UVA Finance

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Inclusive Excellence Advisory Group: Upcoming Sessions & Resources to check out

A subgroup of the UVAFinance Inclusive Excellence (IE) Advisory group is meeting to develop recommendations for improving our internal HR practices and will develop recommendations to improve these practices within UVAFinance, paying close attention to enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

To start, the group is looking at selection and hiring practices including job postings, selecting candidates for interview, interviewing, hiring, and internal promotions.

Participation in our hosted “sprint discussions” has continued to be high and the conversations have been engaging. They are a great opportunity to connect and learn about each other.

The next discussion is on Thursday, September 10, and will begin at 4:00. In this discussion we will examine the complicated history of race at the University of Virginia. “This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.”

-Thomas Jefferson to William Roscoe, December 27, 1820
Beginning with the inception of Jefferson’s imagining of an institution of “illimitable freedom” supported by the labor of enslaved people to the release of the Recommendations for Action by The Racial Equity Task Force, this discussion will use the following UVA Today published articles as source material as a self-examination of the truth of how we’ve arrived at today’s UVA:

In these “Sprint discussions” we’ve discussed many issues related to racism, including microaggressions, police brutality, protests, and covert forms of white supremacy, and “colorblindness”. In the last discussion we took a closer look at colorblindness and discussed, that while it may seem like a goal we want to achieve, colorblindness actually denies and obscures the existence of racism, and fails to recognize and appreciate the perspectives of people of color.

If you missed the discussion and want more information on the topic, following are videos and articles we used as the basis for our dialogue:

As you read these articles and watch these videos, consider the following questions:

Think about your experiences as they relate to your race. How does colorblindness deny the experiences of others?
Think about your experiences as they relate to your race. How does colorblindness deny the experiences of others?
How does colorblindness obscure and deny systemic racism? What do you think of this quote --“If you are blind to color, then you are blind to the consequences of color.” – Julian Bond
How does being colorblind a form of white supremacy?
What do you think about Traci Ellis’ comment about the “Exceptional Negro”, and how is it related to colorblindness?
If being color-conscious is the goal rather than being colorblind, what can we do to be more color-conscious?

The UVAFinance IE Advisory group includes: Patty Marbury, Melody Bianchetto, Jen Bari, Jack King, Steve Kimata, ToShun Campbell, Raegan Harouff, Anne Marie Cumiskey, Mohammed AlKaisy, and LaVerne Harris. Please reach out to any member of the group with questions.

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Workstreamacallit? - Who Does What in FST's Workstreams

To achieve the desired outcome of a true transformation with finance at UVA, the FST project draws on the expertise of team members and stakeholders from across Grounds and beyond.

While all the water's moving in the same direction, the different workstreams converge to collaborate and diverge to focus on matters unique to their areas as the project necessitates. There's a lot of overlap between workstreams, as well as in personnel contributing to multiple areas.

If you haven't got it all figured out in terms of which workstream does what, don't worry—you're not alone. But we aim to make that clearer. The FST website now has information about the workstreams, including updates about current work as well as overviews of each stream and sub-stream's focus.

Using the key activities menu, click on the workstream you'd like to learn more about. On the landing page, you'll see recent updates on activity, and from there you can click on the sub-streams listed to access the overviews for each one.

The Continuous Improvement Committee asks UVAFinance Leaders "How do you Challenge the Status Quo?"

To help employees toward completing the 2020 shared goal, the Continuous Improvement Committee is hosting a panel series discussing ways to challenge the status quo.

The first of these panels, which took place on August 28, 2020, featured three senior leaders within UVAFinance:

Melody Bianchetto (Vice President of Finance)
Augie Maurelli (Associate Vice President for Financial Operations)
Bill Ashby (Associate Vice President for Financial Strategy)

The discussion was insightful and full of great comments from all three panelists. Some of those comments include:

"The sum of incremental wins equals transformation."
"The decentralized higher education environment and the resulting need to engage broadly slows us down, but it's important."
"Always ask, 'why are we doing this?' If we can't answer, we need to take a step back."
"I've never seen fatigue for meaningful change for the positive."

If you'd like to see the whole panel, you can watch the recording here.

NEW UPCOMING SESSIONS: Read more here!

Leadership Interviews surface FST successes and concerns

As of September 1, almost 90% of UVA's leadership has been interviewed regarding their thoughts so far on the FST project. As a part of the conversations, leaders were asked to identify success themes and potential roadblocks to watch for.

We've assembled a snapshot of their thoughts below; read on and see how their viewpoint compares to yours!

