Thursday, June 16, 2016

From Melody's Desk

I hope all are well and enjoying summer. Hopefully you all have made plans to spend time away from work, with friends, family, or even by yourself. It is critically important that you find time to rejuvenate and connect with the external world. I have time planned to go to a conference (NACUBO in Montreal, so lovely in July!) and to the beach with my family.

UVA Final Exercises - we all had a hand in making sure that more than 6,600 students earned degrees. Thank you for your role in supporting this core mission of the institution, whether it is helping procure equipment and supplies, support faculty, train staff, award aid, collect tuition, or maintain a financially strong institution.

I wanted to call your attention to the remarks of Paul Mahoney at the Sunday ceremony. I felt that his speech was different from many, in that he provided very tangible advice for the new graduates; advice that is pertinent for everyone of us, even for those who are a bit more seasoned in our careers. 


I encourage you to take a few moments to read his remarks, especially beginning on page 2 when he talks about how important it is for success in life to "take ownership, learn continuously, and think long-term." Often I will hear people wonder what they need to do to be successful, earn a promotion, and develop their careers. It takes more than, as Dean Mahoney says, to just "do what you’re told. Write the memo; create the spreadsheet; attend the meeting."  You have to own your career, your development as a leader, and even your mistakes.






UVAFinance Vision: the valued and trusted financial partner that the University community turns to first.

Impeccable source of information * Service excellence * Innovative action * Collaborative partner * Valued, high-performing teams

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