluid vs Classic: The Travel & Expense Task Force has recommended using the Fluid interface going forward, as Oracle is no longer providing updates to “Classic” pages. Training materials are being updated to reflect Fluid pages, while maintaining the instructions for “Classic” to allow colleges time to make the transition. Also, Fluid better meets accessibility requirements and is responsive to device size.
• Reference Center Resources: detailed user guides and step-by-step instructions for creating, submitting, approval, and managing travel authorizations, cash advances, and expense reports, as well as delegation workflows, troubleshooting errors, budget exceptions, and administrative maintenance tasks.

In January 2026, the PAW Organizational Change Management volunteer subgroup will launch additional resources to help colleges manage the internal and interpersonal processes required to help staff and leadership transition to new ways of doing business.

Feel free to reach out to Gretchen Fulmer, Associate Director of Training, if you have any questions.

Finance Pillar Support Web Page

Visit the Finance (FIN) pillar support web page at ctcLink Support for all things FIN-related:

• ctcLink Reference Center Quick Links
• ctcLink Onboarding Training Manual
• Learning Opportunities & Training
• Lists and groups
• Oracle and PeopleSoft resources

FIN Learning Opportunities

NEW! FIN Work Session: AP 1099 Processing FY2025

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, 1 - 2:30 p.m., Learn more and join the session

Finance Staff/Supervisors using the Accounts Payable module are encouraged to attend. 1099 report payments are made to non-employee service providers, as well as payments to suppliers and other entities you do business with. Some topics that may be covered:

• Introduction to 1099 Processing
  • Review 1099 Setup
  • 1099 Tasks Throughout the Year
  • IRS Updates for FY2025
• Post Withholdings
  • Review 1099 Items
  • Corrections and Adjustments of 1099 Items
• Running Withholding Report Post and Producing 1099 Copy B Reports
  • Completing 1099 Processing for the Year
• Time allotted for Q & A

Related QRG: 1099 Withholding

Prerequisite Course: AP100 - Accounts Payable

Presenter/Facilitator: Sonali Bihari, SBCTC Senior Functional Analyst

Contact Alec Risk, ctcLink Functional Trainer.

FIN Work Session: AP 1099 FY2025 Processing Drop-in Sessions

Bring your 1099 questions and receive functional support or listen-in and collaborate with your college peers!

Travel and Expenses Q&A & Mini Training

Recurring every last Monday of the month, 11 a.m. to noon, join us for a collaborative, interactive and troubleshooting drop-in support session on everything Travel and Expenses. This session may be partially recorded.

• 11 – 11:30 a.m. Training: The first half of the meeting is typically a short training focused on a particular topic/process in Travel and Expenses. This portion of the meeting is usually recorded. The recording and associated QRGs are posted to the ctcLink Pillar Work Session Information Canvas Course. End-users are welcome to listen in and learn something new.
• 11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., Q&A: Second half of the meeting will not be recorded. Please come with your questions or issues and be ready to share your screen.

This open time is for college end users to collaborate with functional support and other Travel and Expense staff/supervisors to troubleshoot issues, discuss workflow or process questions, and/or even share your screen. Some examples of topics:

• Canceling EX Payments
• Initial Setup and the Importance of updating Expenses Profiles
• Applying Cash Advances to an Expense Report
• Cash Advance Reconciliation
• On & Off-boarding Employees for Expenses
• Why your Approved Expense Report Won't Stage for Payment

Module: Expenses / Travel & Expense

Primary Audience: Staff, Travelers, Travel Admins/Staff

Related QRGs: FIN - Expenses section of the ctcLink Reference Center

Prerequisite Courses: EX100, EX101 and/or EX102

Contact Alec Risk, ctcLink Functional Trainer.

FIN Work Session: Grants/Projects Mini Training and Open Q&A

Recurring every second Monday of the month at 11 a.m. join the ctcLink Finance Customer Support team for a collaborative, interactive, training and troubleshooting drop-in session on everything Grants/Projects.

Michele Rockwell, MSML, ctcLink Finance Functional Analyst, facilitates.