Success Themes

Chart of Accounts: The new chart provides an opportunity for agility, improved processes, and outcomes. It's important to have the right people providing insight and input.
Governance/Leadership: We should continue to have senior leadership support for FST and transparency around decision-making.
Change Management/Communication: Their outlook was generally favorable on efforts to date, but they stress that it will be critical to continue to reach out to schools and units with needed information and for FST to have a presence at standing meetings.
Reporting and Dashboards: Respondents value the effort to provide meaningful data reporting that enables the staff to focus on forecasting and insights instead of data entry, and enables leaders to make data-driven decisions.
Post-Go-Live Support: The group stressed the need for a clear understanding on where to go for information and help post go live. A key success factor here will be collaboration between IT, HR, and Finance.

Potential Roadblocks

Decentralization at UVA/Differences in Processes: The decentralized nature of UVA is both a strength and a challenge. FST will need to think about where it makes sense to standardize processes, and where it does not.
Competing Priorities/COVID-19: Staff and leadership have a split focus due mainly to uncertainty and changes stemming from the pandemic.
Interdependencies/Collaboration: It's important that we realize where units and schools are interdependent, and determine how they can best collaborate so their needs are met.

Have a thought or concern about FST you'd like to share? Email us at financetransformation@virginia.edu!

Check Out the FST Decision Log

Do you want to know what's going on in the world of FST? Don't forget you can keep up with the latest decisions the team makes by heading over to the Decision Log on the FST website.

Here are some of the newest decisions added to the log:

UVA determined that we will not enable donor and donor contribution functionality.
UVA will integrate between Advance and Workday daily (manual journals for contribution and ad hoc bank transaction).
UVA will integrate between FUNDRIVER and Workday monthly for investment activity/administration fees/spending distribution.
UVA will keep Thomson Reuters in place for go-live for 1042-S processing and filing purposes.

This page is frequently updated--in fact, it was just updated at the end of last week--so make sure to check back regularly!

FST System Remediation Update

The FST team, with help from stakeholders across the University, has recently completed the first step of system remediation: identify all systems that might be impacted by the implementation of Workday Financials. The team then created the Finance Systems Inventory to keep track of all these systems.

So, what's next? Now it's time for system owners to figure out potential impacts that transitioning from Oracle EBS to Workday might have on their systems. The FST team will supply a "Systems Remediation Network" as well as other tools to support system owners throughout this process.

Initial membership for the Systems Remediation Network will be based on the contact information listed in the Finance Systems Inventory. If you are a system owner, you can take a look at the inventory here to make sure your contact information is listed correctly. You can send any updates to financetransformation@virginia.edu.

Also, don't forget to keep in mind budget needs for remediation of any system you use.

Procurement Data Optimization Initiative

As Finance Strategic Transformation moves steadily toward its January 2021 go-live date, Procurement and Business Intelligence will be jointly pursuing a continuous improvement project to complement the new financial system.

The purpose of the project is to create a data model that will allow reliable reporting for both strategic and ad hoc needs. Procurement’s Shannon Wampler has been embedded into the Business Intelligence team and will devote her time and effort toward this project for the next six months, working Procurement staff to address the current issues that make gathering data burdensome and time-consuming.

The overhauled data model will help identify the team's reporting needs in advance of Workday Financials, and most importantly, will allow Procurement staff to make strategic, data-driven decisions to serve their customers.

The Procurement Data Optimization Initiative will:

Develop a common understanding of Procurement terms, metrics, statuses, and dates in order to ensure consistent data reporting.
Standardize access to reports and metrics from a single location
Produce two sets of information for each Procurement team, including reports, dashboards, metrics, KPIs, visualizations, and so on, that will

Allow those teams to improve efficiency, identify instances requiring attention, and gain insight about their organizational processes in general.
Serve the needs of multiple audiences and provide ways to explore the data and analyze the result of queries, track progress toward goals, and forecast future scenarios.
Collect data needs and reporting requirements for Workday Financials.

Wampler will work closely with Jenn Glassman, Director of Procurement and Supplier Diversity Services, and Mark Anderson, Director of Business Intelligence and new BI team member, Brad Kurtz.

“For some time, we have known that it takes a lot of effort to get the information our team needs,” Wampler says, adding, “one of our aims is to come up with a standardized set of data that will allow us to have common metrics and reporting.”

“This project will get everyone in Procurement on the same page,” Wampler says.

The Adaptive Journey: Looking back and looking forward

Before we jump into the updates, let’s take a moment to celebrate the fact that we had 100% submission of FY21R budgets in Adaptive Planning! Woo hoo!

Using Adaptive for this submission meant leaders of UVA were able to evaluate two budget scenarios in order to make informed decisions. We’ll use the lessons learned during this process to inform FY22 budget development.

