Updates from OSP: Coffee with Colleagues & New Faces

Coffee with a Colleague

A couple members of OSP have taken advantage of the “Coffee
with a Colleague” program.  Tammy Sutton,
a new accountant in post-award, met at
Greenberry’s recently to discuss different perspectives on grants with Whitney
Richardson, Laboratory and Research Specialist who runs the Fan Mountain
Telescope in Nelson County under Rick Patterson in Arts & Sciences’
Astronomy Department.  The two shared
“how grants effect each one of us in our positions here at the University.  Her [Whitney’s] job is dependent on grant
money; no funding, no job.”  Tammy helped
Whitney understand that OSP’s job of preparing financial reports is required by
the sponsor for oversight so the sponsor will continue to send payments for
reimbursement. While visiting the Astronomy Department, Tammy also met Rick
Patterson, Senior Scientist, and Barbara Johnson who is General Administrative
Supervisor and who for more than a decade has handled grants administration for
Astronomy. Tammy noted “…. we talked about her position versus mine.  It was an interesting view of grants
management from a different position.”

Kobby Hoffman, Assistant Director for Accounting in
post-award, met with Charles Kidd, Transactions Manager in Procurement and
Supplier Diversity Services regarding open commitments on purchase orders in
relation to grants. Purchase orders which are open cannot be closed by OSP, and
when the PO is open, the vendor can still invoice and be paid. Therefore, it is
important that open commitments be “finally closed” or moved off by departments.
If the amount is larger than $5,000 or split between multiple accounts, OSP
often needs the Procurement Office’s assistance.  Kobby was impressed by the situations in
which Procurement (and Charles, in particular) has unraveled and straightened
out accounts so OSP could produce accurate financial reports.

New Faces 

Welcome to Elizabeth Jackson, Administrative Assistant at
OSP’s front desk, who hails from Virginia Beach but moved here when she started
going to Mary Baldwin College.  A Library
Assistant while in college, she spent time as a ski-lift attendant after graduation.  She joined OSP after a temp assignment at UVA
for the School of Medicine’s Summer Medical and Dental Education program—essentially
a “boot-camp” for prospective medical students. In her spare time, she enjoys
going to the gym (she lost 60 pounds over the course of a year!), reading,
playing mystery computer games and playing with her dog Katie.