Volume 158 | July 24, 2026 | |
Business Affairs Bulletin
July 24, 2026
| | The inside scoop on the people and projects that support UNLV | |
- Fiscal Year 2026 Wrap-up: A Year of Impact and Achievement
- Meet Kotoe Kida, Senior Accountant
- Spotlight on Service - General Accounting
- Business Affairs Employees Participate in Classroom in a Box Packing Day
- National Ice Cream Month
- Business Affairs Bites - Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt
- Dates to Remember
| | Fiscal Year 2026 Wrap-up: A Year of Impact and Achievement | | |
Hello colleagues,
As we close the books on fiscal year 2026, I want to take a moment to recognize and thank the many teams across Business Affairs whose hard work made this year a success. Your dedication and collaboration ensured a smooth year-end close and impressive progress throughout the year. Together, we accomplished an extraordinary amount of work.
By the Numbers (approximately)
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85,150 student accounts billed
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38,964 supplier invoices processed
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6,399 expense reports submitted
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15,195 accounting adjustments and manual journal entries
- (Reduced from 20,000 in FY24 thanks to Facilities’ consolidated journal approach)
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6,766 purchase orders issued
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2,508 change orders processed
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80,126 purchasing card transactions supported
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869 contracts and amendments executed
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48 formal solicitations facilitated
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56,745 bank statement lines reconciled
Financial Services also helped the university navigate challenges and move forward as a cohesive unit. Our teams accomplished many things this year. These were some of our proudest accomplishments:
- Established a separate fringe benefit rate for Thomas & Mack Center temporary employees who are not eligible for health insurance, reducing the overall fringe pool rate and more accurately aligning benefit costs with employee eligibility.
- Played a key role in hosting the 2026 WACUBO Annual Conference at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa. Many members of the Financial Services team served on the host committee, helping deliver a successful conference attended by more than 800 higher education professionals.
- Established a new tax manager position to assist with university tax compliance.
- Hired a new merchant services manager to assist departments with Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance and build a well-functioning credit card acceptance environment.
- Implemented the TouchNet Bill+Pay student payments and refunds system, making it easier for students to pay and receive funds from UNLV.
- Collaborated with Enrollment Services to implement an internal call center for fall 2026 for the Cashiering and Financial Aid offices to increase support for students during peak periods.
- Transitioned accounts payable paper check printing to Wells Fargo to streamline the payment process and improve service.
- Simplified the PCard application process by transitioning from a paper form to J.P. Morgan’s electronic application platform.
- Transitioned multiple departments to a PCI-compliant telephone payment system (SecureCall), enhancing security and compliance with industry standards.
As we prepare to welcome students back to campus, our Financial Services teams remain committed to continuous improvement and supporting UNLV’s Top Tier 2.0 mission. Thank you for your creativity, resilience, and dedication. Enjoy the rest of your summer—you’ve earned it!
Warmly,
Lori Church
Associate Vice President, Financial Services & Controller
| | Meet Kotoe Kida, Senior Accountant | | |
Before spreadsheets and Workday became part of Kotoe’s daily work, she was learning math on an abacus.
Growing up in Japan, Kotoe spent years practicing calculations on the traditional counting tool, developing a love for numbers at an early age. While many children dreamed of becoming teachers, athletes, or doctors, Kotoe had a different goal.
“I wanted to be a banker,” she laughed. “I liked numbers and dealing with money. At the time, that was my dream.”
That interest eventually led her to a career in accounting, but not in the way she expected.
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Kotoe moved to Las Vegas more than 25 years ago to study hotel administration at UNLV. After graduation, she spent seven years in the food and beverage industry, including managing a sushi buffet restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip.
While she enjoyed meeting people from around the world, she found herself drawn to the work happening behind the scenes.
“As a manager, I was doing the scheduling, forecasting, invoices, and a lot of the operational work,” Kotoe said. “I realized I enjoyed that part more than being on the floor. I liked understanding how things worked and helping support the business.”
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Before joining the Controller’s Office in 2022, Kotoe spent 10 years in Student Wellness as an accounting assistant. While working full time, she took advantage of UNLV’s educational benefits to earn a second bachelor's degree in accounting and later completed a master’s degree in accounting.
“It took me a long time because I was taking one class at a time,” Kotoe said. “I was working and raising my family, so it wasn’t something I could rush. I just kept moving forward and eventually finished.”
Today, Kotoe is a senior accountant in the Controller’s Office, where she reviews accounting adjustments, manages banking transactions, and helps prepare the university’s financial statements.
“When I worked in Student Wellness, I only knew one area of campus,” she said. “Now I get to work with departments all over UNLV. Every department has its own systems and processes. Even after all these years, I’m still learning new things. When you see how many different areas are involved and how they all work together, it’s pretty amazing.”
Her busiest time of year is from June through September as the university closes out the fiscal year and prepares financial statements. Despite the demands of year-end reporting, she enjoys the variety of her work and collaborating with colleagues across campus.