The Adaptive Team worked with the Change team to collect stakeholder feedback after the FY21R process. We got at least one response from every school and unit, and you can see what people had to say listed below.

On September 2, the team launched the Adaptive Budget Focus Group, whose purpose is to engage with stakeholders as the journey continues (basically, they want to ensure that the end-user experience is the best it can be!).

Top Obstacles:

1. The timing. We had a really tight deadline for revised budget submissions.

2. Support and Training. There were many things we just didn’t understand about the tool and we were learning as we went. Examples include things like the process of adding new PTA combinations or PTA not carrying over when new sheets were added, not being able to move or hide columns to add new rows, and hiccups accessing the tool.

3. Tools and Configuration. Bumps in the road that folks mentioned include trouble with reports as they were made available, the tool itself going through changes during the process, and difficulty managing and balancing personnel expenses.

Top Support Mechanisms/Resources:

1. Support and Training. Users found job aides and training to be helpful, and Office Hours were very successful. They want to see these efforts continue, especially training on reports, development of a Community of Practice, and a one-stop-shop to house all information.

2. Tool and Configuration: The group looks forward to seeing more advanced features of the tool made available, to adding more robust reporting capability, and to improving upload functionality and management of salary details.

___________________________________________________________________

Want more information about Adaptive? Check out the Adaptive Planning page on the FST website, or visit the Online Community!

New on Finance Matters: We want to hear your stories!

It's been six months since we moved to remote work due to a national emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic. We've had six months of Zoom meetings, homeschooling our kids, and juggling the demands of a changing situation, with a lot of stress and unpredictability folded in for good measure.

The Finance Matters podcast team would like to hear from you on what you've learned about yourself, life, and work during our time in quarantine. We're preparing a podcast in which we'll discuss the experience of working during the pandemic and share voices from our team and our colleagues (anyone who wants to participate is welcome!).

LISTEN HERE!

Zoom makes it easier than ever to record your thoughts. Just open up a session, hit record (either with video or without -- we'll only use the audio on the podcast), then send the file to bv8h@virginia.edu. If you need any help, let Brandi Van Ormer know and she'll be happy to assist.

Prefer to share your thoughts in writing? Just email them to bv8h@virginia.edu

What we want to know:

What have you learned about working remotely?
How have you / your work habits changed during the pandemic?
What has been challenging, and what has been rewarding?
Have you learned any other new things during the past six months (i.e., have you picked up a new hobby, changed the way you prioritize your day, etc.)?
What has been the most difficult thing about the past six months?
What has been most notable?
Any funny occurrences you'd like to share (like the time my daughter tried to cut my hair while I was on a Zoom call)?

Any and all of your thoughts are welcome. Please send all content to bv8h@virginia.edu as soon as possible; we hope to publish this episode before the end of September!

Challenging the Status Quo Webinar – NEW Upcoming Sessions!

The first panel in our Challenging the Status Quo Panel Series was a resounding success.

Thank you to Melody, Bill, & Augie for taking the time to help us better understand what Challenging the Status Quo means to them. If you couldn’t join us, you can find the recording on the Continuous Improvement Committee.

The Challenging the Status Quo Panel Series was designed show you different perspectives from UVAFinance employees who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo and share their thoughts and ideas with you.

We have two upcoming sessions:

UVAFinance Managers Panel
Thursday, September 24th – 1pm
Panelists:
Isaiah Behnke – Director, Student Accounts Operations with SFS
Jenn Glassman – Director, Procurement & Supplier Diversity Services
Brian Logwood – Managing Director, Financial Planning & Analysis
Register HERE

UVAFinance Senior Leadership Panel – Part 2
Tuesday, September 29th – 11am
Panelists:
Steve Kimata - Assistant Vice President, Student Financial Services
Julie Richardson - University Treasurer
James Gorman - Managing Director for Finance Strategic Projects
Register HERE

If you can’t attend watch the webinar live, the recording will be available on the Continuous Improvement Community.

Keep an eye on the Blog and the Continuous Improvement Community to hear more about the next panel and other resources to help you Challenge the Status Quo.

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Uncharted Territory: Sharing Resources During the Coronavirus Response

In last week's Return to Grounds update email, UVA leaders emphasized the importance of us all staying vigilant: wear a mask, wash your hands, avoid large gatherings, and seek care if you feel unwell. If necessary, respectfully and empathetically remind others to do these things as well, and presume best intentions of our colleagues, students, and community members.

The Compliance Reporting portal is available to report egregious non-compliance, such as significant dangerous behaviors and chronic disregard for safety guidelines. Here's the link to UVA's Covid Tracker data dashboard.

