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  January 28, 2026

   Vol. 7, No. 2     

A publication from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor

Dear Colleagues, 

As we navigate a busy quarter in challenging times, I hope we can remember that our university is more than a place to learn- we are a connected and caring community that is united by a central mission and optimism for the future. 

Academic life often demands much of us, but no one in our community should feel that they must carry the weight of these challenges without support. UC San Diego offers many employee support services and collegial networks to help us navigate personal and professional challenges.  

I hope you also feel supported in sharing your thoughts and ideas. Great work is fueled by new ideas and collaborative feedback. Open-minded dialogue with our colleagues allows room for individual efforts to become collective knowledge and meaningful action. 

In that spirit, our upcoming annual Future of Academic Affairs Forum will be an opportunity to learn about collaborative work being done in Academic Affairs and to contribute your input on how to take it in new and fruitful directions. View the FOAA agenda and please join us on Jan. 29th. 

I also encourage you to take opportunities to join campus events and activities that nurture connections. Here are a few examples: 

•Rubik's Cube Mosaic Exhibit Build-Out at the UC San Diego Library: Help turn images from the Library’s Digital Collections into a Rubik’s Cube mosaic exhibit that will inspire visitors for months to come. Drop in on Fridays from 2-4 p.m., Jan. 30 - March 6, 2026.

• Weed Warriors at Scripps Coastal Reserve: Join weeding/work parties at Scripps Coastal Reserve every Friday from 8-10 a.m. Learn more about the reserve’s flora and fauna while lending a hand to remove invasive plants. No RSVP required; gloves and tools provided.

• Craft Center Classes and Workshops: The UC San Diego Craft Center is for everyone. Connect with others during a variety of classes and workshops.

You can find more events on the campus calendar at calendar.ucsd.edu or explore the Staff Affiliate Groups and Faculty & Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) Support Groups to find supportive spaces. 

By coming together and building connections, we foster a vibrant campus community where we can support each other's wellbeing, do our best work and flourish. I would love to hear more about the ways you’re finding community at UC San Diego – let's connect during my reverse office hours. 

Sincerely, 

Elizabeth H. Simmons 

Just a reminder that the easiest way for us to talk is to schedule time during my office hours. Click the button below to find out about ways we can chat! 

Triton Days events, hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, celebrate and welcome future Tritons, giving them the chance to explore all that UC San Diego has to offer. 

Triton Days 2026 Events: 

Last year, Triton Days Open House welcomed more than 12,000 students and families, while Transfer Celebration hosted 2,250+ participants. These events offer guests a valuable opportunity to experience UC San Diego’s vibrant, supportive community, while allowing departments to connect early with future Tritons, answer questions, and showcase why our campus is the perfect fit for them. 

Department Participation Opportunities: 

All departments are encouraged to participate in both events. The participation form is now open until Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Please note that late submissions will not be accepted, so be sure to register before the deadline. If you have any questions before submitting, contact tritondays@ucsd.edu. 

Interested in individual volunteering? 
Volunteer roles include event setup, assisting attendees, and supporting behind the scenes. 
Volunteer sign-up form 

For the third year, the UC San Diego Library is serving as a community partner for this important cultural and educational program, offering half-price admission to more than 70 participating institutions in San Diego County, including museums, historic sites, gardens, aquariums and more. Beginning Jan. 28, free Museum Month passes are available for pickup at the Front Desks in Geisel Library and Sally T. WongAvery Library during each building’s open hours.  

Saturday, Feb. 7, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. 

Join Love Your Wetlands Day at UC San Diego’s Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve in Mission Bay. This annual event is co-hosted by UC San Diego Natural Reserve System and the San Diego Bird Alliance in partnership with the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve and the City of San Diego. 

UC Love Data Week is a week-long offering for the UC community of more than 20 presentations and workshops focused on data access, management, security, sharing, and preservation. Each day, UC San Diego Library will share a data-related resource available to the UC San Diego community on its news center. 

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, 5:30–7:30 p.m. 
Discussion and Reception | Geisel Library, Seuss Room 

The Director of UC San Diego’s Academic Integrity Office and Triton Testing Center joins UC San Diego Library for a discussion about her latest book, “The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for Integrity in the Age of A.I.” Tricia Bertram Gallant will explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping teaching, learning, work, and connection, and share strategies for fostering integrity, trust, and human creativity in classrooms and daily life. 

Registration is free and required, RSVP by February 18. 

For questions, contact ucsdlibrary@ucsd.edu. 

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 
9:30 – 11 a.m. via Zoom  

Registration is open for the annual Future of Academic Affairs Forum – an opportunity to share your input and hear about some of the established initiatives that are an investment in the collective future of Academic Affairs. All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend. 