• 11 – 11:30 a.m., Training: First half of the meeting will typically be a short training focused on a particular topic/process in Grants and Projects. This portion of the meeting is usually recorded. The recording will be posted to the ctcLink Learning Opportunities Information Canvas Course.
• 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., Q&A: Second half of the meeting will not be recorded. You are invited to drop in with any questions related to grants and projects at the open Q&A sessions. This open time is for college end-users to collaborate with functional support and other Grants and Projects staff/supervisors to troubleshoot issues, discuss workflow or process questions, and/or even share your screen. Some examples of topics:
  • Grant Billing
  • Modify Grant Award or Capital Project Budgets
  • Amending Awards
  • Project-related Budget/Commitment Control Errors
  • Grant-related Combo Codes
  • Grant-related Item Types

Related QRG: FIN - Grants/Contracts section of the ctcLink Reference Center

Questions? See the contact information listed in the event calendar listings below.

Finance College Users Production Support Meetings

Meetings are held every Tuesday, from 2 to 3 p.m.

These sessions are open to ALL Finance (FIN) end users. The ctcLink Finance Customer Support team provides updates on Service Tickets, PeopleSoft enhancements, and open forum time to ask questions or request future topics.

The ctcLink Finance Subject Matter Experts list received a calendar invitation to Upcoming Finance Users Production Support meetings.

Didn’t get the invitation? Reach out to Shon Dicks-Schlesinger, Associate Director of Finance Functional Support.

Monthly Student Finance/General Ledger SF/GL Open Forum

Every second Wednesday, 2 to 3 p.m., the SBCTC Business Operations Accounting team invites you to bring your questions (and solutions) to share during this open forum meeting space for all things Student Financials/General Ledger (SF/GL) related.

There is no formal agenda as we welcome all questions about everything from item types and second journal sets to waivers, queries, or internal cash reconciliation.

See the SBCTC meetings and events calendar and look for ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting.

Accounts Receivable (AR) and Billing (BI) Open Q&A

Every other Thursday, these recurring Accounts Receivable and Billing work sessions aim to provide accounting support and guidance regarding, but not limited to, the various reconciliation topics and processes.

Bring your AR and BI questions and get functional support or listen-in and collaborate with your community college peers.

The recorded sessions will be posted to the ctcLink Learning Opportunities Information Canvas Course located under Modules > Finance Learning Opportunities > Accounts Receivable and Billing Work Sessions.

Module(s): FIN [AR and BI]

Primary Audience: Accounts Receivable and Billing Staff

Related QRG: FIN - Accounts Receivable, FIN - Billing

ctcLink Accounting Team Presents

Every first and third Thursday, these recurring work sessions aim to provide accounting support and guidance regarding, but not limited to, the various reconciliation topics and processes. Each session covers a specific topic(s) and then moves to open Q&A.

FIN Work Session: Asset Management Q&A

Every second Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon (except where noted) join the ctcLink Finance Customer Support team for a collaborative, interactive and troubleshooting drop-in session on all things Asset Management.

• 11 – 11:30 a.m., Training: Come learn or share something new.
• 11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., Q&A: Please come with your questions or issues and be ready to share your screen.

Some examples of topics:

• Tagging Active Assets
• Excel to CI Asset Upload
• Processing issues
• General questions

FA Support Updates

V4/V5 Verification Report Processing Guide

The V4 V5 Verification Report Processing Business Processing Guide is now updated and available at the ctcLink Reference Center.

These updates are in response to changes the Department of Education (ED) announced in June.

Action Required: Cancel Schedule FA Jobs & Processes for Dec. 9

Remember that FA PRP 3.3 will be implemented in Production the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 9. FA JobSets left running during this timeframe delay installation. 

Any recurring FA JobSets or processes scheduled to run between 5 and 7 p.m. must be canceled  prior to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

Detailed steps can be found in the Process Take-Down Instructions QRG. Once we have validated the migration, we will notify colleges that FA JobSets and processes can be rescheduled.

Contact Connie Burrow, Senior Functional Analyst, Campus Solutions (Financial Aid), if you have any questions.

New! Direct Loan Troubleshooting Guide now at the ctcLink Reference Center

This new resource is a first steps guide to the most common troubleshooting Direct Loan Validation Errors as they display in the Message Text when you run DLOUT. From the basic FA pages, to configuration, this guide will show you where to look when you are hunting for reasons why your Direct Loan record failed Validation.

