From Melody's Desk

Spring has finally arrived!  A quick note of thanks to all of you for your hard work… I sit back occasionally and consider all the balls that we have up in the air.  It is only because of the efforts and the commitment from each team member that we keep the juggling going strong.

I also want to remind each of you about Coffee with a Colleague. This is a great way to step away from email for a moment to connect in a one-on-one conversation with a colleague about a shared issue or interest. It is a simple initiative:  grab coffee with a colleague from outside your office and talk about that retro adjustment or cost transfer expenditure type, learn about how to better use MS Lync, or get an update on the new procurement travel system. We have a pilot program with 100 Free Coffee Cards already purchased – I really hope that you take advantage of this opportunity so that we can continue to offer it.

If you haven’t heard yet, there is a great new Advancing Your Excel Skills class, developed and taught by our team in collaboration with the Center for Leadership Excellence. The class is getting rave reviews and each offering has sold out.  Classes are added regularly and are now open enrollment. To enroll in a class, go to the Integrated System’s Learning Management module. And keep an eye out for the follow-up class which will focus on using Excel for data analysis.

We have wrapped up the evaluation cycle for the long 18 month performance period through December 31st.  This also means that we are nearly 4 months into the 2015 evaluation cycle.  Please make sure that you have worked with your manager to develop your plan for 2015 – what do you want to accomplish this year? I suggest that you try to include one goal about improving a process or daily task; one goal that improves communication with someone from outside Finance (Coffee with a Colleague anyone?); and one specific development goal (Advancing Your Excel Skills or another class offering from the Center for Leadership Excellence).

I want to close by thanking Gerry Kane for his 28 years of service to the University.  He has set a standard for collaboration and working to support the research mission of the University; he has established a solid framework for continuing OSP’s work to streamline and facilitate research administration; he has been a wise and trusted advisor to me; and he has done this all with a great sense of humor.  Best of luck to Gerry and Susan as he begins this new phase of his life!