ExpenseUVA: As Go-Live Approaches, Ambassadors are Paving the Way

ExpenseUVA, the online expense management system, is set to go live April 17.  The rollout of this system will affect everyone who gets reimbursed for expenses incurred in the course of doing University business, as well as everyone who makes University-related purchases with a Travel & Expense Card. 

As you might imagine, that’s a lot of people. 

How do you roll out a new program to nearly 4,000 users? 

The Travel & Expense Team in UVAFinance, along with its partners in ITS, will tell you that it takes a lot of work and a lot of support and collaboration from partners in schools and business units.  

For several months, a group of over 60 representatives from each area called Ambassadors have been trained in the system, have participated in testing of the system, and have been working within their area to help tailor a rollout plan that fits that school or unit’s specific needs. 

Using the Ambassador model means each school/unit has its own plan that makes sense for its particular needs. 

SOM ExpenseUVA Ambassadors Unique Braxton and Ben Baer
answer questions at one of their many training sessions.

“We have been working to prepare the Ambassadors and provide them with resources so they can provide the best level of support to meet the needs of their areas,” said Dolores Hildebrand, Assistant Director of Procurement and Supplier Diversity Services and ExpenseUVA project lead.

“We’re so impressed by the way our Ambassadors and partners in the schools and units have taken ExpenseUVA and run with it,” she adds.

“We definitely couldn’t do it without them.”

Here are just a few stories of how a disparate group of schools and business units have handled the uniquely-structured rollout of ExpenseUVA.

School of Medicine: Training the trainers (and training, and training, and training)

With over 40 departments and faculty and staff based everywhere from McKim Hall to the Ray C. Hunt building and many points in between, ExpenseUVA Ambassadors Ben Baer and Unique Braxton of the School of Medicine (SOM) had their work cut out for them from the beginning.  

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Advancement: Providing refreshers after go-live

Westley du Pont is one of the first to admit that if she doesn’t have the opportunity to practice a new skill she’s been taught, she’ll forget it pretty quickly.   Because she knows most people are in the same boat as she is, du Pont, Administrative Staff Assistant in University Advancement and ExpenseUVA Ambassador, decided early on that she wanted to pay special attention to the part of the rollout that came after go-live. 

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Darden: Many travelers, lots of questions

There’s a significant amount of travel occurring amongst the faculty and staff of Darden Business School. Between the admissions and career development group and the faculty, who are involved with global student programs and research conferences, travel expenses are a significant portion of the expenses processed by Beth Van Hook’s office.

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Thank you to all of the ExpenseUVA Ambassadors, subject matter experts, and fiscal whizzes out there who have partnered with the Travel & Expense Team to make this rollout as pain-free as possible.  Your efforts will make all the difference, and you are much appreciated!

For more information on ExpenseUVA, an Ambassador Database, access to training, and much more visit Procurement and Supplier Diversity Services’ Travel and Expense site.