The Direct Loan Troubleshooting Guide will be helpful to newer and advanced ctcLink users responsible for managing the Direct Loan program.

FA Weeklyish Bulletin

Trying to recall that important thing you read in the ctcLink Financial Aid listserv FA Weeklyish Bulletin? Don’t miss a thing! Revisit past editions in the FA Weeklyish Bulletin Archive at the ctcLink Reference Center.

Financial Aid (FA) Pillar Support Web Page

Visit the Financial Aid (FA) pillar support web page at ctcLink Support for all things FA-related:

• ctcLink Reference Center Quick Links
• ctcLink Onboarding Training Manual
• Learning Opportunities & Training
• Lists and groups
• Pillar newsletter
• Oracle and PeopleSoft resources

FA Learning Opportunities

Gear up for a fresh batch of financial aiding training and work sessions. Contact Kelly Forsberg, ctcLink Functional Trainer (Financial Aid), if you have any questions.

FA Training: R2T4 Worksheet Overview

Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, 9-10:30 a.m., Learn more and join the session

This FA Training Session is an overview on a more how to leverage the ctcLink R2T4 Worksheet in ctcLink.

Objectives:

• Understand Student Record’s Term Withdrawal process as it correlates to the Date of Withdrawal on the R2T4 Worksheet
• Understand how to designate an unofficial withdrawal on the worksheet
• Understand how to find a student’s institutional charges
• Understand how to create and complete a ctcLink R2T4 worksheet and understand the functionality of key fields on the Worksheet
• Understand the Grant Protection Allowance field and the Amt Due from Student fields
• Understand Post Withdrawal Disbursement calculations
• Discussion time on your institution’s Quality Assurance (QA) process
• Discussion time on new R2T4 Optional Withdrawal Exemption R2T4 Regulations

Presenter/facilitator: Kelly Forsberg, ctcLink Functional Trainer (FA)

HCM Support Updates

HCM Users Group Monthly Meet-Up

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, 9-11 a.m., Attend Zoom meeting

Join this open-format, virtual meeting to discuss HCM processing, changes, and more. Watch for future meet-ups on the HCM Users Group page calendar.

Questions? Contact Annie Butler, HCM Users Group Chair.

Refresh your HCMemory

HCM Work Sessions are recorded and stored in the ctcLink Learning Opportunities Information Canvas course (formerly Pillar Work Session Info) for future reference.

More about how to access the Training Recordings Archive.

HCM Monthly Newsletter

Subscribe to the ctcLinkSME-HCM list to receive the latest edition of the HCM Monthly Roundup, featuring HCM hot topics, training, and how-to tips.

To subscribe

• Visit ctcLinkSME-HCM – Human Capital Management (HCM) and follow the screen prompts.
• Contact: HCM Customer Support

Human Capital Management (HCM) Pillar Support Web Page

Visit the Human Capital Management (HCM) pillar support web page at ctcLink Support for all things HCM-related:

• ctcLink Reference Center Quick Links
• ctcLink Onboarding Training Manual
• Learning Opportunities & Training
• Lists and groups
• Pillar newsletter
• Oracle and PeopleSoft resources

NEW! HCM Work Session - End of Year W-2 Reconciliation

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, 1 p.m., Learn more and join the session

This final work session for the year 2025 follows shortly after the PeopleSoft TAX Update 25-D is installed in ctcLink. Please note this session is on a Tuesday, not the usual Wednesday.

Irena Marinova, HCM Support, will lead the presentation to review functionalities to use for W-2 preparation, data reconciliation, and how to resolve error conditions, and will be joined by SBCTC Central Payroll team members.

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions about any processes covered.

UPDATED course! HCM FW100 Faculty Workload (FWL Payroll, HCM)

The Faculty Workload Level 100 Canvas Course (FW100) has been restructured and updated to provide FWL contract builders with additional details/content going over faculty work assignment, contract calculation, generation, approval, acceptance, and pay line extraction at payroll processing time. The assessment exercises have also been redesigned.

Faculty Workload users, brand new and those who have completed this course in the past, are strongly encouraged to go through this revised course version to get the up-to-date information.

Access the Canvas sign on page, then visit the HCM: FW100 Faculty Workload (FWL Payroll, HCM ) course.

