Finance Matters

It's been a while, hasn't it?  This fall, Finance Matters is headed back to the airwaves (podwaves?) with a new season focused on telling the stories behind the departments in UVAFinance.  Listen in to this teaser episode to get a sense of what you can expect . . . and hear which UVAFinance area will kick us off. 

Join us as we listen in on a conversation with Urmila Bajaj, UVA's Director of Post Award, and her team, as they discuss what their department does, how their work impacts research at UVA, and how they're ultimately part of helping UVA fulfill its mission.  Thank you to Christa Albanez, Kelly Mays, Catina Seitz, Mike Priddy, Alpana Gautam, and Christine Estes for joining the conversation!

 

Resources Mentioned:

OSP Website

Post-Award Financial Management

Contact OSP

Jared Lathrop, Communications Specialist for Safety & Security, joins Patty and Brandi to discuss the wide breadth of areas covered by Safety & Security at UVA.  Listen in to discover more about the services they offer and how you can be safer on Grounds. 

 Resources Mentioned: 

• Safety and Security Website: https://safetyandsecurity.virginia.edu/ 
• Clery Reporting: https://safetyandsecurity.virginia.edu/fire-safety/clery-reporting
• UVAReady Mobile App:  https://safetyandsecurity.virginia.edu/mobile-safety-app/mobile-safety-apphttps://safetyandsecurity.virginia.edu/fire-safety/clery-reporting
• Safety Ambassadors: https://ambassadors.uvapolice.virginia.edu/about
• Reach out to Safety & Security:  safety@virginia.edu
• Resources and training: https://safetyandsecurity.virginia.edu/resources

 

In this episode of "Finance Matters," hosts Brandi Van Ormer and Patty Marbury chat with Caroline Walters, head of UVA’s Records & Information Management Department, about how good records management saves time, money, and resources. Caroline explains how well-organized records make information easy to find and accessible to the right people, while formal retention policies simplify audits and reduce legal risks. She also shares how effective records management preserves the University’s historical records, helps eliminate unnecessary duplicates, and frees up space. Don’t underestimate the power of a well-managed system!

 

Resources Mentioned: 

• Carruthers Hall Cleanup Story
• RIM'S Website / RIM's Training Resources / More about URMA
• Contact RIM: records@virginia.edu 
• Just for fun:  The Lord's Release

What's the difference between UVA's Audit & Compliance department and UVAFinance's Compliance Team?  What do they do, how do they work with people across Grounds, and how can we best work with them?  Carolyn Saint and Gary Nimax from Audit & Compliance, along with JJ Sullivan and Christine Kennedy-Tyburski of UVAFinance Compliance, join Patty and Brandi to give answers and insights into these two vital functions. 

 

Resources Mentioned: 

• Staff Senate Podcast
• Office of Audit and Compliance website 
  • Audit Charter
  • Compliance Charter
  • For the UVA Compliance Helpline, online reporting mechanism, and the Commonwealth's Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline and online form:  https://audit.virginia.edu/resources-and-references 
  • UVA Compliance Helpline and Subject-Specific Reporting Portals
  • What are Internal Controls?
  • Compliance Network
• Seven Elements of an Effective Compliance Program
• UVA Policy Directory
  • GOV-002:  Reporting and Investigation of Fraudulent Transactions
  • GOV-003: University Institutional Compliance Program for Adherence to Federal, State, and Other Regulations
  • FIN-036: Signatory Authority for Executing University Contracts
• Office of State Inspector General for VA
• Audit Two-Year Plan (from June 2024 BOV Meeting - scroll to "Meeting Documents" at the bottom of the page)
• UVA Code of Ethics for Faculty & Staff
• COSO Framework Resources: 
  • https://www.coso.org/_files/ugd/3059fc_77d5d0f3d569439990b170bd3b909d7e.pdf
  • https://www.coso.org/guidance-on-ic
  • https://www.auditboard.com/blog/coso-framework-fundamentals/

Amanda Meares and Reshma Gali, UVAFinance's staff senators, drop by to talk about the importance of Staff Senate and how the UVAFinance Team can interact with them to everyone's benefit.  

 

Resources Mentioned: 

 Staff Senate Website: https://staffsenate.virginia.edu/ 

Form to share feedback: https://staffsenate.virginia.edu/contact-us

 

Patty and Brandi talk with UVAFinance's 2nd cohort of summer interns:  Hayden Peper, Audrey Hanger, Jeffrey Zhang, and Lillian Durden.  This impressive group shares what they've learned and what's next.

 

The relaunched version of Finance Matters is back for installment number two of our Values Series.  This time, Patty and Brandi focus on Collaborative Partnership with guests Joey Carls and Kellyn Morris of the Finance Solution Center. 

Resources Mentioned: 

Service Excellence podcast

UVAFinance Values

Symbiotic Relationship between Ants & Acacia trees

 

 

 

Finance Matters returns, this time with a focus on the UVAFinance values.  Each quarter, Brandi and Patty will bring you guests from UVAFinance who have demonstrated the value.  This first episode focuses on Service Excellence, with guests Danielle Hancock and Kevin Crabtree. 

 

Resources Mentioned: 

UVAFinance Vision, Mission, Values: https://uvafinance.virginia.edu/about-uvafinance

Finance Team Page (for Service Excellence, Collaborative Partner stories) https://uvafinance.blogspot.com/p/finance-team.html

 

Patty and Brandi discuss Ryan Holiday's book Stillness is the Key, a NY Times bestseller that describes how to stay steady and draw on inner peace while the world is anything but quiet.  We go over the book's main concepts, historical examples, and practical applications, in the hopes that you'll find at least two or three ways that you can increase your own clarity, calm, and happiness.  We learned much from Holiday's book and hope you will, too!

See also:  

Stillness is the Key (summarized by the author)

Stillness is Key (on the Daily Stoic)