Back2School Drive in UVAFinance

The Engagement team would like to thank everyone who generously contributed to this year’s Back-to-School Drive!

496

school supply items and packs collected

Thanks to your support, students will be heading back to school with plenty of classroom essentials. This year's collection included:

Back-to-School Drive by the Numbers

78 packs of crayons	55 folders	51 spiral notebooks
45 packs of colored pencils	40 packs of markers	28 backpacks

...and many more supplies!

Remaining supplies will be donated to Backpack Buddies to help support students in the community as they begin the new school year.

Thank you for helping local students start the school year strong!

Skills for Vibrant Community Workshops Return This Fall

The UVA Division for Community Engagement and Equal Opportunity is bringing back its Skills for Vibrant Community workshop series this fall. The virtual sessions are designed to help participants build practical skills for fostering a community of care, respect, connection, and engagement.

Vibrant Community: Explore what it means to be part of a community while building storytelling skills and learning strategies to help others feel valued and heard.

• When:  October 13 at 12:30 p.m.
• Where: Zoom
• Register: October 13

It's the Little Things: Learn how small, positive behaviors can strengthen trust, connection, and well-being within a community.

• When: August 18 or October 20 at 12:30 p.m.
• Where: Zoom
• Register: August 18 | October 20

Breaking Free of Boxes: Explore strategies for thinking more deliberately, connecting more deeply, and engaging with others with greater empathy.

• When: September 8 or November 10 at 12:30 p.m.
• Where: Zoom
• Register: September 8 | November 10

Can We Talk? Build skills for navigating difficult conversations through empathetic listening, clear communication, and practical tools for strengthening trust and understanding.

• When: September 22 or November 17 at 12:30 p.m.
• Where: Zoom
• Register: September 22 | November 17

Visit the Division for Community Engagement and Equal Opportunity's learning programs to learn more about the series and additional learning opportunities.

FEAP Offers Resources to Support Your Well-Being

As UVA prepares for a new academic year, the Faculty and Employee Assistance Program (FEAP) is reminding faculty and staff to make their mental and emotional well-being a priority.

FEAP provides confidential, no-cost support for UVA employees navigating personal or professional challenges, stress, family concerns, or simply the weight of everyday demands.Several upcoming events and resources are available to support employees:

Coping With Grief: Understanding and Adapting to Loss: Dr. J. Kim Penberthy will share practical strategies for coping with grief, including mindfulness, self-compassion, and social connection. This webinar is Hoos Well reward eligible.

• When: August 27, 12 P.M. – 1 P.M.
• Where: Virtual
• Register: Register for Coping With Grief

Transforming Crisis into Resilience, Hope, and Advocacy for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention: Mental health advocate, author, filmmaker, and suicide survivor Kevin Hines will share his story and lessons on resilience, recovery, hope, and human connection.

• When: September 29, 2026 | 12 P.M. – 1 P.M.
• Where: Virtual
• Register: Register for Transforming Crisis into Resilience

Confidential Consultations:  Request a Confidential Consultation
FEAP's consultants are available to support employees experiencing workplace challenges, family concerns, stress, difficult circumstances, or other concerns. Consultations are confidential and available at no cost.


FEAP Well-Being Pulse Check: Request a Well-Being Pulse Check
In just 30 minutes, a FEAP Well-Being Pulse Check provides a confidential space to pause, reflect, and practice simple strategies for strengthening resilience and well-being. Available at no cost.


Mental Well-Being Screenings: Take a Well-Being Screening
FEAP also offers confidential, science-backed mental well-being screenings powered by AiBerry at no cost. A new screening focused on difficulty with concentration and focus is now available.


Visit FEAP to explore additional services and resources available to support your well-being.

Connecting Across the Commonwealth: Olga Weider Takes the Lead at FOCUS

Olga Weider

At UVAFinance, we know some of the best ideas come from connecting with colleagues who are tackling similar challenges and learning from one another’s experiences.

That’s why we’re excited to share that our Deputy Vice President for Finance, Olga Weider, has been elected President of FOCUS (Fiscal Officers of Colleges and Universities State Supported), a professional organization that has brought together business and finance leaders from Virginia’s public colleges and universities since 1982.

FOCUS creates opportunities for collaboration, professional development, and meaningful peer connections across the Commonwealth. From financial stewardship and compliance to technology, risk management, and the evolving landscape of higher education, FOCUS gives colleagues a place to share what’s working, learn from one another, and strengthen the work we do in service of our students, faculty, staff, and communities.

For UVA’s business officers and finance professionals, FOCUS offers a valuable opportunity to expand your network, exchange ideas with peers across Virginia, and bring new perspectives back to your work at UVA.

Please join us in congratulating Olga on this new leadership role! We’re proud to see UVAFinance represented and look forward to continuing to strengthen partnerships across Virginia’s higher education community.

Interested in getting involved?

We encourage colleagues across Grounds and throughout the University to learn more about FOCUS and consider participating in future conferences, networking opportunities, and professional development events.

Visit the FOCUS website →

Cracking the Case of the Mystery Deposit: A New Process Sneak Peek

Follow the Money. Literally.

An electronic funds transfer (EFT) deposit sounds simple: money comes into the university bank account electronically, and it is posted to an account. There's much more to a deposit though than it seems as there are a surprising number of complex touchpoints, with Treasury, Accounting, and individual departments each holding a different piece of the same transaction.

 

The Treasury team manages the bank side, making sure funds land in the bank account and are reflected in Workday. The Accounting team manages the bank reconciliation and also ensures that the funds are applied to accounting worktags in the system, but it is our finance community members within the departments who hold the context to know what the funds are for and the appropriate worktags that should be used.

