Everything you need to know and more!

www.ubicommunity.virginia.edu

Are you taking advantage of all the Finance Strategic Transformation information at your fingertips in the online finance community?  

Every single presentation about Finance Strategic Transformation, even those made to the steering committee or working groups, are housed in the community and open for your questions and comments.  Plus, you're welcome at any time to share your general questions and ideas!

That said, it can be hard to wade through the slides for items of interest, so we've collected a couple of  recent posts that might be helpful:

• Slides presented at FST Steering Committee Meeting March 11, post Vision & Goal Alignment Greenhouse Workshop.  The slides include assessments of the current state from stakeholders across Grounds, pain points those stakeholders currently face, and the stakeholders' assessment of what's at stake in terms of this transformation.
• Slides presented to the FST Advisory Group on February 26.  These slides include a proposed project timeline for all of FST, resources needed for each phase, and a roadmap for activities in the next phase, Readiness.

Log in and take a look -- and remember, your comments, questions, and concerns are welcomed!

What's new with Finance Strategic Transformation?

On March 11 & 12, UVAFinance hosted a series of Town Halls for Finance employees.  At each session, James Gorman provided an update and look forward on Finance Strategic Transformation.  We recorded one session and have posted it in the community for all to view. 

Log in today and take a look!

www.ubicommunity.virginia.edu


PS:  We're still working on getting the entire Town Hall video posted, for those of you who missed the sessions.  Stay tuned!

Financial Reporting and Operations welcomes Richard Carter

Richard Carter

Richard Carter has joined the Financial Reporting and Operations team in the role of Senior Debt Accountant.  Carter, who has a BS in Finance from Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business, has worked at UVA since 2005, longest in Facilities Management and most lately in the Darden School of Business.

In his new role in UVAFinance, Carter will focus on debt-funded activities, as well as reviewing and approving cost transfers and journal entries.  Because many debt-funded activities involve construction, he'll be on familiar ground, since most of his time at facilities was spent working with project teams, administration, and architects, developing budgets and analyzing expenses on construction and renovation projects.

Among his new colleagues include Procurement, a group he became familiar with during his time in Darden as he reviewed contracts as part of his work with the Executive MBA program, global initiatives, and data analytics. 

In many ways, Carter admits, his new role is both a natural progression of his UVA career and a sort of "coming full circle":  he says that his work in UVA's schools and units allowed him to see the challenges and priorities of financial operations, and working in UVAFinance now allows him to see how those individual priorities and challenges roll up to a central point of view, and how they fit into the total financial picture of the University.

His career is also an extension of a family legacy -- both his mother and father were long-term UVA employees.

Although he's in a new role, Carter is no stranger to Carruthers Hall.  Between 2000 and 2005, he spent considerable time in the cages downstairs as a temporary worker, shredding old checks that were sent back from the bank on his holiday and summer breaks, earning some college spending money.

Carter says he finds Carruthers a lot different than he remembers it (less dark and dusty!), but still full of great colleagues doing great work.  "There's a great group of people here," he says, adding that he also enjoys the variety of projects with which he gets to do his intensive type of work.

"I like to sweat the small stuff," he laughs. 

Carter also enjoys playing the drums (he's in a rock/blues band), cooking and trying out new recipes, and getting to the Outer Banks as much as possible.

Learn more about debt accounting on the Financial Reporting and Operations webpage.

Financial Reporting and Operations welcomes Logan Hobbs

Logan Hobbs

Financial Reporting & Operations is pleased to welcome Logan Hobbs, formerly of UVA HR, to their team, where he will continue his work as a foreign national tax analyst.

Hobbs began his career at UVA almost 7 years ago in the HR service center but soon moved into compliance and immigration services. In January, the international taxation function was moved to the tax compliance area in FRO, and Hobbs began working in UVAFinance with familiar colleagues from Financial Operations and Payroll.

In his day to day work, Hobbs, a 2012 graduate of Roanoke College, analyzes payments to international students, faculty, and researchers, and examines foreign corporations and businesses to determine the correct tax withholding and reporting.

Hobbs says he enjoys being able to help students, researchers and faculty get the information they need.

"There are lots of different aspects that come together in my job - it's even kind of exciting, as much as tax compliance can be exciting," he says.

When he's not sorting out international tax issues, Hobbs can be found hiking and watching sports with his wife and their dog.

 Learn more about international taxation on the FRO site.

New on Finance Matters: A Two-Part Series on Self-Awareness

Self-Awareness and Self-Leadership

What does it really mean to be self-aware? Do you know why you behave/respond the way you do? Understanding your thoughts, feelings, and values can make you more effective as a leader and a colleague, and in life in general. Join Patty and Brandi for part one of a two-part discussion featuring Theran Fisher of UVA's Talent Management department. LISTEN HERE!

