From Melody's Desk

Dear Team,

I’m so glad to finally be writing you from my new office in Carruthers Hall!  There are still boxes to be unpacked, but already I feel at home.  Thank you to everyone who has come by to say hello and check out the new space.   I’m excited to be here with the UVAFinance team, working with you, advocating for you, helping you to solve problems, and identifying collaborative opportunities.

In the new suite, you’ll find (beginning nearest the front entrance of Carruthers) Stacey Rittenhouse, Linda Leake, myself, Nicole Ferretti, a space reserved for the Assistant Vice President for Finance Operations, Disha Venkatesan, Kelly Hochstetler, Greg Ball, and Brandi Van Ormer.

Please don’t be a stranger; this office welcomes visitors!

Other new second-floor spaces and places include the new vending area and sink (no more washing your utensils in the bathroom sink!) between the men’s and ladies’ room on the east side of the building and a new lactation room near those bathrooms. 

You’ll also be happy to know that our collaboration rooms in the middle of the second floor are now open and available for scheduling.  Did you know that all of our new and remodeled meeting spaces have Crestrons?  These handy digital pads outside of each room allow you to see if the room is available, and to reserve it right then and there.

The second-floor renovation of Carruthers is Phase Two of a three-phase plan.  Still to come are the upgrades to the first floor, which include addition of another large meeting area, upgrade of printer and copying spaces and the former Café Carruthers area, the external auditors’ room, and the IT support spaces.

There are also still a few loose ends we’re working on tying up for Phase Two, including full implementation of the A/V equipment in our meeting rooms and collaborative spaces, introduction of new, centrally-located announcement and collaboration boards, furnishing/establishing a receptionist area, and the installation of the glass front wall on conference rooms CARR-1 and CARR-2.

I know the renovation process has been less than convenient; thank you for your patience and flexibility. I hope you’re enjoying the new spaces (and the coffee!) already.   

See you around the building!

P.S.  Have you heard about UVA’s planned Memorial to Enslaved Laborers? There are several ways to get involved:

•       Attend the next public meeting on the memorial to enslaved laborers Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. at the Jefferson School African-American Heritage Center.

•       Visit the website, which will be populated with information later this week.

•       Take the survey to contribute ideas about the memorial here.

•       Follow @uvamemorial on Instagram.

•       Become a community ambassador to visit other local groups or send ideas to uvamemorial@gmail.com.

P.P.S.  Don’t forget to contribute to the Commonwealth of Virginia campaign!  The organization with the highest CVC participation rate wins a pizza lunch!