Note: Remember to discuss all professional development opportunities with your manager prior to applying for any funds. See below for more information on the Education Benefit.
Why is professional development important?
Professional development offers a valuable opportunity to stay engaged and navigate the constantly changing landscape of Higher Education—and beyond. Whether you’re looking to learn new skills, sharpen existing ones, enhance your leadership abilities, explore new interests, stay on top of emerging trends, or simply connect with colleagues, there’s something for everyone.
Check out this article from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, How Professional Development Can Boost Employee Engagement on how participating in learning activities benefits all.
More on adopting a growth mindset
In March, I shared an article on why cultivating a growth mindset is important when considering professional development and lifelong learning - Growth Mindset and Professional Development: Do you Have a Growth Mindset or a Fixed Mindset? Then in April I shared some tips on moving from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, and in May I focused on maintaining a growth mindset during challenging times, which can help you build greater resiliency.
Why might people with a growth mindset be more resilient in the face of difficulties?
- They view challenges as opportunities to learn and grow, rather than as threats or signs of failure, helping them stay motivated and engaged during challenging times.
- They tend to see failure as part of the learning process, reducing fear of mistakes and increasing their ability to keep moving forward.
- They believe abilities can be developed through effort and are open to trying new strategies when something doesn’t work, which encourages persistence, problem-solving, and adaptability when things get tough.
- They’re more likely to seek feedback and use it constructively, which helps them improve and recover more effectively after setbacks.
- They tend to focus on what they can control instead of feeling helpless in the face of difficulty.
- They build confidence over time, as they see effort leading to progress, which reinforces their belief that they can handle future challenges.
Professional Development Opportunities
We’re pleased to offer a variety of workshops, courses, and resources to support your ongoing growth—wherever your journey leads. While some opportunities are free and others may have a fee, most do not require travel, aside from a few UVA programs that may involve local travel. Please feel free to share other opportunities you come across and I’ll include them in future communications!
Coursera
Remember that we have access to Coursera, and an online learning platform that offers a wide range of courses, specializations, certifications, and degree programs from universities and institutions around the world. UVA has a university-wide subscription for Coursera. Check it out and start learning!
Upcoming Offerings
Listed below are links to offerings that may be of interest – as we have done for the past couple of months, we’ll again focus on opportunities for which you can use your centrally-funded education benefit and are offered virtually, or in a few cases, locally, so there are no travel costs! (Remember, if you are requesting departmental funds, make sure it you have approval before you register for or enroll in any offering.)
NACUBO*
- Washington Updates:
- *New* Navigating Federal Funding, Tax Reform, and Regulatory Shifts (recorded on 5/20/25)
- Funding Outlook, Legislative Priorities, and Regulatory Developments (recorded on 4/9/25)
- What’s Next for Higher Education Policy: Navigating a New Congress and Administration – recorded on 2/11/25
- 2024 Post-Election Analysis- Recorded on 11/19/24
- Recordings:
- Navigating (Un)certainty in Higher Education: Proactive Strategies to Drive Institutional Agility (recorded on 4/29/25)
- Demystifying AI: Opportunities for Using AI in Higher Ed Business and Operations
- Other recordings
- Other Live Online Events - unless indicated, the session is free to NACUBO members, which we are, although you need an individual account.* Some also offer CPE credits.
- NACUBO 2025 Annual Meeting Online ($350) – July 27-29, 2025
- 2025 Planning, Budgeting, and Analytics Forum – Online (fee TBA) – This is a “save the date” announcement. The online conference will be held Sept 29-30.
- Self-Paced Courses and Microlearning
- Strategic Higher Education Finance and Planning ($595)
- F&A Short Form ($150)
- Facilities Management ($49)
- New to Higher Education ($49)
- Essentials of College and University Accounting (this is currently undergoing regular review cycle and updates.)
- Podcasts
- Career Conversations
- NACUBO in Brief
*Individual NACUBO membership is free through UVA’s institutional membership. To join go to nacubo.org and click on “Login or Join”. From the Login box, click on “Don’t have an account” and fill out the form. In the “Primary Affiliate” field, enter “University of Virginia” and select the appropriate affiliate.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
- Professional Development Programs, including:
- Leadership Transformation Collaborative (coming August 2025) – cost $495
- Women Leading Change Program (coming September 2025) – cost $595-$1495, through 8/22 $100 discount
- Administrative Leadership Institute (coming October 2025) – cost $1,195, before 9/5 $995
- Virtual Events (many are on-demand)
- Free webinar series: Navigating Uncertainty Under Trump
- The Chronicle also has many interesting articles.
AGA - AGA is the association that connects and empowers professionals who support government, from financial management to IT, human resources, cybersecurity and more, to advance good government initiatives, grow their expertise and accelerate their careers. (Requires membership.)
LearnBFSI (several interesting for-fee courses - $199 each for live webinar and $159 for recording – note this company is in Australia), including: ChatGPT for CPAs and Finance Professionals, as well as courses in Excel and ChatGPT for PowerPoint.
UVA Organizations
- UVA Organizational Excellence has many learning opportunities, resources, and articles.
- UVA Miller Center always has interesting programs.
- UVA Human Resources offers many free programs and courses.
- Learning Tracks | UVA HR – HR has created two new leadership tracks: on for Aspiring Managers and one for New Manager. This is about a year-long commitment and requires completion of an online form. Note UVAFinance Mangers – we are working with HR to have a customized curriculum for managers, so if you’re interested in one of these tracks, please contact Patty Marbury, pam5w@virginia.edu, before you enroll.
- LinkedIn Learning - Human Resources also has links to microlearning courses and to LinkedIn Learning. (Participating in these courses does not require submitting a Professional Development Request Form.)
- UVA Darden Executive Education – The Collaboration and Influence program is $1,700
- Use the discount code UVA50, which provides a 50% discount for the cost of the program. (The prices listed are for the full cost.)
- See the Darden Executive Education program schedule for upcoming dates.
- UVA’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) offers many Certificate programs.
Other Institutions
- Harvard Business School Online offers multi-course credentials and certificate programs – many are less than $2000.
- University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business online programs; many are $1,000 or less.
- Stanford University Executive Education – the self-paced programs are $1,500.
Education Benefit
Each year you have $2,000 of centrally-funded education benefit for professional development or $5,250 to use for tuition toward a degree-seeking program. See https://hr.virginia.edu/career-development/education-benefits-1 for more information. (To be eligible for this benefit, you must have had six months of service in a benefits-eligible position at UVA by the start date of the class, with the intent to remain on the active payroll during the entire term of the class.)
Professional Development Request Form
UVAFinance team members –please discuss with your manager and use the Professional Development Request Form before you register for any program. Remember, not all professional development opportunities require submission of the form. If an opportunity is less than ½ day AND there is no cost associated with it, then do not submit a form. Many LinkedIn Learning courses and some courses offered by UVA Human Resources or other UVA departments meet these criteria. Otherwise, the form must be submitted. If unsure, feel free to ask!
Articles on Leadership
- A Title Does Not a Leader Make (Inside Higher Ed)
- The Top 20 Leadership Challenges (Center for Creative Leadership) – this informative article provides many links to other articles and resources.
Please feel free to share other opportunities you come across and I’ll include them in future communications!
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