The Finance@UW Conference supports a variety of learning and participation styles to allow participants to learn and engage in different ways. Depending on the session, you may experience one or more of the engagement levels described below.
Session schedule and format are subject to change.
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Active Listening
What this looks like for you
You’ll be present and focused, taking in information through listening and observation. You may take notes or reflect quietly, with the option to contribute to the discussion at your discretion. Active listening sessions are ideal for sharing foundational information, introducing new ideas, or providing expert insights in a clear and efficient ways.
You might engage by:
- Listening to presenter in a lecture-style format
- Viewing slides, visuals, or handouts
- Watching live demonstrations or process walkthroughs
- Reading provided materials during or after the session
Common tools: Presentation slides, handouts or PDFs, infographics, charts, or posters
Interactive Participation
What this looks like for you
You’ll have the opportunity to actively interact with the presentation by asking questions, responding to polls, or joining brief discussions. Interactive participation helps deepen understanding by inviting you to reflect, respond, and connect ideas to your own experiences.
You might engage by
- Responding to live polls or reflection prompts
- Participating in think-pair-share activities
- Asking questions during Q&A
- Adding thoughts to a shared board or activity
Common tools: Live polling platforms, shared whiteboards or flip charts,, shared digital spaces
Collaborative Engagement
What this looks like for you
You’ll be fully immersed in the session and working closely with others by sharing ideas, practicing skills, and co‑creating knowledge through hands‑on activities and group discussions. Collaborative sessions foster deeper learning through peer connection, problem-solving, and practical application by learning with and from one another.
You might engage by
- Participating in small‑group discussions or activities
- Scenario-based problem-solving activities
- Brainstorming or mapping ideas together
- Co‑creating resources or solutions to share with the group
Common tools: Facilitated group discussions, role‑play exercises, interactive stations, rotating group activities, shared digital documents
- Session 1 | 9:45 - 10:45am
- Session 2 | 11:00am - 12:00pm
- Session 3 | 1:45 - 2:45pm
- Session 4 | 3:00 - 4:00pm
Operational Excellence Advancement Program
Presenter: David Murphy
Track: Operational Excellence and Productivity  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
In October, Vice Chancellor Cramer shared Deloitte’s findings and recommendations from their strategic review of key administrative functions at UW-Madison, including position management, hiring and compensation; travel and expense reimbursement; procurement; and capital expenditures and planning. We are now entering the next phase of this work through the Operational Excellence Advancement Program, focused on action through simplifying processes, strengthening accountability, improving transparency, and aligning local flexibility with consistent practices.
Join us to learn more about our OpEx initiatives in position management, travel and expenses, and our efforts to prototype a new HR/Finance operating model to support more effective and sustainable ways of working.
Learning Outcomes
- Explain Deloitte’s key findings and recommendations from the strategic review of administrative functions at UW–Madison.
- Identify major administrative areas involved in the review, including position management, hiring and compensation, travel and expense reimbursement, procurement, and capital planning.
- Describe the goals of the Operational Excellence Advancement Program (OpEx), including simplifying processes, strengthening accountability, improving transparency, and aligning practices.
- Analyze how OpEx initiatives aim to improve position management and travel and expense processes.
The Water We Swim In: Exploring and Shaping Team Culture
Presenter: Jenny Erickson
Track: Strategic Leadership  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
Culture isn’t just what we say—it’s the water we swim in, and it impacts everything from decision-making to risk management. For Finance leaders and professionals, understanding culture is critical because it shapes how teams collaborate, handle pressure, and deliver results.
In this interactive session, we’ll explore the difference between organizational culture and climate, how they influence daily behaviors, and the visible and invisible factors that define your workplace—from accountability norms to communication styles. Through hands-on activities and reflection, you’ll gain deeper insight into your current environment and walk away with practical strategies to assess and influence positive change.
Whether you’re managing budgets, leading audits, or driving strategic financial decisions, this session will equip you to become a confident and intentional culture shaper—creating an environment where accuracy, trust, and performance thrive.
Learning Objectives
- Differentiate between organizational culture and climate: Understand the distinction between culture and climate and understand how these factors influence employee engagement, sense of belonging, and team performance.
- Identify visible and invisible cultural drivers: Learn to spot the formal and informal elements that shape team culture, including values, behaviors, rituals, and communication patterns, and assess their impact on the workplace.