Common Grounds Healing Arts offers virtual class series!

Zoom into a virtual weekly class to help build community and practice social distancing. Their six-week early fall virtual class series began September 8. Find dates, times, and series options on their website at this link.

FEAP offers support and events

Connect for Support (Employee Focus) Drop-in Zoom sessions - See dates and times and register.
Connect for Support (Manager Focus) Drop-in Zoom sessions - See dates and times and register.
Parenting support, help to conquer stress, and more upcoming events on the FEAP website, including recordings of past events! Click here to view.
Virtual resources for parents and other emotional support resources during COVID-19.
Tools and resources in support of social justice

A Matter of Perspective: Kristie Sojka brings a healthy viewpoint to FR&O and life

Financial Reporting & Operations is pleased to welcome Kristie Sojka in the role of Accounting and Financial Analyst.

Sojka comes to FR&O most recently from the Dean’s Office in the School of Medicine, where she was a Senior Finance Generalist for five years. Prior to her role at the SOM, Sojka spent time at the Curry School of Education in admissions.

In FR&O, Sojka’s main area of responsibility is reconciling UVA’s bank accounts & approving journal entries. This new role allows her to see the other side of some of the work she did at SOM, and to take a larger view of a reconciliation process she had been used to.

“Bank reconciliation as a concept is pretty basic,” she laughs.

“What I do is just like what you do to reconcile your own bank statements, only with multiple accounts, a vast amount of data, and millions of dollars.”

Click image for a larger view

Sojka’s admissions role at the Curry School gave her an insight into the experience of students and parents, something she thinks of often now as her daughter Anna applies to colleges to study Environmental Science.

“I knew I’d be in those parents’ shoes one day with my daughter,” she says, “so I treated them how I would want to be treated.”

Experience in the school environment also gives Sojka an interesting viewpoint on her work in central finance.

“SOM is one of the most complex schools at UVA, and I wanted to bring the school perspective to my current position, closing the gaps and connecting the dots,” she says.

Now that she can see some processes from beginning to end, Sojka says she’s excited about the opportunity to bring value-added experience and expertise in both her everyday work and on the Finance Strategic Transformation project.

“We all want Workday Financials to function well for people who do the work,” she says, adding, “I’m excited to be a part of that!”

SFS: Report on Pandemic-Related Funding for UVA Students

Links in graphic:

http://uvafinance.blogspot.com/2020/06/service-and-collaboration-student.html

https://sfs.virginia.edu/sfs-operational-updates

Open Enrollment is coming up!

UVa's annual Open Enrollment for the 2021 plan year is October 5-16, 2020.

Visit UVAHR's Open Enrollment website for more information.

Remember: even if you don't want to make any changes to your benefits, you need to re-elect FSA and HSA programs in Workday, as elections don't automatically carry over.

If you misplaced the UVAHR emails in which they shared benefits guidance and other handy info, visit their Open Enrollment communications archive here: https://hr.virginia.edu/oe-communications-archive

A Snapshot of Minh Nguyen, FP&A's newest team member

Financial Planning & Analysis is pleased to welcome Minh Nguyen in the role of Senior Financial Analyst. Nguyen received her MS in Accounting (Financial Reporting & Assurance track) from the McIntire School of Commerce at UVA this spring.

Nguyen is no stranger to working in higher education. Prior to her role at UVA, she spent four years in the accounting department at Liberty University as both an Accounts Payable Specialist and a Staff Accountant.

Nguyen says in both roles, she felt a sense of satisfaction in giving back to an institution from which she had received a degree (she earned her BS in Accounting at Liberty in 2017).

“McIntire made UVA a special place for me; I learned a lot and I wanted to contribute my knowledge and experience to this institution,” she says.

Besides her higher ed experience, Nguyen also brings insight she gained from an internship at the Washington Post, plus over six years of financial and strategic work in her family’s hotel corporation in Vietnam.

“As one of the nation’s largest news companies, the Washington Post employed all the newest and most robust technologies in the world of accounting; it was truly a place where journalism and technology met. I’m happy to bring this experience as an asset to UVA,” she says.

Nguyen’s love for the written word had taken hold long before her experience in the publishing industry. Growing up, she cultivated a love for classic literature, including works by her favorites Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, and J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series.

“Classical Literature is special to me because of the sense it gives us of a whole life: character, society, history, all of which make these books timeless masterpieces,” she says.

Nguyen’s love of snapshots captured in time extends to one of her other hobbies, photography. She has photographed over 10,000 graduation images for college seniors and portraits of family and friends.

Click the image for a larger view