Dear W&M Colleagues, 

I am pleased to reach out to the William & Mary community with the first quarterly update from the office of the executive vice president. My first several months have gone quickly, learning about the university and meeting a wide range of stakeholders, something that will continue into the new year. I’d like to thank everyone for such a warm welcome this fall and am especially grateful to the University Operations team – Budget & Financial Planning, Business Affairs, Information Technology, Financial Operations, and University Human Resources – for their hard work, counsel, and patience with my many questions.

William & Mary is in a period of historic transformation. We are making the most changes to the physical plant since the Colonial Restoration a century ago. We are launching a new School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics. A transformational gift from Jane Batten will support cutting-edge education and research in the William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS. We are midway through a significant business modernization effort that will improve financial systems, HR systems, and student information systems. 

Leading the way are our talented and dedicated faculty and staff. I am humbled by the energy, enthusiasm, and creativity of the entire William & Mary team, and I look forward to working with campus leaders in the coming years to support our changemakers.

As 2024 and the fall semester come to a close, I encourage each of you to take the necessary time to recharge during the planned pause and winter break. Supervisors for areas traditionally experiencing busy periods during this time will work with their teams to identify alternative opportunities. Thank you in advance for helping yourselves and each other take time away.

Yours in William & Mary success, 

Mike Todd
Executive Vice President for Finance & Administration

Congratulations to Melanie O'Dell as she begins planning for retirement in early 2026! Melanie has provided stalwart, thoughtful, and generous contributions to William & Mary over her seven years of service. Melanie began at W&M in 2017 as AVP for Financial Operations, later adding Controller to her title before becoming the Chief Financial Officer and Controller for the university. She has led in a number of key areas, including increasing revenue through renegotiating our Facilities & Administration Rate related to grant administration. She also was pivotal in handling federal COVID funds, navigating other pandemic-related finance challenges, and implementing numerous business process enhancements to improve the customer experience. When she retires, she will do so with more than 40 years of service in Virginia, including many years at Old Dominion University and the Commonwealth’s Auditor of Public Accounts. In recognition of her significant experience, I am pleased to share that Melanie has agreed to serve as senior advisor to the EVP for the remainder of her time at W&M. Please join me in congratulating Melanie!

University Operations has launched a search for a chief financial officer as part of a reformation of W&M's finance division. Given Melanie’s plans and the recent departure of AVP for Budget & Financial Planning Jacob Long, William & Mary will unify all finance areas under one leader, promoting collaboration and focusing the scope of the division. Chief Business Officer Sean Hughes will serve as search chair for a CFO, who will lead those functions and report to the EVP. Learn more about the role and view the position profile.

Check out Financial Operations' new home page. Financial Operations has refreshed their website to make it easier to navigate and find what you need. The new site features quick links to Payroll, Financial Reporting, Payment Card Processing, Travel, and more. Kudos to the team for finding better ways to serve colleagues and for the fresh new look.

W&M is undergoing the most transformative changes to its physical plant since the 1920s. As that period did, these changes prepare the university to provide a modern living and learning environment that will support students for the next century. To stay informed, follow current updates on the homepage of the University Architect. 

“Wrenstoration”: This winter, the university begins a year-long preservation of the iconic Wren Building, the oldest university building in the nation, addressing immediate structural needs. Signature events, including Yule Log, Commencement, and Convocation, will still be held at the Wren throughout construction. If you’re interested, W&M News has a great story on preserving the nation's most historic buildings as well as a Q&A with Wren Director Charles Fulcher and Sean Hughes. 

Martha Wren Briggs Center for Visual Arts: The Muscarelle Museum of Art will celebrate a grand re-opening and dedication ceremony at Charter Day 2025, along with the opening of the museum’s first special exhibition in the new space. This project, entirely funded by private donors, more than triples the size of the museum and provides expansive new educational and gallery spaces in addition to much-needed room for art storage. 

Housing & Dining Comprehensive Plan: The construction of a pedestrian bridge connecting the new developments with the Student Life Village (Sadler) area will kick off in December, as students leave campus for winter break. We anticipate the project to be completed in the summer of 2025, alongside the removal of fencing around West Woods. Until then, work in this area requires us to close off roads behind the Wellness Center and those connecting to the Randolph Complex.

Monroe Hall was the first completed project in the 10-year Housing & Dining Comprehensive Facilities Plan, setting the new standard for living and learning at William & Mary. By 2035, 80% of campus residences will be renovated or replaced, and will have 100% air-conditioning. 

Helping the university achieve goals set out in W&M’s Climate Action Roadmap, Monroe Hall is now supported by 238 geothermal wells underneath Barksdale Field, reducing energy expenses by nearly a third. An additional 36 wells also support Old Dominion Hall, and an extensive geothermal field will be constructed to serve all new housing and dining facilities under development for the West Woods. 

Expanded Wi-Fi at Kaplan Arena. Thanks to the fabulous team led by IT's Director of Infrastructure Norman Elton, Kaplan is more connected than ever. Before the update, Kaplan Wi-Fi supported normal traffic during regular business hours, but wasn’t handling large event crowds. The project team installed more than 100 new wireless access points in the arena, provided high-speed wireless to every office space, and introduced data and calling services to guests. The project is a key step in W&M's Vision 2026 strategic plan to modernize university technology. IT News has a fascinating feature about the project. 

Workday unit testing, which helps verify that individual components of the new system function as intended, recently wrapped up. Throughout December, project stakeholders have been engaging in Customer Confirmation Sessions, which help ensure the integrity and reliability of the system before the end-to-end testing phase begins in the spring. Workday's software is simpler, more robust, and innovative, and will mark a significant upgrade from Banner for the university. Its adoption represents a key action in the university’s strategic commitment to “evolve to excel.” Follow updates on the Workday Implementation Initiative website.

William & Mary is now six months into the current performance review cycle, making this an ideal time for supervisors and employees to discuss overall performance and progress toward achieving the employee’s annual goals. Aligning performance goals with the university’s mission and values encourages engagement, fosters accountability, and enhances organizational performance. 

Timely and transparent feedback is so valuable for employees, providing opportunities for professional growth and development. Mid-year check-ins align employees and supervisors and prevent surprises for employees during annual reviews. In short: these conversations ensure employees and supervisors are on the same page. Find additional details related to Performance Management on the University Human Resources website.