- Apply practical strategies to positively influence team culture: Participants will leave with an actionable framework to intentionally shape team culture, whether through leadership behaviors, team norms, and everyday practices.
Strategic Planning in a Position Cap Environment
Presenter: Lauren Bowers, Sue Fritts, Lucien Gerondeau, Natalie Feggestad, and Jessica Hawkey
Track: Operational Excellence and Productivity  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
In December 2023, the Universities of Wisconsin and state legislative leadership reached a pivotal agreement instituting a cap on hiring for many university positions. This session will unpack the legislative agreement, funding sources, exemptions and approvals needed, reporting, how to ensure position cap compliance, and workforce planning under constrained hiring conditions.
Creative Clarity: Enhancing Cross-Functional Financial Literacy through Agile Project Management
Presenter: Nia Scott
Track: Collaboration and Customer Service  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
In a university setting, creative units and finance offices often speak different “languages.” While creatives focus on impact, engagement, and production quality, finance partners prioritize predictability, compliance, and budget fidelity. This session explores how Creative Project Management serves as a vital translation layer to enhance collaboration and customer service across campus.
Using a real-world framework from an arts-centered unit, this session will demonstrate how to utilize project management tools (like Asana) to build a culture of transparency and trust. We will walk through a project lifecycle—from Initiation to Closure—to show how clear task delegation, resource allocation logic, and structured status updates improve the financial experience for all stakeholders. Participants will leave with a toolkit for “financial storytelling” that empowers non-finance employees to become proactive stewards of institutional resources.
Learning Outcomes
- Translate Creative Milestones into Fiscal Data: Identify how to map creative project phases to budget cycles to provide finance partners with better forecasting and predictability.
- Implement Transparent Resource Logic: Apply the “Must-Have vs. Nice-to-Have” framework to prioritize spending and communicate trade-offs clearly to executive leadership.
- Build Cross-Functional Trust: Utilize structured communication templates (e.g., bi-weekly status updates and semesterly portfolio reviews) to reduce friction and improve service delivery between creative and administrative teams.
- Execute a “Financial Closeout” Strategy: Adopt a “Lessons Learned” post-mortem process that captures actuals versus projections to inform future fiscal year planning.
Growing Career Resilience in an Ever-Changing Workplace
Presenter: April McHugh
Track: Career Management  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
Our workplaces continue to change at a rapid pace. So much so that we sometimes lose our ability to adapt in healthy ways. How can we grow our career resilience to work in the most effective ways through these constant changes? This workshop will share what career resilience is and how to grow it, while participants work through a challenge of their own to better work and develop in their careers.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand what career resilience is
- Learn how to grow your career resilience
- Leave with resiliency strategies you can implement immediately
Tuition Remission Eligibility and Surcharge – Overview of the New FY26 Rules
Presenter: Aaron Ranke
Track: Financial Operations and Compliance  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
In this session we will go over the new tuition remission eligibility rules and the new TR surcharge calculations that are being used in FY26. We will talk through various examples/fact patterns/scenarios from fall semester and the related outcomes to enhance understanding of the new TR rules.
Learning Outcomes
- Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the tuition remission eligibility rules
- Participants will learn how to calculate TR surcharge splits for grad assistants/positions with multiple funding sources
- Time will be allotted for Q&A to help clarify any areas of confusion with the new rules
Additional Session to be Announced
The Closet Effect: Why Change Gets Messy—and How to Fix It
Presenter: Grace Kilpatrick
Track: Strategic Leadership  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
Imagine you’ve invested in a beautiful, custom closet organization system. The big-picture value is clear: a more organized, efficient space. But before you enjoy that benefit, you have to empty the closet, sort through everything, install the new system, and put items back. During that process, the living room is in chaos, family members can’t find what they need, and you may even toss something someone uses daily.
Organizational change works the same way. Leaders often assume that a compelling business case is enough for people to embrace change—but individuals need to understand “What’s in it for me?” and feel included in decisions that affect their work. And here’s the reality: we don’t know where resistance will surface until we encounter it. That’s why change management plans must be iterative and flexible, with built-in connection points to adjust communications, scope, and engagement strategies as new insights emerge. This session explores practical approaches for assessing readiness, addressing resistance, and staying nimble so change sticks without leaving the “living room” in chaos.
Learning Outcomes
- Assess stakeholder readiness and identify resistance early, using tools and techniques that go beyond surface-level buy-in.
- Apply practical strategies to address resistance constructively, including reframing WIIFM and negotiating workload impacts.
