Professional Development Corner: August 28, 2025

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.

Tips for Supporting Others in Professional Development

Last month’s newsletter focused on Making Time for Professional Development (even when you’re busy). This month, we’re shifting to tips for developing others. If you’re a UVAFinance manager, the topic may sound familiar since we recently explored it in a workshop. While these tips are written with managers and their direct reports in mind, anyone may find opportunities to support a colleague’s growth. You can even apply these same tips when planning your own development.

1. Know their goals, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Discuss career goals and professional interests frequently.  Use assessments, such as DISC or 360s, feedback, or observations to help identify what they do best.
2. Give clear, specific, timely, and constructive feedback. Be sure to provide guidance on opportunities for growth and development, as well as praise and recognition.
3. Create development opportunities. Delegate stretch assignments that build skills, encourage cross-training, and support attendance at workshops, courses, or conferences.
4. Be a coach. Shift from a “telling” style to a “coaching” style. Instead of directing or providing solutions, ask guiding questions like “What options to do you see?” or “How might you approach this differently?” Remember that sometimes listening is more powerful than advising.
5. Recognize and celebrate progress and achievements. Small steps forward can be a reason to celebrate. Know how individuals prefer to be recognized. Public recognition can motivate, and private recognition can build trust, but it’s more important to treat others as THEY want to be treated. (Remember the DISC Platinum rule?) Submit recognition for Quarterly Wins.
6. Adopt and role-model a growth mindset. Treat mistakes as learning opportunities and encourage persistence and curiosity rather than perfection. (See earlier versions of the Professional Development Corner newsletter for some articles on the importance of adopting a growth mindset.)

Professional Development Opportunities

We’re pleased to share information about 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, 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 you have approval before you register for or enroll in any offering.)

*New* EDUCAUSE Events

What is EDUCAUSE?  From their website: “EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to lead the way, advancing the strategic use of technology and data to further the promise of higher education. We connect and empower our member community through insights, advocacy, resources, and learning opportunities to anticipate trends and strengthen professional practice.”

NACUBO*

• Washington Updates and other Recordings
• 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.
• Washington Update: September Momentum, FY26 Funding, and Implementation Challenges – September 24, 3:00 pm
• Washington Update: October 2025 – October 1, 1:00 pm
• The Fast and the Curious: Responding to Data Demands in Uncertain Times (part of the 2025 Talk About Data and Analytics Series) – October 3, 1:00 pm
• Conferences and Forums
• 2025 Planning, Budgeting, and Analytics Forum – (Early registration ended 8/18 – now $1,025) – September 8-10, Philadelphia, PA
• 2025 Planning, Budgeting, and Analytics Forum – Online ($300) – September 29-30
• 2025 Tax Forum (Early registration ends 9/26 - $875) – October 26-28, Washington, DC
• 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 ($125)
• 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.

SACUBO

• Fall Workshop (Early registration ends 9/17 - $685) – October 29-31, New Orleans, LA
• September Webinar: Taxing Times for College Athletics: NIL, IRS Scrutiny, and Institutional Responsibilities ($69 for members) – September 17, 2:00-4:00 pm

EACUBO

• 2025 Annual Meeting – October 19-22, Pittsburgh, PA

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
• Administrative Leadership Institute (October 2025) – cost $1,195, before 9/5 $995
• Higher Education Mental Health Forum – October 8, 1:00-4:00 pm – cost $395
• Virtual Events (many are on-demand)

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. Check out Navigating Creative Problem Solving – September 25, 12:00-1:15 pm. Subscribe to OE’s newsletter. 
• 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 Managers. This is about a year-long commitment and requires completion of an online form. (A track for Experience Managers is in development.) Note UVAFinance Managers – 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 on 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.) December 5, 2025, is the cutoff date to use your 2025 benefit.

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!