New users working with Faculty Workload

If you have not already done so, you must self-register for this course at the ctcLink Training & Learning Opportunities Registration Page.

SF Updates

Time to Turn on Tuition Calc?

Are you ready for winter term tuition calculation? If you haven’t already done so, please be sure to log a ticket in SolarWinds using the SF: Turn on Tuition Calc request type and Institution #/Term in the Request Detail field. 

SFRA – Student Financial Responsibility Agreement 

25 Colleges are now live with the SFRA configuration and more than 126,000 agreements have been completed.

Cohort 3 planning 

• During the SFRA drop-in session for Cohort 3 on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m., we will provide a general overview and SFRA communications review. 
• We still need go live dates from the following Cohort 3 colleges: WA020, WA040, WA070, WA220, WA280.
• Please check the SFRA QRG under “Implementation Timeline” for more information. 

After SFRA go-live

If you need assistance from the SF Team regarding the SFRA, please use the SolarWinds ticket request type of SF: Communications and be sure to include “SFRA WA###” in the subject line. 

CyberSource online payment provider 

• All is functioning as expected following the recent security updates to production, and we appreciate the extensive work done alongside the SF Support Team to ensure students experienced as little impact as possible. 
• Security key updates are now on a biennial cycle. We will reach out to the Cohort 2 group in March of next year to complete their updates and, in doing so, place all CTCs on a consistent two-year update schedule. 

1098-T Updates 

• NEW Request Missing National ID (SSN) Communication Video available
  • You can find the video on the ctcLink Learning Opportunities Information canvas page.
  • Navigate to Modules > Student Financials Learning Opportunities > 2025 1098-T's – SF Work Sessions.
• FIRE Test system closes Nov. 19, 2025, and reopens Jan. 5, 2026.

Athletic Waivers 

Please note that the following criteria have been removed from resources and queries: 

• Per NWAC, verbiage located in parentheses within the Waiver Guidance section is not valid/true. “(course number 100 or higher)”. 
• Please visit the updated Waiver Guidance section via the State Boards website.

ER274 Cashier Receipts renovation work 

The student and corporate cashier receipts have been updated and are now available for use. A “change due” designation has been added near the bottom of the form when change is entered/provided. 

Updated SF QRGs 

• Request Missing National ID (SSN) Communication– Updated to include information on running local letter templates 
• Athletic Waiver – Updated to include October 2025 changes 
• Process Running Start – Updated 9-10 waiver info 

SF Work Session Volunteers Wanted!

Have you mastered a global process that could benefit your fellow SF counterparts?

Do you have a Student Finance topic you're passionate about? We'd love for you to share your insights with your peers and showcase your expertise! Partner with the SF team (don’t worry—you won’t be presenting alone!) to lead a work session and share your favorite tips and tricks with fellow SF users.

Interested? Please reach out to Pauline Smith, SBCTC Student Financials Functional Trainer, or Brandon Reed, Associate Director of Student Financials, with your topic ideas.

Student Financials (SF) Pillar Support Web Page

Visit the Student Financials (SF) pillar support web page at ctcLink Support for all things SF-related:

• ctcLink Reference Center Quick Links
• ctcLink Onboarding Training Manual
• Learning Opportunities & Training
• Lists and groups
• SF DL Blast Pillar newsletter
• Oracle and PeopleSoft resources
• Student Financials (SF) Resources QRGincluding:
  • Resources that fall outside of other SF QRG main categories
  • ctcLink Training Recordings Archives

SF DL Blast Newsletter

See previous editions of the Student Financials Distribution List Blast: SF DL Blasts.

Subscribe to the ctcLinkSME_StuFin list to receive the latest editions of the SF DL (Student Financials Distribution List) Blast featuring SF hot topics, training tips, and tricks.

SF Learning Opportunities

Running 1098-Ts to Audit/Validate: *New* Validation & Do Not Report Processing

Monday, Dec. 8, 1-3 p.m., Learn more and join the session.  (Session title on SBCTC calendar pending update)

We will preview this year’s processing steps beginning with prior year processing and current year processing up through the step of running the validation process in the PCD and support test environments.

These and other key college processing tasks are referenced in the 1098-T Guide.  Please review for key tasks and suggested timelines

Please feel free to reach out to SFSupport@sbctc.edu if you have any questions or need further clarification.

