ctcLink Learning Opportunities & Support Roundup: Jan. 28, 2026

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

Travel & Expense (T&E) Organizational Change Management (OCM) Tools Released

Now that the Travel & Expense (T&E) Process Alignment Task force has completed its work and the new resources and tools are available, the WACTC college presidents want to be kept apprised of progress in systemwide adoption of the newly aligned practices.  

The ctcLink College Leaders, ctcLink College Collaboration Group, Travel & Expense SME contact list, ctcLink Support List Finance, and several FIN-related commissions and councils were updated Jan. 22, 2026, on new OCM tools designed to help colleges track progress toward alignment.

What’s Next?

All colleges are asked to assess where they are on the "change adoption spectrum” in their Travel & Expense (T&E) Change Assessment College Worksheets at this page: Organizational Change Management (OCM) | Travel & Expenses PAW | ctcLink Reference Center  

Each college will have its own Change Assessment College Worksheet. This worksheet is a tool to assist colleges in reporting this information and to help them identify any specific changes needed to align with the recommendations.  

While some recommendations await formal approvals and implementation, colleges are encouraged to begin evaluating the impact of these changes now to ensure readiness. 

Purpose 

To track your college's progress as you move toward achieving alignment with the Travel & Expense Task Force recommendations.   

Who Should Use the Worksheet? 

This college self-assessment should be completed in collaboration with your official ctcLink College Leader and all impacted T&E stakeholders on your campus.   

Multiple people may perform this institutional self-assessment over the next several months, but each college or district’s ctcLink College Leader is responsible for ensuring the overall completion of the workbook.   

Status Report Dates 

This is an ongoing self-assessment through Spring 2026. Colleges’ self-reported statuses will be relayed to the WACTC college presidents on the following dates:  

• February 26, 2026
• March 26, 2026
• April 23, 2026
• May 28, 2026  

The statuses will be automatically downloaded into a worksheet to be presented periodically at WACTC Technology Committee meetings throughout Winter and Spring quarter 2026 to demonstrate college progress with Travel & Expense alignment.  

Where to Learn More 

ctcLink College Collaboration Group (cCCG)  

Second and fourth Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to noon

The PAW OCM subgroup will continue to check in on this process during the biweekly ctcLink College Collaboration Group meetings to help ctcLink College Leaders stay on goal.  

Travel and Expenses Q&A & Mini Trainings

Recurring every last Monday of the month, 11 a.m. to noon

The PAW Organizational Change Management (OCM) subgroup will attend these standing meetings. Meeting frequency, collaboration, and future topic schedules will be discussed, so travel subject matter experts and ctcLink College Leaders are encouraged to attend.  

Questions?

If you need clarification, please reach out to Project Management Office (PMO) team at PMOteam@sbctc.edu and they will guide your question to the right party for response. 

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.

Process Alignment Workgroup Shares Employee Onboarding & Offboarding “Bright Spots” and Welcomes More

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

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

To help inform their efforts as they review processes, 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.
• All employeeswho have recently gone through the onboarding process.

What’s good?

"Bright Spots" highlight the good stuff: the things that made your initial experience joining your college positive, welcoming, and successful. Sharing your successes allows others to learn from them and helps the Task Force identify processes that are truly working well.

Find the latest Bright Spots results at the Employee Onboarding/Offboarding PAW in the ctcLink Reference Center.

We want to hear about your personal experience!

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

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

Your perspective is vital as we work to improve the experience for everyone.

Get Involved in PAW

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.

ctcLink Environment & Pillar Updates 2026

Colleges are regularly notified of planned downtimes, as well as unexpected outages, via the ctcLink Alerts eList.

You can keep track of 2026 planned service outages for Campus Solutions, HCX, Human Capital Management, and Financials at the ctcLink Support Environment/Pillar Updates tracker.

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.

Get Connected! Join ctcLink Support eLists

ctcLink Customer Support sends updates, outage notices, changes to configuration, training and workshop opportunities, global and cross-pillar communications to colleges via Mailman eLists (often referred to as listservs, which is a registered trademark for a different product).

College subject matter experts (SMEs), PeopleSoft users/stakeholders can use the lists to ask their college peers questions about how they do things in ctcLink, best practices, local training plans, and more. 