“Whether they’re academic or administrative, people here genuinely care about students,” Kotoe said. “Everyone is working toward helping students be successful and prepared for whatever comes next.”
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Kotoe has remained part of the UNLV community for more than two decades. In addition to being an employee and alumna, two of her three children now attend the university. Her daughter is studying psychology, her son will begin engineering studies in the fall, and her youngest daughter is currently in high school.
Outside of work, Kotoe enjoys traveling and exploring new places. She almost always makes time to visit museums and famous landmarks.
“I’ve always enjoyed learning about history,” she said. “If there’s a museum nearby, there’s a good chance I’ll want to visit it.”
From learning arithmetic on an abacus in Japan to helping prepare the university’s financial statements, Kotoe has never lost her curiosity or her interest in learning how things work.
| | Photo credit: Philip Dow (altered) | | |
In October 2025, we distributed our annual Business Affairs customer service survey. Many of our campus colleagues replied to the survey with notes of praise for our hard-working teams. See below for some highlights for General Accounting.
"General Accounting has consistently demonstrated accuracy, timeliness, and professionalism in managing financial transactions and reports. Their attention to detail and responsiveness to inquiries has made collaboration smooth and reliable. Keep up the great work—your consistency and clear communication make a big difference!"
“Everyone in the General Accounting, including each specific team, is always a pleasure to work with and very responsive.”
“General Accounting has been great at providing clear, timely communication and support. It’s always a pleasure working with them!”
“Detailed journals were outstanding and kept me aware of everything.”
| Business Affairs Employees Participate in Classroom in a Box Packing Day | Photo credit: Shane Warner | |
Business Affairs employees recently packed 46 Classroom in a Box (CIAB) kits for local schools, extending the service project launched during the WACUBO Annual Conference. In partnership with the Public Education Foundation, conference participants raised more than $10,000 to provide essential school supplies to students and classrooms in need.
Each CIAB kit contains 10 types of supplies for 30 students, including folders, markers, colored pencils, sharpeners, pencil bags, glue sticks, and erasers. The 46 fully-funded boxes will equip two schools for an entire semester and support 1,380 students.
Business Affairs participants included:
- Chantel McDonald, Director of Strategic Projects and Training Development
- Daisy Cabanillas, Senior Compliance Analyst
- Kery Chong, Senior Accountant
- Liz Davis, Communications Specialist
- Lori Church, Associate Vice President of Financial Services & Controller
- Lorraine Schlimm, Senior Purchasing Analyst/Contract Administrator
- Nohealani Benicarlo, Executive Assistant
- Sarath Kraus, Director of Systems Change Management
Thank you for your time and effort toward this project!
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July has been National Ice Cream Month since 1984, when Congress designated the observance and President Ronald Reagan issued an official proclamation recognizing ice cream’s popularity and its economic importance to the nation’s dairy industry. National Ice Cream Day is celebrated each year on the third Sunday in July.
UNLV has its own ice cream tradition. At Rebel Homecoming and other campus events, the College of Sciences makes nitrogen ice cream as a live chemistry demonstration, using the substance’s extremely low temperature to freeze the mixture almost instantly. See it in action in this video on UNLV’s Instagram!
Outside of Homecoming, Rebels can find several ways to enjoy National Ice Cream Month on campus. Yonutz in the Student Union specializes in ice cream-filled smashed doughnuts, while the Hazel M. Wilson Dining Commons occasionally features make-your-own ice cream sundaes on “Sundae Mondays.” Check UNLV Eats for current locations, menus, and summer hours before heading out for a scoop.
| Business Affairs Bites - Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt | |
Welcome to Business Affairs Bites, a monthly feature where Business Affairs team members share their favorite dining spots near campus so others can enjoy them too.
This month’s recommendation comes from the Communications Team.
Menchie's Frozen Yogurt • $ Budget / Casual - Under $15 • Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt
1150 E Flamingo Rd #105
Loves: food, price/value, location
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What makes Menchie's special?
It’s a cold, sweet treat close to campus, and you can get as much or as little as you like. They also have flavors and toppings we don’t see at other fro-yo places, and they have really good non-dairy options. There’s really something for everyone!
What's the #1 menu item that we HAVE to try?
Heather: I love to combine chocolate and pineapple.
Liz: I like strawberry, pretty basic. One thing I do love that I don’t see a lot of places have are the small mochi bites and carob chip toppings!
Jessie: I like their vegan sorbets, and I love to top them with fresh fruit.
Is there anything else we should know before we go?
Those cups can be deceiving and make it easy to take more than you realize. If you’re looking for a smaller portion, just ask for a smaller cup behind the counter.
If you’re in a hurry, they also sell frozen to-go cartons without toppings! It’s frozen yogurt, just packaged like ice cream.
If you show your Rebel Card, you'll get a 10% discount!
Have a favorite place to get a bite nearby?
| | - August 1 - 31 - National Wellness Month
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