• The Student Financials Learning Opportunities Recordings QRG is a comprehensive list of all previous SF-related recordings.
• Previous SF DL Blasts can be found within Student Financials Resources.

SF Work Session: SFRA Cohort 3 Kickoff 

Thursday, Dec. 11, 2-3 p.m. Learn more and join the session 

Staff working with the Student Financial Responsibility Agreement are invited. This session will not be recorded.

Cohort 3 colleges are: Bates Technical College, Big Bend Community College, Edmonds College, Grays Harbor College, Lower Columbia College, Shoreline Community College, Skagit Valley College, and Tacoma Community College.

Topics include:

• General Overview
• Testing in PCD
• SFRA Communications
• Resource Updates
• Q&A

Related QRG: Student Financial Responsibility Agreement

Questions? Contact Pauline Smith, SBCTC Student Financials Functional Trainer.

2025 1098-T Processing Updates

Sign Up for the New ctcLink 1098-T eList

You are invited to join a new eList focused on student 1098-T Tax Statements.

During a recent internal SF 1098-T meeting, we reflected on how far the colleges have come with 1098-T processing and how a dedicated community space for conversation and shared learning could further support that progress.

The new “ctcLink 1098T” eList will be used to:

• Share important 1098-T updates from the State Board SF Team
• Provide a topic-specific space for peer-to-peer questions and discussion. Topics may include ctcLink functionality as well as policy-related news, considerations, and questions

Please note this eList is not a platform for exchanging sensitive information and, like all agency eLists, is subject to public records requests.

The SBCTC SF Team will continue to use both the ctcLinkSME_StuFin and BAR eLists for outgoing State Board communications in addition to this new list.

Sign up today!

We encourage any college staff directly involved in annual 1098-T statement generation, communications, corrections, or policy work to sign up using the link below.
ctcLink1098T eList sign-up link

1098-T Security Lockout Begins Dec. 5, 2025

REMINDER! Colleges should not generate 2025 1098-Ts in Production until January 1, 2026. Access to processing in PRD will be restricted during the month of December as an added precaution.

This security lockout will take place at the end of business, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 and will be removed on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.

2025 1098-T Resources

Below is a list of training, resource links, and special considerations for this year's 1098-T processing. As in previous years, SBCTC will offer both in-depth training and drop-in sessions, and will continue to update and use the Business Processing Guide.

You can also find the below sessions and links in the 2025 1098-T Business Processing Guide QRG.

2025 1098-T Business Processing Guide

The 2025 1098-T Business Processing Guide QRG has been updated since last year to include special considerations for this year and edits to help process through this difficult task

2025 Special Considerations

Please see Appendix 1 in the guide for additional detail.

Issue - ER999 and Citizenship Status

Beginning with calendar year 2025, SBCTC recommends selecting the Override Citizenship validation within college batch processing. See the Generate 1098-T QRG for details and options for processing.

Issue- Prior Year 1098-Ts

When activity to a prior calendar year takes place, and a prior year 1098-T has not already been generated, it causes an inaccurate current year 1098-T.

Monthly Student Finance/General Ledger SF/GL Open Forum

Every second Wednesday, 2 to 3 p.m., the SBCTC Business Operations Accounting team invites you to bring your questions (and solutions) to share during this open forum meeting space for all things Student Financials/General Ledger (SF/GL) related.

There is no formal agenda as we welcome all questions about everything from item types and second journal sets to waivers, queries, or internal cash reconciliation.

See the SBCTC meetings and events calendar and look for ctcLink Accounting Team: SF/GL Open Forum Meeting.

PCD Refresh and Your Queries: Get Ready!

The PCD (Production College Development) environment will be refreshed from PRD on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025.

Beginning Friday, Dec. 5, at noon, PCD will not be available for query development until after the PCD is refreshed.

What you need to do

Make sure any PCD queries you want to keep begin with the prefix DEV_ unless you have submitted a ticket requesting backup of queries that will be used for BI Publisher, Pivot Grid, or nVision reports.

Standard Queries

Any queries in PCD that do not begin with DEV_ will be deleted.