Find your lists

• ctcLink Support eLists – Lists geared toward ctcLink end-users, including reporting, queries, and dataLink.
• In addition, each ctcLink pillar area suggests related lists to join under their “Get Connected to” menus.
  • Campus Solutions (CS) Core
  • Financial Aid (FA)
  • Finance (FIN)
  • Human Capital Management (HCM)
  • Student Financials (SF)
• Mailman eLists – See the complete list of Mailman lists available to the community and technical colleges.

Restock Your Resiliency Toolkit

Take some time 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.

Since piloting outside participation and receiving positive feedback and requests, we sought agency leadership and support to work across SBCTC departments to present to a systemwide audience. 

2026 Offerings

Professional Development Suite

• Effective Communication Strategies 
• Generational & Learning Preferences - NEW 
• Leadership 
• Presentation Tips & Tricks - NEW 
• Teams/Team Bonding 
• Time Management 
• Top Tier Customer Experience 

Personal Development Suite 

• Emotional Quotient (EQ)
• Managing Stress Part 1
• Managing Stress Part 2
• Mental Health: Awareness & Support
• Mind Frame: Turn Negative Thoughts into Positive Actions
• Psychological Safety in the Workplace
• Vicarious Trauma
• Work/Life Balance 

Teaming Suite 

• Effective Communication Strategies
• Psychological Safety in the Workplace
• Teams/Team Bonding

Learn More and Sign up

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

How to Check the Status of an Enhancement Request

The ctcLink Customer Services Teams document 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

CS Support Notice of Action Required - Issue with In-Progress Classes on ctcLink Electronic Transcripts

Colleges were notified on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, of an issue affecting in-progress classes on official ctcLink electronic transcripts.

When transcripts are sent electronically between ctcLink colleges or to our four-year partners, some in-progress classes may import as a 0.0 (failing) grade instead of showing as ungraded. This can impact student GPAs and transfer evaluations if not corrected.

What’s Causing the Issue

In-progress courses may be included on official transcripts depending on how college configurations are set. The transcript data files include both letter and decimal grading fields to accommodate different grading bases across colleges. When the grade field is blank in the data file, it may appear as a 0.0 (failing) grade once imported.

Action Needed by Colleges

The good news is that configuration changes can prevent most potential issues: 

1. Review and update your Academic Calendar configurations so in-progress classes are excluded from official transcripts.
2. Use the new QCS_SR_INPROG_CLASS_TRSCPT_CFG to help you verify and monitor your settings.

Additional details including query and configuration guidance is provided in a new QRG: Monitoring In-Progress Classes for ctcLink Electronic Transcripts QRG

CS Core Drop-In Session: Reviewing Transcript Settings for In-Progress Classes

Thursday, Feb. 5, 9 – 10:30 a.m., Join the Webex session

The CS Core team is offering this optional drop-in session for colleges needing assistance reviewing or updating configurations.

Future Solution Feedback

We are exploring a long-term solution to automatically exclude in-progress classes from the data file for official ctcLink transcripts when no final grade is present, while continuing to include the classes in official and unofficial PDF transcripts. Because this change would affect all colleges, we are seeking feedback before proceeding.

The CS Core team is asking ctcLink College Leaders (or their delegate) to submit one response per college by the end of day, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

• Survey Link: Input on Solution for Electronic Transcript Challenges for In-Progress Classes – Fill out form

Thank you for your continued partnership and diligence in maintaining transcript accuracy. Please don’t hesitate to join our drop-in session or reach out to us by email at cssupport@sbctc.edu if you have questions. 

HEUG (Higher Education User Group) Conversations

Keep in mind that HEUG is a collection of PeopleSoft users from around the globe who work in similar but different systems.  While it can be interesting or inspiring to see what others are doing and thinking we ask that you keep in mind that what works in one system may not work in or apply to another.  

In response to demand, two more conversations have been scheduled. 

• February 11, 2026, 9 a.m. Pacific time: Round 2: Ghost & Fraudulent Applications Community Discussion
• April 17, 2026, 11 a.m. Pacific: Round 3: Ghost & Fraudulent Applications Community Discussion, This discussion will focus on what to do after the application, and what happens if there's enrollment or aid awarded.  If you were unable to join the first discussion, there is a recording.

Join HEUG

Washington community and technical college system employees using ctcLink PeopleSoft products are welcome to join. 

Learn more about signing up for HEUG Membership.

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 Wahl, SBCTC Student Services & K12 Alignment Policy Associate, with any questions.

