Dear Colleagues,

Happy New Year! I hope that you spent some quality time with family and friends over the holiday season and that you found time to relax and to reflect on your accomplishments of the last year. To support an academic enterprise like the University of Virginia requires a great many people who work together in a wide variety of jobs. At UVA, we have adopted a philosophy of organizational excellence to better align our services and resources with the Cornerstone Plan strategic initiatives and other priorities. Across the support functions, we strive to enhance the student experience; support faculty in their teaching, advising and research activities; and enable administrators to focus on their critical mission work.

In 2015, we advanced a number of initiatives that enable us to serve the University better. Highlights include: significant progress on ResearchUVA to provide a streamlined electronic system for the research administration process from beginning to end; the adoption of a Strategic Sourcing approach for common goods and services to save time and money; a Managerial Reporting Project to develop systems and tools that will enable staff to analyze complex data and enhance decision making; and the creation of a Gift Processing Center of Excellence to manage accounting related to the many private gifts the University is fortunate to receive from supporters each year. You can read about these initiatives and others on the Organizational Excellence site.

As we begin the new year, I am excited to announce the launch of Ufirst, the HR Strategic Design Initiative. Ufirst is focused on creating an exceptional HR service experience, putting you and your organization first. Ufirst spans the University of Virginia, encompassing the Academic Division and the Health System, including the Medical Center, University Physicians Group (UPG), and the School of Medicine. Visit the Ufirst website to learn more about this important initiative.

Also this week, a new travel management program called TravelUVA is available to all faculty and staff in the Academic Division. TravelUVA will provide better service, better information, and better pricing. Travel can be booked online using a simple tool customized to reflect UVA policy and procedures or through a dedicated team of experienced full-service travel agents. I encourage you to attend one of the upcoming Town Hall sessions about TravelUVA and to use these new resources when booking University travel.

We will continue our efforts to provide high-quality service across the Grounds in 2016. I am grateful for all that you do to support the University's mission, and I am pleased to be on this journey of excellence with all of you.

Sincerely,
Pat Hogan
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer