View in browser

     October 23, 2025

   Vol. 6, No. 9       

A publication from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor

Dear Colleagues, 

Your unwavering commitment to advancing our institution’s education and research mission keeps our entire campus community strong and vital, especially in complex and uncertain times. I want to extend my deepest appreciation for your continued dedication, innovation, and resilience. 

We do have some encouraging news that I hope will keep our momentum going. Our Fall undergraduate enrollment census is robust, a crucial indicator of the strength of the undergraduate tuition portion of the university’s budget. This positive data point reflects not only resident and non-resident student demand but also the high quality and relevance of the academic experiences that you all help create. 

Our campus has also welcomed the recent creation of several new departments, programs and majors, including the exciting expansion of the B.S. in Public Health degree to Chula Vista. Likewise, several large grants and gifts have come in to support scholarship across the disciplines; a few recent examples include a $2.5 million Moore Foundation gift to support postdoctoral fellows, a $2.5 million grant to launch the Center for Transparent and Trusted Elections, and a $4 million grant to support Fusion Energy Research.  All of this demonstrates that UC San Diego’s intellectual innovation and vitality continue. 

Our campus administration remains committed to supporting our schools and departments by making external revenue generation more accessible, reducing paperwork, and offering more modern software tools for faculty and staff. Initiatives underway include: 

Summer Session Redesign: A new model is in development to offer more local control over managing enrollments, budgets and course offerings. A pilot opportunity to expand in-person enrollment through international partnerships is also being explored for Summer 2026. Additionally, assistance with developing and submitting proposals for Senate-approved R-courses to capture students’ enduring interest in summer online opportunities is being offered by the Digital Learning team. If you have questions about the Summer Session program, please reach out to Associate Director Lisa Bargabus (lbargabus@ucsd.edu). 

Course Materials Fees: Departments may request course materials fees to support intensive, experiential education and special student learning opportunities. If you have any questions, please reach out to Natida Rojanachaichanin (nrojanachaichanin@ucsd.edu) or AA-FA Finance Director Adam DiProfio (adiprofio@ucsd.edu). 

Progressive Roll-out of TSS Elements: Following the recent roll-out of CourseLeaf, over the next 9 months, new Triton Student System (TSS) tools will be tested with end-users and extensive training will be offered to help with the transition.  This should end the need for many burdensome manual workarounds. For any questions about the project, please reach out to esr-student@ucsd.edu. 

New Anaplan/PIPER Software: This implementation will assist with research portfolio management by streamlining manual projection and forecasting processes. Extensive just-in-time training is being prepared to make this work well for users. If you have questions before then, please contact the training team at piperteam@ucsd.edu. 

AI Educational Tools: Faculty are invited to test out a variety of AI Educational Tools (including some developed locally) for possible application in their classes, so that faculty can focus on what they can uniquely offer students and have time for deeper student engagement. If you have questions about these opportunities, please reach out to ATS Senior Director Dan Suchy (dsuchy@ucsd.edu). 

Simplifying AP Processes: Academic Personnel Services (APS) will be reaching out for departmental input on ideas for the next round of simplifying our Academic Personnel processes to reduce paperwork for everyone. Last year’s input yielded a number of actionable suggestions that have already been implemented. If you have any questions/input, please reach out to Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Personnel, Marianne Liu Beckett (mlbeckett@ucsd.edu). 

Finally, I want to highlight the important Senate-Administration Workgroups (SAWGs) underway this year, bringing much-needed enhancements to our Admissions Processes and Academic Peer Review Processes. We appreciate how the productive partnership between the Senate and Administration  shapes lasting improvements for our campus community. 

And once again, I am deeply grateful for all of your work every day to keep our collective mission moving forward. I look forward to sharing future updates about the great work being done at UC San Diego. 

With much appreciation, 

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! 

November 7-9, 2025 

Celebrate all that makes UC San Diego bold, curious and full of Triton pride. This spirited weekend is for everyone who calls UC San Diego home. From Division I athletics — including men's and women's basketball — to dynamic campus experiences and moments of discovery, the lineup is packed with excitement. 