CS Core Learning Opportunities

You can find details about upcoming CS Training and Work Sessions 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.

Work Sessions LINK UP for 2026

Based on survey feedback and attendance patterns, the CS Core team is pleased to announce a new delivery approach to align and “link up” training and work sessions:

• Training sessions will continue to be offered on the first Wednesday of each month, 8:30-9:30 am.
• Work sessions will move to the third Wednesday of the month, 8:30-9:30 a.m.

Linking the Why (Theory) to the How (Practice)

Content provided by the training team will be coordinated with support offered by the functional team.  Tanjagay will begin the month with a foundational review, covering the “how-to” of that month’s Training topic.

Later in the month, the support team will host a Work Session that will focus on that same topic, providing a forum to apply knowledge and manage the real-world situations users encounter. 

In this way, CS Core aspires to address both “theory” and “practice.” 

Added bonus?  With the intentional focus on those "what do I do when" cases, the support “Work Sessions” will better live up to their moniker! 

This new approach creates options and opportunities that better reflect the spectrum of user experience levels and needs.

Newer users might choose to attend just the training, while seasoned users might opt to attend just the Work Session. Some users, perhaps those to whom the content most directly applies, may find value in attending both!

Creating the Perfect Match: Admissions and the Student Program/Plan

• Training Session: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Learn more and join the session
• Work Session: Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Learn more and join the session

February seems like the appropriate month to flex our matchmaking skills!

• The Training Session will review the general admissions process and cover how to create the "perfect match" between an Application to Admission and a Student Program/Plan.
• During the Work Session, we'll cover best practices, important considerations, and practical approaches for managing common scenarios such as returning students and multiple applications from the same student. Bring your questions and, if time allows, we'll field what we can. CS Core ctcLinkUps are planned with intention, and each session is designed to stand alone.

While content is related, sessions are independent. You can choose to attend either session alone or both sessions as a set

CS Core and SF Cross-Pillar Training: Connecting Residency Data, Tuition Residency Exceptions, and Tuition Calculation

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 8:30 a.m., Learn more and join the session

This session explores how residency data entered in ctcLink influences tuition calculation and how Tuition Residency Exceptions can adjust a student's tuition to the resident rate.

The Student Records and Student Financials staff will demonstrate how updates made in the Additional Residency Data section affect tuition charges, clarify exception categories, and highlight the importance of cross-departmental collaboration to ensure accuracy, compliance, and consistency in tuition assessment.

Objectives

• Understand how the Additional Residency Data section functions in ctcLink.
• Identify how Residency and Tuition Residency Exceptions affect tuition calculation.
• Strengthen collaboration between Records and Student Financials staff.

Module(s): Student Records and Student Financials

Primary Audience: Staff Responsible for Residency and Tuition Calculation

Presenter/Facilitator: Pauline Smith & Tanjagay Martin, SBCTC

Questions? Contact Tanjagay Martin, CS Core Functional Trainer.

Questions? Contact CS Core Support.

FIN Updates

Travel and Expenses (T&E) QRG Updated

The Travel Administrator – Maintenance section of the Reference Center has been revised.

All the previous, stand alone, Employee Expenses Profile Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) have been combined into one QRG Maintaining Employee Travel Profiles.

The goal was to help make the information easier to understand.

Please note, a new section Corporate Card Information has been added to this QRG.

Even though we do not yet have Travel Cards configured in Expenses, Pcard card holder information is flowing to the Expenses profiles for card holders. This is informational only and cannot be used to pay for Expenses transactions. As note in the QRG, you cannot delete the information from the Expenses profiles, or it will disconnect the link between the card information and the transactions, rendering them invisible to users.

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.

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

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. 

The PAW Organizational Change Management (OCM) subgroup will attend these meetings to cover Travel & Expense process alignment activities, so travel subject matter experts and ctcLink College Leaders are encouraged to attend.  

• 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 other 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.

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 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

Action Required: Cancel FA Jobs & Processes Scheduled 5-7p.m. Thursday for PRP Implementation

Reminder!  FA PRP 1.3 will be implemented in ctcLink Production tomorrow evening, Thursday, Jan. 29. Those with FA JobSets or processes scheduled to run between 5 and 7 p.m. are asked to please cancel those recurring FA JobSets or processes prior to 5 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29.

A PeopleSoft Release Patchset (PRP) is an application update delivered between major PeopleSoft Update Image (PUM) releases to provide critical fixes, improvements, or regulatory/legislative changes.

FA JobSets and processes left running during this timeframe delay installation. Detailed steps can be found in the Process Take-Down Instructions QRG. 

Once SBCTC has validated migration, colleges will be notified that FA JobSets and processes can be rescheduled.

Do Not Cancel, Ask for Help

Please never cancel DLOUT, PELLOUT or CODIN processes. Just let them complete, even if they run to No Success.

If they run to No Success, please file a ticket with FA Support. DO NOT CANCEL the process.

25/26 COD System Peak Processing Reminders

Federal Student Aid (FSA) has published its Common Origination and Disbursement (COD)System Peak Processing Reminders.

Veteran Affairs CFP Mass Assignment: New QRG

A batch process for assigning the College Financing Plan (CFP) to VA students was issued in July 2025.

To help with access to processes and information, the new Veteran Affairs - Batch Assign CFP Quick Reference Guide (QRG) is now available on the Reference Center:

FA Weeklyish Bulletin

Trying to recall that important thing you read in the ctcLink Financial Aid eList 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

FA Training: ISIR Processing Refresher

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 9 to 10:30 a.m., Learn more and join the session

This Fin Aid Training Session is a review on ISIR processing in ctcLink for staff responsible for loading ISIRs into ctcLink and staff responsible for monitoring ISIR JobSets

Objectives:

• Understand how to set/update User Defaults for the new AY
• Understand how ISIRs are processed via the ISIR JobSet
• Understand the steps in ISIR Processing
  • Upload/download process
  • FA Inbound
  • Process Imported ISIRs
• Understand how to load ISIRs using the File List Driven process and the Single File process

2026-27 Aid Year Rollover (AYRO) Activities

As explained during the 2026/2027 Aid Year Rollover Prep FA Work Session on Nov. 6, 2025, all colleges are expected to complete AYRO Part 1 on their own. All the detailed documentation and “how to” was included in your meeting invite for AYRO.

Should you have any questions while completing AYRO Part 1, please submit a ticket under ctcLink Support > Financial Aid > FA AYRO.

The goal is for each college to complete AYRO Part 1 before attending the AYRO Part 2 Work Session. Please be sure to submit tickets related to AYRO Part 1 no later than one week before your scheduled AYRO Part 2 Work Session.

Aid Year Rollover Financial Aid Support Sessions

HCM Support Updates

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 eLlst 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

HCM Learning Opportunities

HCM Work Sessions

Recurring every Wednesday, 1 to 3 p.m., HCM Work Sessions offer deeper dives into PeopleSoft functionality, focusing on skills enhancement in specific HCM functions (e.g., payroll, benefits, manager self-service).

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.

You can use this link to get to the Canvas sign on page, then to the HCM: FW100 Faculty Workload (FWL Payroll, HCM ) course: https://sbctc.instructure.com/courses/1830361

New users working with Faculty Workload: You must self-register for this course, if you have not already done so via the ctcLink Training & Learning Opportunities Registration Page

SF Updates

1098-T

Kudos to all colleges for meeting last week’s deadline. We successfully received 100% of college print files. The statements have been transmitted to DES, and we are currently awaiting confirmation of the delivery date.

We anticipate that over 120,000 statements will be printed, folded, stuffed, and mailed ahead of the federal January 31 deadline. We will share additional details once DES provides their completion notice.

2026-27 State Board Approved Tuition Rates

The State Board has approved the 2026–27 tuition rates, which include a 3.3% operating fee increase. A notification was sent to the Business Affairs Council (BAC) on Jan. 5, 2026.

Building on the success of prior years, the State Board SF Team will again collaborate with colleges to support updating ctcLink with the new fees. These collaborative meetings will take place in March. Please watch for additional details and the meeting sign-up information, which will be shared via email on Feb. 2.

Please find the 2026-27 rates on the drop down via this link.

Student Financial Responsibility Agreement (SFRA)

As of Jan. 22, only five colleges have yet to implement the SFRA. To date, over 187,000 students have completed the agreement.

SF eList subscriptions

Please note the ctcLink Support eList and SBCTC e-list sign up pages, especially these three:

• Main Student Financials eList: ctcLinkSME_StuFin
• 1098-T Statements eList: ctcLink-1098T
• BAR (Budget, Accounting, and Reporting Council) eList: BAR

Remember, besides receiving notes from our team, these resources are an easy way to ask questions of your college system SF colleagues.