These outstanding undergraduate seminar programs contribute to UC San Diego’s undergraduate mission by expanding undergraduate education offerings. 

The First-year Seminar Program creates a unique classroom environment for incoming students to engage in intellectual discussions with faculty and peers in a small, supportive class setting. The Senior Seminars have a small, informal class setting that promotes exploration of advanced topics and fosters an ideal learning environment for polishing critical thinking and analytical skills. 

Eligible faculty will receive a $1,500 research payment (not as salary, but as funding available to support various academic expenses including research, travel, and supplies) for teaching either a one-unit First-year Seminar or a one-unit Senior Seminar. (Please note that a department may only offer Senior Seminars if it also offers at least two First-year Seminars.) The $1,500 research payment is only provided with a minimum enrollment of 10 students. 

You are encouraged to offer fall seminars, the time of highest demand for incoming students. The due date for proposal submissions for Fall Quarter 2026 First-year and Senior Seminars is Friday, February 20, 2026. 

For any questions, please contact John Moore, Dean of Undergraduate Education or April Burcham. 

Monday, Feb. 2, 12:00 p.m. via Zoom 

If you’ve recently received tenure, you may be wondering “what happens next?” Designed for midcareer faculty building and thinking about their career trajectory, this first in a two-part virtual series will review shifts in roles, responsibilities and expectations of tenured faculty. Also discussed: leveraging professional development and leadership opportunities, UC San Diego policies on promotion and advancement, and available resources for retentions, accelerations and career equity review. Part 2 will be scheduled for the Spring Quarter. 

Faculty Mentor Program 
Faculty-mentored research programs for undergraduates are always in need of faculty mentors - if you are looking for undergraduates to help with your research, please contact ugresearch@ucsd.edu and encourage students to apply to the programs. 

Mentor Database 
Please register for URH's faculty mentor database if you would like to support undergraduates interested in research. 

Campus partners are invited to submit proposals for remote or in-person workshops for Summer Bridge Pathways that align with the intended track outcomes. Cross-departmental collaboration is strongly encouraged to maximize time, resources, and workshop depth.  

Pathways: 

• Identity Discovery: Identity development, student agency, and intersectional advocacy 
• STEMming Equity: Connecting STEM with justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) 
• Career Pathway: Supporting undeclared students and those exploring non-traditional career paths

Join the Summer Bridge First Bloom event to hear about the upcoming program and begin planning together. Two session dates are offered with the same information presented. 

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 12:30-1:30 p.m. 
Location: Student Center Dolores Huerta and Philip Vera Cruz  

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 1-2 p.m. | Virtual on Zoom 

More information to come on the submission process. For any questions, please contact Andre Thompson, Summer Bridge Assistant Coordinator.

A new, one-year pilot fund sponsored by the UC Libraries has been established to cover the cost of open access (OA) publishing for early-career authors in arts and humanities journals not included in UC’s existing open access publishing agreements. This new OA publishing fund supports early-career (pre-tenure) faculty, postdoctoral researchers, non-academic staff, graduate students, undergraduate students, and other non-tenured early-career authors in the arts and humanities disciplines.

More information about the fund, including its eligibility criteria and application process, is available online. 

Choose from a variety of interactive workshops focusing on unique Library resources and services, from research tools to digital collections. All instructional workshops are open to UC San Diego students, staff, and faculty. 

Have a workshop idea? Email ucsdlibrary@ucsd.edu. Instructors can also request library instruction for their classes. 

The University of California Office of the President has announced the 2025-26 Request for Proposals for the UC Historically Black Colleges and Universities (UC-HBCU) Initiative. This systemwide initiative supports UC faculty interested in collaborating with faculty and students at HBCUs. UC faculty grants are available to support HBCU students conducting summer research with faculty at UC San Diego.  

Since 2012, UC has hosted more than 1,000 HBCU scholars across its ten campuses. As a result of this initiative, 75 HBCU scholars are currently enrolled in UC Ph.D. programs and 54 have already earned their doctoral degrees. Of these graduates, 11 have secured tenure-track positions in the professoriate, including six at California institutions — three of whom are at a UC. 

The Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) welcomes collaborative planning discussions with proposal writers whose plans may involve the possible leveraging of the Summer Training Academy for Research Success (STARS) program. 

Proposals are due Monday, March 16, 2026, at Noon (PST), and awards will be announced in July 2026. Details of the call for proposals and a helpful tutorial for interested faculty can be found on the UC-HBCU website. 

For any questions, please contact GEPA OAR² Director Angeline Yang. 

