The Financial Stewardship Institute is accepting nominations for its 2024-25 cohort. All University of Oregon faculty, classified employees and officers of administration are eligible for the program, which runs from October to March. Nominations are due Sept. 13.
The institute is designed to teach participants about the processes and purposes behind the UO’s financial and operational administration. Participants will attend eight workshops covering the university's financial resources and planning, human resources, grant administration, fraud awareness and more. Each participant will also join a small team to provide consultation to a unit on a financial or operational challenge the unit is facing.
Past participants report a range of professional benefits of participating in the program. Jon Ambrose, associate director for employer engagement in the University Career Center, appreciated the context that it gave him for his work and for decisions made by university leaders.
“FSI was a phenomenal way for me to understand the different mechanisms and systems across campus,” Ambrose said. “It gave me a lot of grace and empathy for the lived experience of staff as well as the realities facing the administration.”
Tana Gonzalez, program support specialist in the College of Design, joined the institute at a time when she was taking on new responsibilities at work. She appreciates the professional network and connections that the program provided her.
“Being new to my role, I needed to know who my partners were,” Gonzales said. “That was probably the most impactful part. I made connections, like ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s the department that can help me with this.’”
To nominate yourself or a colleague to participate, visit the Human Resources Learning and Development website. The institute has something to benefit a wide range of UO employees looking for a chance to learn the ins and outs of university budgeting, network with new colleagues or get consulting experience on a real-life issue,
“FSI helps you ask better questions about how we could make institutional change to better the lives of the students we serve, because you understand the lay of the land,” Ambrose said.
“The FSI leaders want everybody to succeed,” Gonzales said. “They make it clear that we are one university, bottom line.”