Signature events:  

A month-long celebration of UC San Diego postdocs: Postdoctoberfest. Download the Postdoctoberfest Zoom background and pick up a Postdoctoberfest button at the GEPA office. 

Advocacy efforts keep our legislators, community members, and others informed and up-to-date on UC San Diego’s initiatives, achievements, and impact. Experts from across the university actively engage in collaborative and coordinated cross-campus efforts. This is integral to the success of our outreach and engagement processes. Visit the UC Advocacy Network site. 

Stand up for UC: Your opportunity to tell the world what makes our community so special and what UC means to you. 

Speak Up for Science: Your opportunity to support funding for science.

UCOP External Relations and Communications:

Thursday, Oct. 23, 2 – 3 p.m. 

Thursday, Nov. 6, 3 - 5 p.m. at Matthews Quad

The new Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood (RWNLLN) houses 2,400 students and features suites, study lounges, wellness spaces, a café and academic classrooms. Instructors who think the new classrooms in RWNLLN might be suitable for their upcoming classes should speak with their Department Class Scheduler and let them know they’d like to request a new RWNLLN classroom for winter quarter classes or beyond. 

View the RWNLLN GA Classroom List for classroom specifications and seat counts. 

The TTC Pepper Canyon Hall location was created primarily as a resource for administering secure accommodated testing and, secondarily, for make-up tests. However, an unanticipated and growing use of the TTC seems to be allowing students to take their tests earlier than the scheduled in-class test for reasons of convenience (e.g., travel) rather than necessity, which has reduced availability for accommodated students, especially during final exam week. Therefore, starting Fall Quarter 2025 there are two new policies: 1) unaccommodated students needing to schedule a make-up exam during finals week will have to wait until week 10 to reserve a seat (to prioritize seats for accommodated students); and 2) make-up tests (finals or otherwise) can only occur after the in-class test has already taken place. Read the full memo. 

You can work with the Computer-Based Testing Facility (CBTF) in Applied Physics and Mathematics (now with more seats) to securely administer all your tests, enabling you to implement frequent mastery-based assessments, allow for flexible testing schedules, give students second chances (i.e., retakes), and/or use class time for more instruction or review. Fall 2025 is already full but reach out to the TTC to use the CBTF in a future quarter. 

Contact TTC for questions or assistance with RegisterBlast scheduling software, PrairieLearn CBTF software, or for a physical tour of TTC locations. 

View the updated Triton Testing Center website: tritontesting.ucsd.edu. 

Submission forms for 2026 UC San Diego Summer Programs are now open. To prepare and share the resources and information needed for these programs, the Summer Planning team is collecting preliminary information.  

For questions, please email Director of Summer Planning, Rocco Fragomeni. 

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 the 2025-2026 academic year.  

You can help by contacting the project managers to check your department’s participation status: Helen Stapleton (hstapleton@ucsd.edu) or Laszlo Folks (lafolks@ucsd.edu)

The newly consolidated REAL Portal is now live: a one-stop platform for all campus-wide experiential learning (EL) opportunities, a single, easy-to-use system. This upgraded portal consolidates the separate Co-Curricular Record (CCR) database, the Academic Internship Program (AIP) InternLink platform, and the original REAL site, providing a streamlined experience for students, staff, and faculty.  Visit the REAL Portal for access details, user guides, and info session dates.

For general inquiries, reach out to Rochelle Smarr (rsmarr@ucsd.edu) or Brian Crie (bcrie@ucsd.edu) for assistance. Contact the Commons Experiential Learning team at elt@ucsd.edu. 

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 
HYBRID: Design Innovation Building, Room 208 or Zoom 

UC San Diego’s Chief Privacy Officer, Pegah Parsi, hosts a Privacy 101 Workshop, ideal for anyone handling personal data, IT professionals, managers, researchers, or any students, faculty, or staff who want to learn how to protect their own data. 

UC San Diego affiliated learners can register on UC Learning Center by Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. to receive course completion credit. 

The public can also register to attend in-person or via Zoom. Contact ucsdprivacy@ucsd.edu for registration assistance. 

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 $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 Say & Do (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 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 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! 

Register for a training on Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 9 - 10:30 a.m. (Hybrid) 

• 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