- Design iterative change management plans that adapt to emerging feedback and maintain alignment between organizational goals and individual needs.
LinkUW – Your Connection to Expert Service
Presenter: Kristen Hendrickson and Tegan Maier
Track: Financial Operations and Compliance  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
This session will provide an overview of the new LinkUW initiative, with specific focus on the Finance Operations team and services. We will cover what LinkUW is, why it was created, and its goals. A panel including current staff members and staff from participating units will share their experiences so far with the new service model. We will share lessons learned in our first few months of operations and plans for future expansion. The session will include lecture, interactive engagement, and Q&A.
Learning Outcomes
- Have a better understanding of LinkUW and its services
- Know how LinkUW is addressing some of the current challenges and constraints of our financial processes
- Understand how LinkUW plans to expand services
AI Risk Universe and Application
Presenter: Imad Mouchayleh
Track: Operational Excellence and Productivity  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
In this session, attendees will explore the evolving AI risk universe and how it intersects with practical AI adoption across institutions. The presentation will examine key categories of AI risk—including governance, legal and regulatory compliance, data integrity, cybersecurity, ethical considerations, and operational impacts—and distinguish among AI technologies currently in use or emerging.
Participants will gain an understanding of how to evaluate where and how AI can be applied responsibly within their institution and how risk profiles change across use cases, data inputs, and deployment models. The session will also address common misconceptions about AI capabilities and limitations, helping attendees differentiate between strategic opportunities and areas requiring heightened oversight.
By the conclusion of the presentation, attendees will have a clearer understanding of how to assess AI applicability, identify and mitigate associated risks, and align AI initiatives with institutional objectives, controls, and accountability structures. The session will equip participants with practical insights to support informed decision-making as AI continues to expand in scope and influence.
Learning Outcomes
- Learn the AI risk universe and what risks AI applicability presents
- Choose the AI application that best fits your needs
- Explore ways to successfully and securely integrate AI in your day-to-day operations.
Assessing Operational Excellence in Finance: From Operational Efficiency to Customer Satisfaction
Presenter: Haley Bergsten
Track: Collaboration and Customer Service  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
How do we know if our finance and administrative services are operationally excellent? This interactive session explores the tools and methods available across campus to assess service quality—from operational performance metrics like time to completion and compliance rates to customer satisfaction measures. It will also include a discussion on how we can continue to use data-informed decisions to drive operational excellence at UW. Participants will learn key assessment definitions and learn how to access and interpret data sources.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify the top operational and customer service metrics relevant to finance and administration work according to research and attendee perspectives
- Locate where certain metrics live in campus systems
- Explain how assessment data can drive operational excellence and customer satisfaction.
Quiet Cracking
Presenter: Theresa Kim and Tamie Klumpyan
Track: Career Management  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
First there was Quiet Quitting. Now it’s Quiet Cracking. While Quiet Quitting was all about doing the minimum, Quiet Cracking is about persistent employee unhappiness and disengagement. In this discussion-based session, we will collectively explore signs that you might be experiencing and crowdsource strategies that you or other individuals can take in response to Quiet Cracking.
Learning Outcomes
- Have a deeper, more expansive understanding of Quiet Cracking,
- Recognize signs, and
- Take away strategies in response to Quiet Cracking.
Workday Financial Reporting 101
Presenter: Lea Erickson and Susie Maloney
Track: Financials Across Campus  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
In this session, we will walk through general Workday reporting navigation, including definitions of the various prompts and hierarchies. We will also discuss the Finance Governance working group goals and objectives, as well as the process for requesting report enhancements.
Participants will learn the basics of running financial reports in Workday, along with the plan for future updates and enhancements.
Additional Sessions to be Announced
WARF and WFAA 101: Understanding UW’s Supporting Organizations
Presenter: Erik Iverson and Alisa Robertson
Track: Strategic Leadership  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
This session will review the history and current partnership that the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA) have with UW-Madison. The CEOs of these organizations will outline the priorities of each organization including strategic initiatives.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the missions and history of WARF and WFAA.
- Explore the relationship each organization has to UW-Madison.
- Review some of the strategic initiatives of each organization and how these contribute to campus.
- Understanding how grants/donor funds to UW-Madison are provided by each organization.
- Explore the collaborative activities occurring between the organizations.
