Reflecting on Three Years at the University of Arkansas

June 30, 2023

Team,

I recently celebrated three years leading the Division of Finance and Administration at the University of Arkansas. Throughout my tenure, I’ve been – and continue to be – incredibly grateful to work alongside each of you to support our university’s mission, especially amid the challenges we’ve faced together.

When I joined the U of A in July 2020, we were still in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and working in an environment of remote work and virtual instruction. About a year later, we entered a search for a new chancellor, ultimately adding uncertainty for our campus during an uncertain time for society.

However, much of that uncertainty finally began to erode as it became safe to return to campus, remove masks and collaborate in person, and we officially named Charles F. Robinson our chancellor in November 2022. We’ve since begun to collectively operate with more confidence and pursue the fulfillment of three clear, strategic priorities – student success, research excellence and being an employer of choice.

It’s not hard to see our impact over the past three years. This team helped provide sound financial management when our institution needed it most, continually adapted to create a safe work and learning environment, ensured the well-being of our people, and ultimately stayed committed to helping the university fulfill our land-grant mission.

Looking ahead, we have untapped potential to move our university forward to serve our campus community even better now and for generations to come. Here’s how we can do it:

  • Continually exceed our customers’ expectations. Our wide range of responsibilities and services all work together to enable our strategic priorities. Therefore, everything we do and every interaction we have should be focused on serving our customers – students, faculty, staff and visitors. Let’s repeatedly exceed their expectations to ensure their impression of our division and our university is overwhelmingly positive.

 

  • Embrace our role as educators: Even though we may not hold academic positions, each of our more than 750 team members plays a critical role in enhancing the student experience. That’s what makes our jobs unique compared to our peers in other industries, and it should serve as a primary motivator of our efforts every day. Let’s get creative about how we can do more to help set up our 30,000+ students to flourish as learners and future alumni. #IAmAnEducator

 

  • Future-fit our infrastructure and promote an environment where all belong: Let’s make the U of A the best place to study, work, live and visit – both today and for decades to come. From our digital network and tools to our physical buildings and how each of us cares for the safety, health and well-being of others, we can foster a community where people of all backgrounds feel welcomed and have the foundation of support they need to succeed.

 

  • Improve our resource stewardship across campus: Let’s work together to make it easier on ourselves and all faculty and staff members to save time and money that we can further invest into student success, research excellence and being an employer of choice. Share your ideas of what processes can and should be enhanced to make your work simpler, more efficient and more effective. Feel empowered to drive change. Every small improvement is meaningful.

 

  • Lead with a strategic mindset and -based decision-making:For the leaders across our division, I encourage you to establish yourselves as strategic partners among your stakeholders. Help your teams focus on the highest-value activities by removing any obstacles to them. And let’s collectively support the development of our strategy so that robust insights and analytics are more accessible and easily integrated into all our strategies, decisions and solutions.

I’m proud of all we’ve accomplished. And I’m even more excited to continue building on our momentum in the years to come and further position the university to make a positive impact for our state and the world.

Thank you,

Ann Bordelon
Executive Vice Chancellor
Finance and Administration