Welcome to UVAFinance! Drop-In Bagels and Coffee Friday from 10:30-12:00

Good morning!  I’m excited to announce the re-launch of our blog, UVAFinance. And, to make sure we have a clear way to communicate easily and quickly, we will add the entire UVAFinance team to the bi-weekly blog subscription. There is so much information jam-packed in every issue that I know you will all want to see the new content. Of course, you can visit the UVAFinance blog at any time to review the past posts, particularly those Technology Tips and Tricks!

I’m happy to welcome the University Budget Office and Procurement and Supplier Diversity Services to the UVAFinance team. I am very excited at the opportunity that we will have to share strengths and ideas, to collaborate closely on important tasks, and to create innovative solutions. You will hear more about this over the next several months as we begin work to develop a central mission and core values for the entire UVAFinance organization.

I invite all of you to join me in a drop-in coffee and bagels tomorrow morning (Friday, Nov 20) in Conference Room E, from 10:30-12. Come by, say hello, grab some breakfast, and ask me any questions you may have about the impact this re-organization may have on you.

I’ll close with a few words about the annual Chamber of Commerce dinner last week.  It was terrific to see Dr. Marcus Martin, Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity, receive the 2015 McIntire Citizenship Award recipient, which recognizes outstanding citizen contributions. UVA Baseball Coach Brian O’Connor provided the keynote address and spoke about creating a championship culture. His words resonated with me, as we strive together to create a cohesive and successful UVAFinance team. Coach O’Connor spoke of these key characteristics of a championship culture:

• Be accountable to one another to perform at our best
• Be an energy-giver, not an energy-taker
• Learn lessons through failure
• Be unselfish, putting the team first
• Always show consideration, respect, and loyalty
• Surround yourself with the right people, then empower them to succeed

I look forward to working with you to create a championship culture!

See you for drop-in bagels and coffee tomorrow,

Melody

Bookmark This: Export Controls

The Office of Export Controls is committed to identifying research and educational activities, projects, and programs that are subject to export control restrictions and ensuring that they are conducted in compliance with applicable requirements. Their new website (http://export.virginia.edu) provides information about regulations, procedures, training, and more.

Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign Update

Thanks to everyone who has participated so far in the 2016 Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC) through donation, participation in the first annual Carruthers/Michie Cornhole Tournament (congratulations to runners-up Dave Boling and Stacey Rittenhouse) and purchases at the Carruthers Bake/Craft Sale. In particular, thank you to Stacey for the time and effort she spends in coordinating this effort for the finance division.

So far this year, 19 Finance* team members have contributed $4,203 (not yet including donations from Procurement and Budget). Across the University, 1,452 employees have pledged $412,331 to the campaign. Contributions to the CVC help 1,200 charities across Virginia and the nation that serve persons in need throughout our community, our state, our country, and the world. For those who have not yet made a contribution, please take a moment here before Thanksgiving to consider a gift, regardless of the amount, to the Campaign.

Last year’s total was 30 donors contributing $8,366 – so we have some ground to make up before the campaign closes on December 31, 2015. Remember, it is not how much you give but that you give that makes a difference! You can pick up a red envelope from Stacey or utilize the online form through the CVC website. Click “Pledge Online,” log-in in via netbadge, and complete the instructions. Thank you for your generosity!

* Neither current year nor prior year numbers include Budget and Procurement contributions (yet).

SFS at College Board Meetings

SOMNOLENT : WAKEFUL ::

(A)   envious : fortunate
(B)   benevolent : kind
(C)   adamant : rigid
(D)   graceful : clumsy
(E)   defiant : autocratic

If you’ve taken the SAT longer than 10 years ago, this question might look familiar. So what does the SAT have to do with financial aid?

The SAT is administered by The College Board, a not for profit organization created to expand access to higher education. The College Board also manages the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, an application that collects information used by some colleges to award institutional financial aid. UVA is one of five institutions in Virginia who use the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE.

The College Board sponsored two meetings in October, in which participants were invited to hear about changes to the application for the upcoming year, receive in-depth and hands-on training on its functionality, and comment on how to achieve vertical and horizontal equity in the need analysis methodology. SFS staff working in financial aid attended one or both of these meetings. Two important discussion topics included:

• Prior Prior Year (PPY) – The President recently approved the use of Prior Prior Year income on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), the application used to determine eligibility for federal student aid. Participants discussed the benefits and challenges of this change, its potential impact to their respective campuses and how it may affect institutional need analysis. UVA has announced its support for and use of PPY income in its need analysis and in determining eligibility for institutional financial aid, aligning institutional policy with federal policy. The use of PPY will begin on October 1, 2016 for the 2017-2018 academic year, three months earlier than when the current FAFSA is available.
• Reimagined PROFILE – Work is continuing on an improved CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE that utilizes OCR technology and interview style questions to simplify and streamline the application process for families and to provide more accurate data to schools. The new CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE is expected to be available October 1, 2016 for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Beginning with the 2016-2017 academic year, undergraduate students who wish to be considered for institutional financial aid will be required to submit the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. The information and training received at these meetings will allow the financial aid staff to better counsel families on the application process and to guide the establishment of institutional policies that move towards vertical and horizontal equity.

And just in case you were curious, the answer to the SAT question is D.

SCPS Employee & Community Open House

The School of Continuing and Professional Studies is hosting an open house on Tuesday, December 8 from 4-6pm at Zehmer Hall. UVA employees & community members will learn more about earning a degree, completing a certificate or just enrolling in a course and how to use their UVa education benefit to pay for their education.