Leading Your Team Through Change
Presenter: John Graves and Ben Williams
Track: Strategic Leadership  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
In a rapidly changing landscape, higher ed institutions are navigating unpredictable currents—from demographic shifts and policy changes to technological disruption and climate uncertainty.
This interactive session explores how foresight, agility, and resilience form a connected system that enables individuals, teams, and organizations to adapt and thrive in a disruptive and uncertain environment.
Participants will learn and apply scenario planning and agile tools for building institutional resilience.
Case studies will ground the conversations in reality and practice space will allow participants to apply to their current context.
Learning Outcomes
- Describe how scenario thinking, agility, and resilience interact to support organizational adaptability in uncertain contexts.
- Apply a scenario planning framework to anticipate divergent futures and explore strategic responses using agile tools.
- Identify concrete actions individuals, teams, and/or institutions can take to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity.
UW Madison’s New Budget Approach
Presenter: Natalie Feggestad
Track: Financial Operations and Compliance  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
This session will discuss internal billing (Internal Service Delivery), external billing (Customer Accounts) and recording Point of Sale revenue (Cash Sale within Customer Accounts). A portion of the session will be allotted for Q&A.
How Can Microsoft Excel Help Me?
Presenter: Abby Terzis
Track: Operational Excellence and Productivity  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
This presentation will focus on intermediate and advanced Microsoft Excel skills to improve work productivity, including lookup functions, shortcuts and “hacks”, if statements, pivot tables, and macros.
Learning Objectives
- Utilize intermediate Excel functions that make work processes more efficient.
- Identify and utilize Excel shortcuts and “hacks” to improve their Excel user experience.
Utilizing Data to Inform Decision-Making
Presenter: David Berland
Track: Operational Excellence and Productivity  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
In today’s dynamic environment, effective decision-making requires more than intuition—it demands a strategic approach to leveraging data. This session will explore how organizations can identify, evaluate, and synthesize data to inform decisions that align with institutional goals. Participants will learn to distinguish between current, longitudinal, and predictive data, understanding the unique value each brings to shaping outcomes.
The presentation will cover practical methods for assessing data quality and relevance, emphasizing why source credibility matters. Through real-world examples, attendees will see how discrete data points differ from trend analysis and predictive modeling, and how these insights can be integrated into actionable strategies. We will also examine techniques for simplifying complex data into clear, context-driven narratives tailored to diverse audiences—from executives to front-line staff.
A case study will provide hands-on experience in applying quantitative approaches to rank decision factors, illustrating how structured analysis can support—but not replace—human judgment.
This program is ideal for professionals seeking to enhance their decision-making processes through data literacy and strategic thinking.
Learning Objectives
- Participants will be able to understand how data is shaped by perceptions and how to value data sources.
- Participants will be able to understand different ways to manipulate and synthesize data.
- Participants will be able to understand how to strategically use data to tell a story and inform decisions.
Career Mobility – A panel discussion of shared experiences over the last 20 years and career management in the current job climate
Presenter: Ben Ball, Christy Davidson, Robin Higgins, Shelley Klettke, April McHugh, Carolyn Lipke, Priya Rajani, and Larisa Roberts
Track: Career Management  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
This session will offer a brief introduction to each panelist and overview of their career journey, and include nuggets of wisdom from panelists on their career pathways, discussion of growth-in-place, lateral job shifts, career progression and upward mobility, as well as, advice and resources for those who are looking for change in the current climate and re-framing of corporate culture mentality towards following personal fulfillment. The session will also include an overview of the Employee Career Counseling and RED: Research Education Development programs.
Additional Sessions to be Announced
Coding of UW Financial Data for Strategic Benchmarking
Presenter: Noah Natzke and April Cook
Track: Financials Across Campus  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
How does a single line item in the general ledger impact our national standing? This session provides a “behind-the-scenes” look at the lifecycle of financial data at UW–Madison, specifically focusing on its transformation into the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Finance Survey.
We will trace the flow of data from our internal financial systems into the standardized IPEDS categories, such as core expenses by function and revenues by source. Beyond the compliance requirements, we will demonstrate how this data becomes a powerful tool for benchmarking financial indicators against peer institutions.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand IPEDS Finance Benchmarking: Know how IPEDS data is used to compare UW-Madison to peer institutions and how it supports advocacy for institutional priorities
- Improve Data Integrity: Recognize how accurate coding of transactions ensures the integrity of the University’s national financial profile.