Resources Mentioned:

True North by Bill George

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

Disc Assessment

Meyers-Briggs

Talent Management Site

Emotional Intelligence Class from Talent Development

Self-Awareness and Work Relationships

Part two of our two-part series on Self-Awareness, with guest Theran Fisher. Join Patty and Brandi as they discuss with Theran self-awareness' role in the workplace. You'll learn how who you are impacts how you work with others, the pitfalls of lack of self-awareness in the workplace, and how to better work with people who aren't self-aware.  LISTEN HERE!

Resources Mentioned:

True North by Bill George

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

Disc Assessment

Meyers-Briggs

Talent Management Site

Emotional Intelligence Class from Talent Development

Get your best recipes ready: the UVAFinance Bake-off is coming!

Click the image for a larger view.

More details on this delicious event will be coming soon.  

Brought to you by the UVAFinance Culture Crew.

Save the Date: UVAForward 2019!

Click the graphic for a larger view.

Brought to you by FEAP and your Wellness Champs: Communicating More Assertively

Click the image for a larger view. 

Make time to learn to communicate more assertively in the workplace.  This seminar is only an hour, and will teach practical steps to help you communicate more effectively. 

Thanks to the Faculty and Employee Assistance Program and our UVAFinance Wellness Champs for bringing us this great content.

Preparing for the yearly review: New on Finance Matters

It's yearly performance rating time here in UVAFinance. Whether you're a manager or not, you'll find this content interesting as you get ready for performance reviews. Patty and Brandi discuss what to keep in mind when evaluating team members, and how to avoid common rater biases. It's a must-listen for this time of year (and good to bookmark for mid-year reviews!).

LISTEN HERE!

Resources Mentioned:
Swot Analysis

SFS: Responding to student needs in unusual times

Before the longest government shutdown in American history ended on January 25 this year, many furloughed government employees had experienced financial stress. Unsurprisingly, some of the affected households were families with students at UVA, who were facing tuition bills but not receiving a paycheck.

Over the course of the shutdown, a dozen or so families reached out to Student Financial Services with concerns about payments and worries about the impact of the potential length of the shutdown. On an individual basis, SFS responded quickly, with a situationally-appropriate version of the same message: don't worry; we'll work with you.

"Our contact center staff reassured the affected families that we would be glad to work with them," says Steve Kimata, Assistant Vice President for Student Financial Services.

According to Kimata, working with families and students affected by the furlough is a silver lining in a tough situation, but it's also pretty standard stuff for SFS.

Many past instances of disaster have resulted in the SFS team employing a student-focused philosophy while at the same time properly stewarding UVA's financial resources and working hand in hand with UVA leadership and other departments, such as the Office of the Dean of Students.

Kimata can remember working with partner offices across Grounds to extend resources and support to students and families affected by a succession of past hurricanes: Harvey, Sandy, Maria and Iris. In 2005, he recounts, after Hurricane Katrina, UVA welcomed over 100 Virginia students from Tulane who took classes at UVA free of charge for a semester.

"Our first concern in response to Katrina," Kimata says, "was our students from New Orleans who were here at UVA, and right on the heels of that, we were concerned with students from Virginia who were at Tulane." He notes that then-president John Casteen's response to Katrina was considered a bit atypical at the time, but UVA leadership felt it was the right thing to do.

Of course, this sort of response takes coordination of efforts across UVA, but as SFS's Sarah Doran points out, by having student accounts and financial aid located in the same department, SFS is able to avoid a certain amount of passing students back and forth when they have special cases. Because SFS is embedded within central finance, she says, the team has the connections and institutional knowledge they need to make good decisions in each case.

And, Doran says, the team has the trust of the VP of Finance to bring fresh solutions to discussions with their partner offices.

"We have the support from UVA to do this," she adds, "and a response that's coordinated with the entire university. We've always had support from UVA to support our students however they need, get them to graduate, and have productive lives."

Save the Date: Lean Projects Course

Have you completed the Lean Fluency course and want to take it to the next level? The new Lean Projects course is coming! 

The first class is on April 9, 2019 from 8:30 – 12:00 noon. Stay tuned more details later this month.


Prerequisite: Lean Fluency or Leading a Lean Transformation certificate

Highlights from the Wellness Expo

 Hundreds of UVAFinance and Carruthers Hall colleagues packed Carr-1 & 2 last month for the first annual Personal Wellness Expo.

Thank you to every one who came, and thanks to all of our great vendors!

Because there was so much great info shared, we wanted to provide a recap of just some of the resources provided during the event:

Contemplative Sciences Center

Check out their list of classes here
The CSC also has online resources you can access any time

Hoo's Well

Learn more about the Hoo’s Well Program and Earning awards here. Check out the new Portal and set up an account:hooswell.redbrickhealth.com

Check out the programs and services offered to you for FREE!

FEAP

The Faculty and Employee Assistance Program has a great lineup of programming to choose from. You can see their upcoming schedule on their site.

University of Virginia Library

Keep up with what's new 
Search for resources online
Get help from a librarian any time


Intramural-Recreational Sports

Check out the wide variety of team sports, classes, and adventure sports they have to offer!

Office of Safety and Emergency Preparedness

View resources that will keep you safe in an emergency.

University Police

Learn about resources available here.