SCPS program directors and faculty will be on hand to answer questions. Registration and admission staff will be available to walk through the steps to register and/or apply online.  Assistance will be provided to show employees how to access their education benefits. Refreshments will be served and a raffle will be held.

2015 Holiday Leave Planning

As a reminder with the holidays right around the corner, if you wish to take additional leave or use your comp time, you will need to have approval in advance from your supervisor. Supervisors are encouraged to be as flexible as possible in granting leave requests, especially during the holidays. Even with careful scheduling, on certain University holidays some departments need to be open and should arrange at least limited coverage to provide essential services.

With the end of the year approaching, please review your leave balances in your SSTL to see the amount of leave that you can carry forward to the next year. Please see the Leave Policies and Procedures if you'd like more information.

2015 Remaining Holidays:

Wednesday, November 25, 2015	Day Before Thanksgiving (FULL DAY)
Thursday, November 26, 2015	Thanksgiving
Friday, November 27, 2015	Day After Thanksgiving
Wednesday, December 23, 2015	Additional Holiday Time
Thursday, December 24, 2015	Christmas Eve
Friday, December 25, 2015	Christmas Day
Thursday, December 31, 2015	New Year’s Eve

From Ashley Feero in UHR.

Outreach & Compliance: New Team Members

Jack Jensen joined the Finance Outreach & Compliance team as a Training and Development Specialist.  Jack has spent the past 14 years in Secondary Education, teaching math at Fork Union Military Academy and Monticello High School, and serving as the Distance Education teacher for Fluvanna County.  Prior to moving to Virginia and entering Education, Jack worked in the Chicago area.  He served as a Lab Manager for Sun Chemical Corporation and a New Products Development Specialist for Viskase Corporation.  Jack has a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Nebraska Wesleyan University, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from North Park University.

Danielle Hancock joined the Finance Outreach & Compliance team as a Training & Development Specialist in September.  Danielle is one of many Super Temp success stories. After completing the Super Temp training, Danielle spent the last year as the Fiscal Administrator for the Astronomy Department.  The knowledge that she gained from her work in the Integrated System will prove helpful as she takes over the Grants Accounting training among other responsibilities.   Prior to becoming a staff member at UVA, Danielle was a graduate student, earning an Education Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the Curry School of Education.  Danielle also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Literacy from Wilkes University. 

Erika Priddy joined our Finance Outreach & Compliance team in September as a Training and Development Specialist. Erika’s service in the US Air Force set her trajectory toward training and education.  After three years of ICBM Operations, she became an instructor and developer and ultimately served as the Chief of Weapons and Tactics Training.  But the upheaval of a military career was not for her.  Deciding to put down roots in Charlottesville, Erika spent three years as a contractor at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School (on North Grounds, across from the Law School) providing instructional design and technological support for the Army Paralegal Program of Instruction.  Erika is specifically interested in eLearning development and blended learning facilitation.  She has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Miami University and is currently working on her Master’s degree in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education from Michigan State University.     

LaVerne Harris joined the Finance Outreach & Compliance team as an Export Analyst in September.  Her background includes over 25 years of export/import licensing and compliance experience within the defense electronic divisions of both Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Company.  In addition, LaVerne is a proud US Air Force veteran.  LaVerne’s export/import compliance experience will afford the Office of Export Controls the ability to increase export compliance assessments and training activities to both staff and faculty in support of various international activities. The Office of Export Compliance is located centrally within the Finance Outreach and Compliance office at Caruthers Hall. 

For additional information on Export Compliance at UVA, please visit the website at http://export.virginia.edu/

OE Project Alliance: SHOWCASE

On December 3rd at 1:30pm, a SHOWCASE of OE projects will give you the chance to learn more and ask questions about OE initiatives, network with project leaders, and also provide your feedback. This special JPJ event will feature a UVA Men’s Basketball coach, who will greet attendees and share about the team’s culture and commitment to excellence. Don’t miss this exciting event. RSVP Today!

OE Projects and Initiatives at the SHOWCASE:

HR Strategic Design Initiative

Research UVA

Travel and Expense Management

IT Projects (Email Consolidation, Data Center Centralization)         

Managerial Reporting Project

Gift Processing

Center for Leadership Excellence

Strategic Sourcing

Cornerstone Strategic Plan

Tech Tips: Quick Hyperlinks and PDF/Picture to Text

Here is the fastest way to add a hyperlink to your text in Outlook emails, Word, etc.:

1. Select the URL you want to point to (ex: http://managerialreporting.virginia.edu)
2. Copy: Keyboard shortcut = “Ctrl + C” 
3. Select the text to hyperlink in your document (ex: “Do you know about the MRP Town Hall?”)
4. Add URL

• Keyboard Shortcut = “Ctrl + K” (select the “Existing File or Web Page” option)
• Keyboard Shortcut = “Ctrl + V” (to paste the copied URL)
• Click “OK”

.....5. “Do you know about the MRP Town Hall?”

• It is that simple!
• Link an email address just as easily—“ctrl K” and select the “E-mail Address” option

Have you ever wanted to copy and modify text from a picture or pdf file?

You can insert the file into Microsoft One Note, right-click to select “Copy Text from Picture”, then paste into OneNote or a Word document.  It’s unbelievably simple!

Have a tech trick that could help your colleagues work smarter? Share it!