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     May 29, 2025

   Vol. 6, No. 5       

A publication from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor

Dear Colleagues, 

In challenging times, collaborative thinking can help us find a way forward. Across our UC San Diego community, there are many inspiring examples of creative teams coming together to rethink how we work and how we support our shared mission. I’d like to celebrate a few of these examples:  

I’m proud of everyone throughout the university who is contributing to these ways of strengthening UC San Diego so we can achieve our common academic goals together! This collaborative work takes effort – but we can already see that effort making a tangible difference.  

Please write me to share any other efficient solutions or helpful partnerships that your department or team has found. Our effective collaboration will support the success of our university and every student, and I look forward to seeing this momentum continue to grow.  

Sincerely, 

Elizabeth H. Simmons 

This May, UC San Diego is honoring the history, culture and achievements of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.   

Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month, honoring the profound contributions of Jewish Americans. 

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, an opportunity to remind our Triton community of UC San Diego’s comprehensive programs, counseling and support resources to help students, faculty and staff flourish. 

Celebrating 25 Years of The Preuss School UC San Diego: A unique charter middle and high school for low-income scholars who strive to become the first in their families to graduate from college. Located on the UC San Diego campus, nearly 100% of graduates of The Preuss School go on to higher education.

Keynote Speaker 
Six-Time IRONMAN World Champion, Author and UC San Diego Alumnus Mark Allen ‘80 will serve as the keynote speaker at the 2025 All Campus Commencement ceremony. 

See the Commencement 2025 Schedule at commencement.ucsd.edu 

Registration 
Registration is open for all commencement ceremonies, including All Campus Commencement on Saturday, June 14, from 7 to 9 p.m. at RIMAC Field.  

Graduating students and their families deeply appreciate the presence of faculty and staff as you have played a pivotal role in the students’ collegiate experience. You are encouraged to participate in as many ceremonies as possible. 

Faculty registration closes on Thursday, May 30, 2025. Please register ASAP on the Faculty Commencement website.  

Monday, June 2, 3:30–6:30 p.m.  
Town Square 

Join hundreds of Tritons for an intercultural meal at a 300-foot-long table on Library Walk while enjoying live entertainment, activities, and engaging conversation to strengthen an atmosphere of belonging. 

Before the event, the Craft Center will host opportunities to decorate tablecloths that will be assembled as a final tapestry representing our diverse campus and collective values. 

UC San Diego will explore what the Juneteenth holiday means for Americans, celebrate Black excellence, and center ways in which all communities can observe, reflect, and educate in commemoration. 

Join the 5th Annual Juneteenth Celebration hosted by the UC San Diego Black Staff Association:
Tuesday, June 17, 2025, 2–4 p.m. at the Great Hall 

Registration is required. A complimentary meal will be provided for the first 200 registrants. 

The BioScholars Program at UC San Diego, with the university’s PPE Distribution Program and UC San Diego Library, is collecting gently used Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  

Everything from lab coats to safety goggles will be collected May 27 - June 8 at Geisel Library, WongAvery Library and Chemistry Student Affairs.

Advocate to preserve funding for scientific research with the UCOP advocacy campaign 

• Join the UC Advocacy Network and help protect life-saving research by contacting your representatives. 

• Use this toolkit to raise awareness on your social media and share your story about the impact of NIH-funded research. You can also invite others to join the campaign. 

Share any media inquiries with your unit’s media contact or marcom@ucsd.edu. 

Training and Support for Behind Every Breakthrough Campaign 
The UC San Diego Behind Every Breakthrough (BEB) campaign communicates the value of research to key audiences. Faculty and researchers can support the campaign by creating short videos and presentations that highlight the vital importance of scientific funding. 

Individual training:  
To support faculty/researchers speaking about their research and impacts from funding cuts, RCP offers flexible, individual coaching sessions (zoom or in-person) ahead of BEB video recording sessions or presentations.  
Sign up for training 

Research Communication Program (BEB) Workshop:  
Honing Your Presentation Skills to Reach Critical Audiences 
Wednesday, June 11, 12 – 2 p.m. 
(Two-hour Zoom workshop; open to all) 

Register to learn how to clearly and convincingly describe your research and communicate the value of science support. 

New Commons Service Hours: 
Monday and Wednesday: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. 
Tuesday and Thursday: 10:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. 
Friday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

The new service hours reflect historical usage rates. 

For schedules and appointments for Supplemental Instruction (SI), Content Tutoring, Writing and Communication, and Experiential Learning, please visit commons.ucsd.edu 

For any questions, please contact David Ruiter at druiter@ucsd.edu. 

Students can stay on track to on-time graduation and save money by taking classes in Summer Session. Courses are available online and in-person and financial aid can often be used to pay for 6+ units. All UC undergraduate students pay the same tuition rate in the Summer regardless of their status of out of state, non-residential, or international.

Please encourage students to consider taking Summer Session courses.