Research Finance in Motion: Navigating Change and What Comes Next
Presenter: Angie Johnson and Liz Bivins-Smith
Track: Financial Operations and Compliance  |  Participation Level: Active Listening
This session will focus on the internal and external forces that are driving change and innovation in the UW research enterprise.
Learning Outcomes
- Greater understanding of enterprise systems and sponsor regulations
- FAIR model overview
- HERD survey results overview
Leading Change: Practical Strategies for Navigating Transformation
Presenter: David Berland
Track: Operational Excellence and Productivity  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
In today’s higher education landscape, financial professionals are navigating rapid shifts in enrollment, funding models, technology, and organizational priorities. Yet while change is constant, successfully leading it – especially in a decentralized university environment – remains a persistent challenge.
This session will provide a practical framework for leading and managing change within financial operations. Participants will explore real examples of department, division, and campus-level financial transformation and learn how to apply a change management model to their own unit’s context. Through guided discussion and participant feedback, attendees will identify their unit’s key stakeholders, learn how to design an engagement and communication strategy, and develop a simple roadmap to strengthen change readiness and success.
Grounded in both leadership theory and campus realities, the session emphasizes the human side of change: building trust, aligning communication, and fostering shared ownership across administrative and academic units. Participants will leave with actionable tools and templates they can immediately adapt to ongoing or upcoming financial initiatives.
This session is ideal for employees who play a role in implementing new financial processes, systems, or structures and who want to increase their effectiveness in leading people through change.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify at least three change-management challenges unique to higher education financial operations.
- Apply a change management framework to an initiative within their department or unit.
- Design a stakeholder engagement and communication plan that supports successful financial or operational change.
- Recognize key indicators of change readiness and resistance, and develop strategies to mitigate risk and sustain progress.
Colors, Columns and Complex Images: Making financial data accessible to all
Presenter: Laura Grady and Leah Bowers
Track: Operational Excellence and Productivity  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
Spreadsheets, complex images, and data visualizations are essential for sharing financial information. They can also create barriers if not designed with accessibility in mind. In this session, you’ll learn practical tips to make these tools more inclusive and usable for everyone. We’ll cover simple strategies you can apply to your everyday work to meet UW–Madison’s digital accessibility standards and ensure your content is clear, effective, and accessible to all.
Learning Objectives
- Become familiar with digital accessibility concepts and standards
- Learn best practices for creating accessible spreadsheets, complex images and data visualizations and techniques for evaluating your content
- Learn about the resources we have at the university, like our Digital Accessibility Community of Practice and Make it Accessible Guides
Foundations of Effective Collaboration
Presenter: Ben Williams
Track: Collaboration and Customer Service  |  Participation Level: Interactive Participation
Collaboration in higher education isn’t always easy. Without clear expectations, shared ownership, or aligned resources, even well-intentioned teams can struggle or stall.
This session introduced tools and concepts to help participants and their teams overcome these barriers to collaboration. Participants had the opportunity to assess their current collaborations, recognize common breakdowns, and reflect on ways to build structures, relationships, and commitments that support meaningful and productive collaborative efforts.
Learning Objectives
- Participants will establish a shared understanding and language around collaboration to be able to operate effectively across diverse perspectives.
- Participants will explore tools and concepts to collaborate more effectively, including ways to evaluate collaborative potential, determine optimal decision making approaches with nuance, and how to start when trust and familiarity may not be present.
The Story of Three Buildings: Capital Projects, From Inception to Completion.
Presenter: Holly O’Higgins and Cheryl Koenig
Track: Financials Across Campus |  Participation Level: Active Listening
Join the Madison Budget Office and Facilities Planning & Management to learn about the different paths that capital projects take—from inception through completion—through the lens of three new buildings: Morgridge Hall, Irving & Dorothy Levy Hall, and Phillip A Levy Engineering Center. We’ll discuss:
- What makes a capital project and why it matters.
- The behind-the-scenes work that begins years before the first shovel hits the dirt.
- BCB, SBC, DFD, G/G, PRSB … decoding the lingo and explaining how UW-Madison collaborates with our partners.
Whether you like to dive into the numbers or have never thought of how a building gets built, this session will give you a peek behind built environment and an understanding of how capital projects come to be on campus.
Learning Outcomes
- Distinguish between a capital project, a Small project, and a campus renovation services project.
- Identify the role of state government in the construction/maintenance/renovation of facilities on campus.
- Identify the role of project funding and a high level familiarity with the types of funding.