• This applies to all standard Public and Private queries. SBCTC will perform a query backup for in-progress queries (private and public) that meet the DEV_ naming convention.
• This backup will NOT be done by folder. This means if a query is in the DEVELOPMENT folder but doesn’t begin with DEV_ it will be overwritten and lost.

BI Publisher, Pivot Grid, and nVision Queries

• Any query used in a BI Publisher, Pivot Grid, or nVision report DOES NOT have to follow the DEV_ protocol as it is very time-consuming to change them back when they are ready to migrate.
• Instead, please submit a Service Desk ticket under Data Services – Reporting – Other with the title “PCD Refresh Backup Request.”  Provide the name of the query being developed for use in one of the advanced reporting tools in the request.  These queries will be individually backed up on an as-needed basis.

What to expect

• The queries in the backup will be imported back to PCD after the refresh is complete and a notice is received from Application Services.
• Data Services will send a message to you once our work is complete.
• Please do not log back into PCD after Friday, Dec. 5, at noon but wait until you receive a notification from Data Services.

Remember! Naming convention for queries

• Being developed in PCD: MUST begin with the prefix DEV_
• Used for training in PCD: MUST begin with QXX_TRAIN
• Being developed for use in BI Publisher, Pivot Grid, or nVision reports in PCD: MUST begin with the appropriate convention based on the reporting tool being used. Do not follow the DEV_ convention. Request must be sent to Data Services via Service Desk ticket.

Why you need to do it

Queries that do not follow this convention will not be backed up and will be lost.

Contact Emily Mullins, Reporting and BI Solutions Analyst for ctcLink, if you have any questions.

Upcoming PCD Refresh & Modified Query Migration Schedule

Modified query migration schedule for December/January holidays

• Tuesday, Dec. 23 migration as per normal schedule
• Thursday, Dec. 25 cancelled due to holiday
• Tuesday, Dec. 30 migration as per normal schedule
• Thursday, Jan. 1 cancelled due to holiday
• Tuesday, Jan. 6 cancelled due to PCD refresh moved to Tuesday
• Thursday, Jan. 8 migration as per normal schedule

January PCD refresh date change

• Moved from Monday, Jan. 5 to Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026.
  • Colleges will have time to run 1098-Ts in the Production environment on Monday, Jan. 5 before access is locked on Tuesday, Jan. 6 for a period of internal processing.
  • During the lockout, colleges will be able to continue testing their 1098-T work in PCD while the SF Team uses this lockout period to run processes in Production without college intervention, particularly due to the removal of citizenship data from applications this past year.

Query Developer Learning Opportunities

Query Fundamentals Lab

Every Monday effective Jan. 5, 2026, 10-11 a.m., Join the Webex session

Query fundamentals labs are held weekly giving all Query Developers the chance to practice their query development skills. Different topics/skills are covered each week. Past lab exercises and recordings are available in Canvas.

How to Enroll in Self-Paced Query Developer Courses

It’s easy to enroll in Query Developer Courses.

• Visit the ctcLink Training Registrationpage,
• Select the class(es) from the Designated Query Developer Training section,
• Follow the sign-up process.

More for PeopleSoft Query Developers

Find more ctcLink PeopleSoft Query Development resources including forms, documentation, and tools at the ctcLink PeopleSoft Reporting web page.

ctcLink Accessibility Monthly Open Forum

The ctcLink Accessibility monthly forums engage Washington's community and technical college system in discussions around ctcLink accessibility and technology. We aim to improve communication and transparency while providing space for productive and solution-focused dialog. Our main objective is to deliver accessible technology for all our students, staff, and the larger community.

Join us! Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month, 11 a.m. to noon.

Please join us for the next ctcLink Accessibility Open Forum on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, at 11 a.m.  All are welcome to attend via Zoom.

• Participants are encouraged to submit ideas for future meetings via an online form.
• Zoom meeting link: ctcLink Accessibility Open Forum 2025 and beyond

In case you missed a meeting, please see materials from past Open Forums.

Keeping the Lights On

In a ctcLink world populated with acronyms and mysterious jargon, the Application Services teams are the “pillar behind the pillars” for Washington’s community and technical colleges 24/7 by supporting ctcLink pillars, systemwide IT applications, environments, accessibility improvements, testing, and managing the network data load behind-the-scenes.

While you may never meet them directly or understand what they do, they support you every single day.