Capital Assets

Welcome to CAM

Capital Asset Management (CAM) oversees the university’s moveable capital equipment, tracking it from the date of acquisition to the date of disposal. Federal guidelines and MSU policy require that CAM maintain and track all of the university’s capital assets, which are defined as:

  • non-expendable, tangible personal property with an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit;
  • has a useful life of more than one year; and
  • has the capacity to function as a stand-alone unit without the assistance of another unit.
A Zebra asset scanning phone pointing towards a nearby barcode.
Managing capital assets at MSU is a large undertaking. CAM currently oversees more than 21,000 capital assets, owned by units across the university. While the responsibility for maintaining individual asset records in KFS lies with departments, CAM provides education and resources to the university community. Our mission is to support MSU departments in managing their capital assets from the date of acquisition to the date of disposal.
Redirect to the appointment booking form for a capital asset audit.

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT

Meet with our team to discuss your role as a CAM processor, or schedule your biennial audit.

Redirect to the audit tracking information page.

ANNUAL ASSET INVENTORY

Maintain your department’s asset records through conducting an annual asset inventory.

Redirect to the asset transfer information page.

TRANSFER ASSETS

Transfer assets to another unit or to the MSU Surplus Store.

Redirect to the asset retirement information page.

RETIRE AN ASSET

Retire assets that are no longer usable or needed.

News

Jul 01

UPL Reorganization Effective July 1

The Office of the Executive Vice President for Administration (EVPA) has announced a reorganization of UPL. Effective July 1, 2025, the reorganization aims to align UPL operations with the university’s evolving needs, address the unit’s operating deficit, and support long-term financial sustainability.
Apr 23

Upcoming unit reorganization

The Office of the Executive Vice President for Administration (EVPA) has announced an upcoming reorganization of UPL. Effective July 1, 2025, the reorganization aims to align UPL operations with the university’s evolving needs, address the unit’s operating deficit, and support long-term financial sustainability.
Mar 27

FY25 year-end cutoff dates

FY25 ends on Monday, June 30, 2025. Ensure your UPL-related eDocs are submitted and in the appropriate status by the dates below for processing in FY25.
More News

FAQS

  • How do you determine if a capital asset purchase is moveable or non-moveable?

    A moveable asset is an item of non-expendable, tangible, personal property that has an aggregate acquisition cost or fair market value of $5,000.00 or more, is free-standing, moveable, is complete in itself, does not lose its identity when affixed to or installed in other property and has a useful life greater than one year. Equipment, although it may require a building-related power source to function such as plumbing and/or electrical support, meets this criteria and is considered “moveable” if they are free-standing and can reasonably be separated from a non-moveable capital asset and relocated or sold/disposed of. Generally, equipment that is attached to a building is capitalized as moveable equipment when removing the equipment does not cause structural damage to the building and will not destroy the equipment.

    A non-moveable asset is an asset with an acquisition cost of $500,000 or more that cannot be relocated, or if they meet the criteria for intangible assets or collections. Primarily, non-moveable assets are land, buildings, building improvements, permanent artwork (i.e. sculptures), and intangible assets (internally developed software, etc.).

  • Do I have the appropriate access level for maintaining asset records for my department?
    Only those assigned the Role 6 CAM Processor in EBS can edit asset records in KFS. Run the UPL 020 - CAM Processor Lookup report in Cognos/BI to find your departmental Role 6 Processor.

    Not assigned as the CAM Role 6 Processor in EBS? Submit a TeamDyanamix request to MSU IT. 
  • I don't manage my department's capital assets. Why am I receiving emails from CAM?

    CAM sends asset audit notices to Role 6 CAM Processor, as assigned by departments in EBS. If you are assigned as a Role 6 CAM Processor incorrectly, please check with your department and update your role assignments via a TeamDynamix form.

    Our quarterly newsletters are sent to both fiscal officers and Role 6 CAM Processors, and an unsubscribe link is included at the bottom of the email. However, unsubscribing from the quarterly newsletters will not remove your Role 6 CAM Processor assignment.

  • I am a new Role 6 CAM Processor. What are my responsibilities?
    CAM works with Role 6 Processors based on the department assigned ownership for all asset records. Role 6 Processors are responsible for:
    • Ensuring physical maintenance of all departmental assets, including affixing asset tags
    • Maintaining accurate asset records
    • Conducting annual asset audits
    • Certifying the location and status of all capital assets

    Learn more about being a Role 6 CAM Processor in this CAM tutorial.

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