Many UC San Diego students receive federally funded Work-Study awards as part of their financial aid package. Work-Study is a federal student aid program that funds part-time job opportunities for undergraduate students. All Work-Study jobs are intended to be part-time opportunities that pay at least minimum wage. The program provides funding to colleges and universities, which then use the funds to pay a portion of the wages earned by Work-Study students. 

The funding model is a 50/50 split where 50% of the wages are funded through Federal funds, and 50% are funded through a department’s operational funds for student employment. By utilizing Work-Study students, departments can stretch their operational budget by leveraging Work-Study to fund 50% of the student wages. Per financial aid awarding policy, Work-Study is available during the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. Work-Study funding is generally not available for the Summer. 

For any questions, email the Student Employment Office. 

The Student Employment Office and the Teaching and Learning Commons’ Experiential Learning team have partnered to ensure that all UC San Diego casual/restricted student employment positions are fully represented in the Co-Curricular Record (CCR) catalogue by the end of AY 2025-2026. 

Contact the project managers to check your department’s participation status: Helen Stapleton or Laszlo Folks

The new REAL Portal is live: a one-stop platform for all Commons experiential learning (EL) opportunities. The REAL Portal includes all research, experiential and applied learning opportunities from across campus, both paid and unpaid positions.

UC San Diego affiliated organizations can post opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to apply to directly in the portal. Students, faculty, and staff can search by EL opportunity type or EL program (academic internships, CCR, and campus opportunities). 

For any questions, contact the Experiential Learning team. 

Testing, Demos, Training Preparation and Sustaining Focus 

Testing: 
As development and testing continue, the implementation team is actively validating TSS functionality across key processes. This work helps identify and resolve issues early, ensuring the system is stable and ready to support students, faculty, and staff at launch. 

Demos: 
Throughout 2025, the implementation team hosted a series of well-attended TSS system demos, giving faculty and staff early visibility into key functionality and future user experience. These sessions covered student self-service, enrollment, grading, and scheduling, and included opportunities for questions and discussion.  
 
TSS System Demo Recordings: 
Student Experience 1 (Oct. 30) – Recording & Slides 
Student Experience 2 (Nov. 18) – Recording & Slides 
Grading (Dec. 11) – Recording & Slides 
Division of Extended Studies (DES) Scheduling (Dec. 18) – Recording & Slides 

Future demos are being planned, and your input is welcome: TSS Demo Topic Suggestions Form. 

Content Inventory & Training Preparation: 
Your help will ensure materials and training reflect how work is done across UC San Diego. Your input will directly support the development of clear, accurate, and up-to-date training resources for faculty, staff, and students at launch: 

Sustaining Focus: 
Important: Please review the recent Campus Notice from EVC Simmons and Interim CIO Kevin Chou, which reiterates the importance of maintaining stability, protecting key project resources, and supporting the final phases of the TSS implementation. 

For any questions, contact esr-student@ucsd.edu. 

The Hub Basic Needs Center provides Food Security Resources, Housing Resources, and Financial Wellness services to undergraduate and graduate students.

Food insecurity remains a critical issue for college students nationwide and 2024 UCUES data showed that 51% of UC San Diego undergraduate students report facing food insecurity - threatening their wellbeing and academic success! But CalFresh, a state program that awards up to $298 a month for groceries, can help! More than 50% of UC San Diego students are CalFresh eligible, and ~60% of students enrolled receive more than $200 monthly. 

You can help by joining the many instructors who are including food support information in their student-facing communications, such as class syllabi, Canvas pages and slides. Use the resource downloads on the Collective Impact website. 

• USS Interactive Guidebook: On and off-campus resources

• USS Questions & Concerns from our Students

• What to Do What to Say (in English and Spanish): Quick guide on how campus employees can respond to a warrant, subpoena or request for confidential student or staff information. 

Have a student who seems distressed? For support, you can contact Triton CORE, a Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Program.  

HOW TO REACH THEM: 
Triton CORE is available Monday – Friday, from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Call UC San Diego Police Department’s (UCPD) non-emergency line at 858-534-HELP (4357) and ask to speak with Triton CORE. 

To schedule a TRITON CORE presentation for your team, email tritoncore@ucsd.edu 

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) introduces Triton Lighthouse: Immersive Care Program, a new campus-based initiative providing comprehensive support for UC San Diego students navigating mental health challenges. 

This short-term program offers individualized treatment plans with a range of services: skill-based workshops, therapy, case management, community activities, psychiatric support, and digital resources. Referrals are welcome. 

• BIPOC Support Group 
• Black Community Support Group 
• First-Generation Professionals (FGPs) 
• Mindful Pause (Mindfulness Meditation Group) 
• Neurodivergent Support Groups 
• Parent and Caregiver Support Groups 
• Tritons Flourish
• Working Parents Support Groups