Environmental markers

Use ctcLink markers/banners when testing to be extra sure you’re in the correct environment. DO NOT test in ctcLink production (the live site)!

Environment Marker info: Chrome

Use the Environment Marker extension to visually distinguish between different environments by adding a colored label to specified websites based on URL configurations.

Firefox

• This extension adds a color to the top of your browser to make it different for each environment.
• This extension is for the ribbon/environment marker.

Updated SF Resource QRGs

• How to Complete your SFRA (Student) – Added navigation for HCX, added screenshots and adjusted steps for clarity.
• Understanding Item Types – Small update to formatting and numbering.
• Revoke 1098-T Electronic Consent Navigation – Updated screenshots, simplified steps and moved to 1098-T pre-processing.
• Review and Close Cashier Office Video - New focused learning module
• Also added to SF 101 Cashiering Canvas course
• Post Group Transaction and Review Errors - added important info regarding posting group one at a time and in sequence.
• BankMobile Student Data -updated QRG to remove Higher One, changed to Bank Mobile.
• Student Financial Responsibility Agreement -added language regarding manual service indicator placement
• Invoice a Third Party Contract- added warning about multiple college logos under "Printing a third-party invoice"
• Individual Student Refund End to End Process - added info box re: selecting 1 of 3 process options under refund delivery

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

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.

CS Core and SF Cross-Pillar Training: Connecting Residency Data, Tuition Residency Exceptions, and Tuition Calculation

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 8:30 a.m., Learn more and join the session

This session explores how residency data entered in ctcLink influences tuition calculation and how Tuition Residency Exceptions can adjust a student's tuition to the resident rate.

The Student Records and Student Financials staff will demonstrate how updates made in the Additional Residency Data section affect tuition charges, clarify exception categories, and highlight the importance of cross-departmental collaboration to ensure accuracy, compliance, and consistency in tuition assessment.

Objectives

• Understand how the Additional Residency Data section functions in ctcLink.
• Identify how Residency and Tuition Residency Exceptions affect tuition calculation.
• Strengthen collaboration between Records and Student Financials staff.

Module(s): Student Records and Student Financials

Primary Audience: Staff Responsible for Residency and Tuition Calculation

Presenter/Facilitator: Pauline Smith & Tanjagay Martin, SBCTC

Questions? Contact Tanjagay Martin, CS Core Functional Trainer.

SF Training: End to End Collections Process

Monday, Feb. 23, 1 to 2:30 p.m., Learn more and join the session

We invite Student Financials staff to join presenter Pauline Smith for this session. We may cover:

• What is Collections in ctcLink
• Pre-Collections process
• SFRA
• Collections process
• Collections communications
• Post-collections process

SF Work Session: Collections Deep Dive

Thursday, Feb. 26, 1 to 2:30 p.m., Learn more and join the session

Student Financials staff are invited to join presenter Charles Velasquez for a deeper look at the collections process and answer any collection related question you may have.

2025 1098-T Processing Updates

Sign Up for the 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

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 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.

CS Core and SF Cross-Pillar Training: Connecting Residency Data, Tuition Residency Exceptions, and Tuition Calculation

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 8:30 a.m., Learn more and join the session

This session explores how residency data entered in ctcLink influences tuition calculation and how Tuition Residency Exceptions can adjust a student's tuition to the resident rate.

The Student Records and Student Financials staff will demonstrate how updates made in the Additional Residency Data section affect tuition charges, clarify exception categories, and highlight the importance of cross-departmental collaboration to ensure accuracy, compliance, and consistency in tuition assessment.

Objectives

• Understand how the Additional Residency Data section functions in ctcLink.
• Identify how Residency and Tuition Residency Exceptions affect tuition calculation.
• Strengthen collaboration between Records and Student Financials staff.

Module(s): Student Records and Student Financials

Primary Audience: Staff Responsible for Residency and Tuition Calculation

Presenter/Facilitator    Pauline Smith & Tanjagay Martin, SBCTC

Questions? Contact Tanjagay Martin, CS Core Functional Trainer.

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, Feb. 2, 2026.

Beginning Friday, Jan. 30, 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, Jan. 30, 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

Query Developer Learning Opportunities

Query Fundamentals Lab

Every Monday, 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, Feb. 10, 2026, 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.