They can view the schedule, available classes and apply online at summersession.ucsd.edu

A Senate-Administration Workgroup produced a report in August 2024 with five key recommendations for how UC San Diego can adapt to the impact of GenAI on education:  

1. Integrate AI literacy into the curriculum 
2. Establish a permanent Senate-Admin AI in Education Committee and AI Teaching Leaders within the faculty 
3. Protect academic integrity by providing clear guidelines on GenAI use in coursework 
4. Offer comprehensive training and support to instructors to help them adapt their teaching methods 
5. Implement continuous monitoring and improvement 

The Senate Council endorses the report and looks forward to advancing these recommendations.  

Revelle Medal nominations are now open, the highest honor given by the Chancellor to a retired or emeriti UC San Diego faculty member. The award recognizes sustained, distinguished and extraordinary service to the campus, and honors a record of accomplishment that advances the UC San Diego mission of exceptional teaching, research, service and patient care. 

Nominations are open to all retired or emeriti UC San Diego faculty members who have made significant campus contributions. 

Nominations due: Friday, June 6, 2025.

June 4, 2025, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute, Room 217 or 255 

Join the Teaching and Learning Commons for a collaborative community exploring AI in education. 

Announcing the 2nd Annual Student Centeredness Awards, celebrating individuals who exemplify unwavering dedication to UC San Diego students, presented by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life, Associated Students and the Graduate and Professional Student Association. All currently active UC San Diego community members are eligible, including (but not limited to): students, employees, academics, visiting graduates or scholars, alumni and departments/organizational units. 

The nomination form is now open until June 6, 2025. SSO is required to submit a nomination. 

Congratulations to the 2025 Academic Advising Award Winners, recognized for their dedication and student-centered innovation: 

• Advising JEDI Champion Award: Mya Hines (Muir College) 
• Community Partnership Award: Sierra Rios (Marshall College) 
• Innovation in Advising Award: Cami Koepke (Philosophy) 
• Keystone of Advising Award: Kumi Obayashi-Ward (Japanese Studies) and Alyssa Patricio (Muir College) 
• Staff Leadership and Mentorship Award: Veronica Abreu (Revelle College) and Thanh Maxwell (Cognitive Science) 

As part of the Secure Connect program, all faculty, staff, and student employees must complete the required Cybersecurity Awareness Training to maintain system access using campus Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication. The training is approximately 35 minutes long and available on-demand online. 

To remain compliant and maintain access to systems requiring SSO: 
• If training is over 30 days past due → Your access will be denied until you complete the training. A link to the training will be provided when attempting to login via SSO. 
• If training is less than 30 days past due → You will receive messaging to complete the training before system access is denied due to non-compliance. 
• Avoid access disruptions by completing training before your due date each year. 

Important Note for Health Science Users: 
Access to clinical applications will not be impacted unless using campus Single Sign-On. 

Required for many research endeavors, several UC San Diego units offer services that can assist with research project design and independent assessments. Please visit these sites if looking for these services:  

The Center for Research and Evaluation (CR+E) at the UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies 

UC San Diego CREATE: Center for Research on Education, Assessment and Teaching Excellence 

Case Management Services is hosting “Creating a Culture of Care: Supporting Students in Distress” training. The interactive training will assist faculty and staff in recognizing and supporting students in distress – students whose academic progress or functioning in the university environment is adversely affected due to a number of factors impacting their well-being and/or the well-being of others.  
 
This is excellent training for staff or faculty that have high student interactions. 

Thursday, June 5, 2025 | 9 - 10:30 a.m. (IN-PERSON) 
Register on the UC Learning Center, search keyword “Students in Distress.” 
For more information, please contact Chrystian Smith at cas014@ucsd.edu. 

The Hub Basic Needs Center provides Food Security Resources, Housing Resources, and Financial Wellness services to undergraduate and graduate students. Food security resources include the Triton Food Pantry, CalFresh, Food Recovery Network, and Grocery Shuttle. 

Food insecurity is 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 $292 a month for groceries can help! More than 50% of UC San Diego students are CalFresh eligible and 60% of students enrolled receive over $200 a month for food. 

You can help by including food support information in your student-facing communications such as class syllabi, Canvas and slides. View resource downloads for this use on the Collective Impact website. 

• USS Interactive Guidebook: On and off-campus resources, tools and information 

• USS Questions & Concerns from our Students: FAQs and resources to support students impacted by ongoing policy changes.  

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

Have you ever had a student who seemed visibly distressed? Or received an email from a student expressing emotional struggles? For support, you can turn to Triton CORE, a Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Program.  

This team of licensed mental health professionals can meet with students experiencing a behavioral health crisis anywhere on campus. Whether students are dealing with thoughts of harming themselves or others, significant behavior changes (like isolation, neglecting basic needs, or a sudden drop in grades/class attendance), or emotional distress, Triton CORE can provide support. 

Students can also meet with clinicians at CAPS Urgent Care (Galbraith Hall, RM 190) from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. If a student can’t utilize that resource, Triton CORE can provide immediate, on-campus support, including a comprehensive mental health evaluation, safety planning, and coordination of care. The team offers a person-centered, trauma-informed approach, focusing on understanding each student’s unique mental health, case management, and cultural needs. If necessary, Triton CORE can also transport students to a higher level of care, such as an emergency department or crisis stabilization unit.  

HOW TO REACH THEM: 
Available Monday through 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, email tritoncore@ucsd.edu 

• 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