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!