Our Institution's Values: Fall 2024
Sept. 24, 2024
Finance & Administration team,
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about our institution’s values: Curiosity, Creativity, Character and our Shared Humanity. We don’t talk about them enough.
As you go about your workday, I encourage you to keep these values in mind by asking simple questions like “why?” and “who?” Do you ever wonder why we do things a certain way, or do you do them because it’s what we’ve always done? Do you wonder if there is a better way? Questioning how we operate helps us identify inefficiencies and uncover opportunities for improvement. This process encourages creative thinking and challenges conventional wisdom. Asking “why?” drives innovation. I hope we all feel empowered to use our curiosity and creativity as a way to continuously improve the processes and service we provide to the university.
I recently read the book “Unreasonable Hospitality.” It reminded me that sometimes we become so focused on doing the work that we forget about who we are doing it for.
Having strong relationships with each other and our customers throughout campus is key to our success. Demonstrating our character and respect (an element of shared humanity) for each other every day is foundational to building those relationships and creating a high standard of excellent service.
I look forward to this organization leading the way in identifying opportunities to deliver more effective and efficient service to campus, working together as One University to achieve a new level of financial stewardship. Let’s use our limited resources in a thoughtful, strategic manner so we can continue to invest in our campus community. Please know that the work you do every day is meaningful. Your work supports the success of our students and the delivery of world-changing research.
Finally, as we are mere weeks away from implementing the first phase of the Staff Classification and Compensation Project, it’s not lost on me that the project was born of curiosity - and made possible through both creativity and a whole bunch of people working collaboratively across campus. I couldn’t be prouder of how people came together to create solutions that are foundational to our employer of choice goals.
Thank you again for all you do and for your commitment to the University of Arkansas.
Go Hogs!
Ann Bordelon
Executive Vice Chancellor
Finance and Administration