Three groups, three roles, one deposit; what looks like a single step is really several moving parts that have to line up perfectly.

That's exactly the opportunity Treasury and Accounting saw: a chance to bring these pieces closer together and make the whole process easier, faster, and clearer for everyone involved. The challenge was first shared and brainstormed with help from our Finance Advisory Network. After this critical work considering the available options, the Treasury and Accounting teams worked with the UVAFinance Business Systems team on the development of a new process that would clear up a lot of this complexity through a new EFT Deposit Form. Once the form was initially built, the teams worked with pilot users and our Department Finance Partners to test it, gather feedback, and shape the resources and training that will support this going forward.

One key takeaway has already developed from this effort:

Over 65%

of forms submitted in June were automatically matched and processed without any manual follow-up.

One key takeaway has already developed from this effort: the EFT deposit form is already cutting down on "mystery money," those deposits that show up with no clear explanation of where they came from or where they belong. In our pilot, over 65% of forms submitted in June were automatically matched and processed without any manual follow-up.

Fiscal Administrator Meeting | August 20th

We're excited to share more of this process at the Fiscal Administrator meeting on August 20th, including a demo and next steps. We hope to see you all there!

Questions or a deposit you can't figure out in the meantime? Reach us at 

AskFinance@virginia.edu.

PaymentWorks Changed – Make Sure You’re Using the Latest Guidance

Check out the new resources

PaymentWorks recently updated its platform, changing the supplier registration experience.  If you invite suppliers to register with UVA or help them through the registration process, the instructions you’ve used in the past no longer align with what your suppliers see in PaymentWorks.

UVAFinance has updated our PaymentWorks resources to reflect these platform changes and provide current guidance for both UVA users and suppliers.

Which Resources Were Updated?

How Do I Use PaymentWorks

Start here if you need general information about accessing PaymentWorks or initiating a supplier registration

Guide for Grounds: PaymentWorks Registration

Use this resource if you are UVA faculty or staff and need a step-by-step guide through the registration invitation process

Registering with UVA Through PaymentWorks

Share this resource with suppliers and payees who need guidance completing their UVA registration

Questions?

If you have questions about PaymentWorks or supplier registration, please contact the Finance Solutions Center:

AskFinance@virginia.edu
434-924-3400

UVAFinance Announces Amanda Meares as Director of Organizational Initiatives

Congratulations Amanda!

UVAFinance is pleased to announce Amanda Meares' appointment as Director of Organizational Initiatives within the Office of the Vice President for Finance.

Since joining the University in 2021 as a Budget Analyst in the College of Arts & Sciences, Meares has held roles of increasing responsibility across Arts & Sciences and UVAFinance. Her experience spans financial management, organizational operations, engagement, and cross-functional initiatives.

In her new role, Meares will lead UVAFinance's engagement efforts across Grounds, strengthening connections and collaboration with schools, units, and partners throughout the UVA community. She will also coordinate the UVAFinance budget and related financial planning activities and support the coordination of key organizational and workforce processes.

Meares will work closely with communications, training, and teams across UVAFinance to strengthen how we connect, share information, and support the broader University community. Building on her experience leading cross-functional efforts, she will help bring people and workstreams together to support effective operations and continuous improvement.

Please join us in congratulating Amanda on her new role and wishing her continued success as Director of Organizational Initiatives.

Be a Part of What's Next for UVA

The University of Virginia Strategic Planning Committee has launched the next phase of the University's strategic planning process, inviting faculty, staff, students, and the broader UVA community to help shape the institution's future. The effort will establish a shared strategy across the academic division, UVA Health, and UVA Wise, building on the "Grounds for Conversation" initiative.

Community members are encouraged to complete the University Strategic Planning Survey, which takes approximately 5 - 10 minutes. The survey gathers feedback on UVA's mission and future priorities and will remain open through August 25th. Additional opportunities for discussion and engagement will follow as the planning process continues.

Heads Up! Workday Gets a New Look

Workday gets a new look!

Beginning September 19th, UVA users will notice a refreshed look and feel in Workday. The update introduces a cleaner, more modern interface with improved navigation and a more intuitive search experience; but the way you use Workday every day isn't changing.

VISIT OUR INFO PAGE →

The Workday update includes:

• A modernized home page with a cleaner design 
• An improved search experience with better support for natural-language searches 
• A new sidebar navigation menu for quicker access to frequently used pages and applications

While Workday will appear different, your day-to-day tasks will continue to work the same. Business processes, workflows, security roles, and user access are not changing.

No action is required. The updated experience will appear automatically on September 19th, and you won't need to change any settings or prepare in advance.

If you have any questions, please contact the Workday Support Team at askfinance@virginia.edu.

New Notification Added for Workday Security Roles Requiring HSVPN

To improve transparency and support security best practices, the Finance & HR System Access Request applications have been updated to notify employees when they are requesting a Workday security role that requires High Security VPN (HSVPN) access.

What to Expect

• If you request a security role that requires HSVPN, you will receive a notification in your Workday Inbox.

• If the request is approved, the Security Team will update your profile to indicate that HSVPN is required.

Employees will see a notification when requesting a
Workday security role that requires HSVPN.

Already Have HSVPN?

Connect to High Security VPN before opening Workday in your browser.

Need HSVPN?

Visit the High Security VPN page on the UVA ITS website to complete the required training and install the Cisco Secure Client.

```

Why It Matters

Employees whose profiles are marked as HSVPN Required can still sign in to Workday without connecting to HSVPN, but their access will be limited to Employee and Manager Self-Service functions, such as submitting or approving time off. An active HSVPN connection is required to run reports or complete tasks involving sensitive data.

View Finance Security Roles