Beginning in January 2022, the Office of Financial Affairs has created a financial innovators award known as the Financial Affairs Service and Innovation Award. This award has been created to recognize those throughout the university who make significant and lasting contributions to the university through bold, innovative and creative approaches to common, everyday university problems.

The award is open to any U of A faculty, non-faculty, academic, administrative or skilled crafts/service/maintenance employees who bring forward fresh ideas that lead to process efficiencies, cost savings and/or increased productivity. Each quarter one employee will be selected to receive the award, and then at the end of the calendar year, an annual award winner will be selected from the four quarterly winners.

For 2023, we are pleased to announce our annual award winner as:

Melissa Erwin, assistant dean of Financial Affairs, GSIE

Erwin was the winner of the Q1 2023 FASI award. She was nominated for the quarterly recognition by several of her Graduate School & International Admissions colleagues, all of whom spoke highly of her solution-oriented approach, positive attitude, relationship building and knowledge of business practices, laws and codes.

Erwin's colleagues say she is the glue that keeps their unique unit together, and her work during the implementation of Workday was pivotal in helping develop processes to support graduate students. She is well known for her impact in one of the most diverse units on campus.

Erwin's persistence in major projects in recent years, innovative thinking and problem solving, and her collaboration with stakeholders across campus make her very deserving of the 2023 Financial Affairs Service and Innovation Award. Please join us in congratulating Erwin!

If you know of an employee deserving of recognition for our next quarterly FASI award, we would love to hear about them. Please email your FASI nominations to either Ann Gearity at agearity@uark.edu or Susan Slinkard at svslink@uark.edu.