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UNSUNG HEROES

• Led by our Office of Facilities, the COVID-19 emergency response team that instilled a consistent, system-wide philosophy toward mitigating coronavirus risk that emphasizes the safety of students, faculty and staff above all else. 
• Our facilities team worked closely with risk management and communications to install COVID-related signage, reconfigure office and classroom space and roll out safety trainings and guidelines. 
• From data communications to IT security to Enterprise Application to ever-changing web sites, our IT teams quickly pivoted when the pandemic hit in order to tailor services to meet the remote work and learning needs of our campuses, workforce and students. 
• Our Office of Finance was incredibly proactive in working across the system to mitigate financial challenges, while also tirelessly running dozens of financial scenarios based on the what-if nature of this ever-changing pandemic.
• The Office of the Board Secretary, with support of IT, seamlessly converted our quarter Board of Regents meetings to a virtual format and worked closely with our regents to provide COVID-related updates.
• Our Office of Communications & Marketing worked closely with HR to provide critical information related to everything from remote working guidelines to what to do if you contract COVID-19. 
• The Government Relations team collaborated with Communications and Finance to help our campuses re-think and elevate their Legislative Appropriations Request for the 87th Texas Legislature
• Our Office of General Counsel worked closely with the university presidents and me to navigate unprecedented legal questions related to the pandemic
• Our Internal Audit team showed incredible resilience during a leadership change that occurred during the pandemic and is gaining momentum by the day under our new Chief Audit Executive.
• Our Human Resources team also worked through a leadership change while working tirelessly to clarify policies against the context of coronavirus, and introduced new programs, processes and customer service initiatives that position us well for the future.  
• Finally, I’d like to thank the team that put today’s event together – led by ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ System HR with support from Communications and Marketing – you have been incredibly creative and focused in making sure we recognize our people, while also ensuring we have some fun.