View in browser

Congrats to our DSA Staff and Partner Awards Recipients; AVC Area Updates; and more

November 9, 2023

It was such a treat to get to see so many of you last week, as we celebrated your collective good work at the Third Annual Student Affairs Staff Awards on Oct. 31.

I don’t take these opportunities for granted: getting to share an excellent breakfast; honoring our colleagues and partners who positively impact the student experience; and catching up with many of you to hear how you are doing, what your kiddos or fur babies will be wearing for trick-or-treating, and what keeps you up at night.

If you weren’t able to attend this year’s ceremony, please take a moment to join us in celebrating the 2023 honorees and view some awesome photos – courtesy of our partners in University Communications – in the next section of today’s message.

I also hope you’ll join us this afternoon in the Student Center Courtyard for the Student Veterans Resource Center’s 10-year anniversary. Please feel free to stop by from 3 - 6 p.m. to celebrate their decade of support for UC San Diego’s student veterans.

During Native American Heritage Month each November, UC San Diego honors the rich cultures, traditions and histories of Native people while recognizing the important contributions they continue to make on our campus and in our community. Faculty, staff and students are invited to take part in festivities throughout the month, which include a kickoff event, film screenings, craft workshop, student-initiated programs, and more.

Finally, I want to leave you with this reminder I shared at our Staff Awards celebration last week:

Please be kind, respectful, and patient with yourselves and one another. We have not even begun to fully understand and process the impacts that the pandemic has had on our lives and communities, let alone make sense of the many tragedies that have taken place both at home and abroad.

As Chancellor Khosla articulated earlier this week in his poignant, heartfelt Campus Notice, it is more crucial now than ever that we remain committed to our university’s core values of respect and support for fellow members of the Triton community.

Each of us has commitments, loved ones, challenges, and hopes that exist outside of our jobs – let’s keep our work in perspective, and communicate with one another with care, respect and compassion.

Last week’s third annual Student Affairs Staff Awards offered a much-needed space to rejoice in our shared humanity, have some fun, and recognize our colleagues’ collective efforts in support of student centeredness at UC San Diego.

Please join me in congratulating the 2023 Student Affairs Staff Awards honorees:

Nic Alonzo, Campus Events
Andra Jacques, Global Initiatives

Jay Minert, Study Abroad
Berenice Jau, OASIS
Outback Adventures, Recreation

Triton CORE Team
Tiffany Healy, Recreation

Charity Anderson, Athletics
SRS Strategic Plan Team

Silvia Marquez, Financial Aid and Scholarships
Cat Lettieri, College Corps

Undergraduate Research Hub
Juanita Razo Dueñas, Student Success Programs
NPHC Plaza Development Team

For a list of our 2021 and 2022 awardees, please visit the Past Recipients section of the Staff Awards website.

Calling all UC San Diego students and community members!

As campus continues to undergo a period of unprecedented expansion in support of our students’ living, learning, and working environments, we want to ensure that students’ voices, ideas and experiences are taken into account while we plan future student facilities and programs.

We’re kicking this endeavor off by way of a student-majority “charrette” – on Nov. 16 from 5 - 9 p.m. in the Price Center East Ballroom – during which students will be invited to share their insights with a team of architects and planners so that future projects reflect the evolving needs of UC San Diego’s students and community members.

Free food will be provided. Please encourage students to RSVP at: tinyurl.com/ucsdcharrette

As part of our monthly communications to the division of Student Affairs, we are excited to share quarterly updates and relevant information from our Assistant Vice Chancellors.

AVC John Hughes

Mandatory Training Compliance Reminder
All UC San Diego employees are required to take online trainings via the UC Learning Center within 30 days of hire and renew them regularly, including the Cyber Security Awareness, Sexual Violence Prevention, and Ethical Values and Conduct courses.

New for this year, UC has launched a system-wide required training on Abusive Conduct in the Workplace, in support of President Drake’s policy on Abusive Conduct, effective January 2023.

Based on individual requirements, you’ll receive automated assignment emails and reminders from the UC Learning Center with information about required courses and relevant due dates for training. If you supervise student employees, please ensure that they have also completed their mandatory trainings.

Your proactive completion of these trainings is critical in helping our division and UC San Diego achieve 100% participation, not only for the purpose of compliance and auditing, but more importantly to foster a healthy, positive, and supportive workplace. If you’d like to check your status on compliance courses, please login to UCLearning.ucsd.edu.

AVC Maruth Figueroa

Chancellor’s Associates Scholarship Program (CASP)
The CASP team recently completed a move to their new home on the third floor of Center Hall, and welcomed more than 350 students into the program for the 2023-24 academic year.

CASP will celebrate their 10-year anniversary in 2024, and continues to strive to provide individualized support as the program expands for both current students and alumni.

Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS)
A number of firsts have taken place in OASIS including:

“Bridge to Hope” – an outreach initiative designed to increase student participation and strengthen community among foster youth at UC San Diego – launched as part of the HOPE Scholars program.

Triton Underground Scholars recently launched their inaugural Summer Research Program in partnership with the Undergraduate Research Hub (URH), which provides students with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and exposure to academic research, while receiving mentorship and motivation to further their potential and success as undergraduates.

Online Student Experience (OSE)
OSE is excited to share that their new Online Student Experience website is now live! The website provides resources, online education information, and mentoring opportunities for fully online, hybrid, and in-person students. 

The Mentoring for All team has created a dedicated social media account, @ucsdmentoringforall on Instagram. To submit a request for your event to be shared with students, please email mentoring@ucsd.edu.

Student Success Programs (SSP)
SSP is excited to announce that Angelica Escobar has joined the team as the inaugural Undocumented Student Services (USS) Paralegal. In this role, Angelica will work closely with the USS Immigration Staff Attorney to provide education and more robust legal services to support undocumented students and their families.

The USS team also embarked on a big move recently, relocating to a new space in the Student Services Center’s fifth floor.

The Student Veteran Resource Center (SVRC) hosted their largest-ever Military-Connected Graduation with more than 100 attendees this past June, and – as you learned above – recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary.

Undergraduate Research Hub (URH)
URH recently hosted the 2023 Summer Research Conference, which is the region’s largest of its kind, open to undergraduates in all academic fields who are conducting faculty-mentored summer research. More than 400 undergraduates from 55 colleges and universities presented this year, representing community colleges, public, and private institutions.

Later this year, URH will celebrate 10 years of the Triton Research and Experiential Learning Scholars (TRELS) program, where – under the guidance of a UC San Diego faculty member – students conduct research, complete artistic or creative projects, or participate in public service opportunities.

AVC Patty Mahaffey

Center for Student Involvement
In July 2023, the Triton Community Leadership Institute (TCLI) summer program welcomed more than 60 incoming, first-year, first-generation students – all of whom will participate in mentoring and programming throughout their first year.

UC San Diego officially unveiled the NPHC Plaza in October, which will serve as a community building space, providing a new, dedicated location for step shows, membership reveals, and other council traditions. Additionally, the team launched a fund to support leadership and council development within the National Pan-Hellenic Council Chapter at UC San Diego.

University Centers
Speaking of plazas, the revitalization of Price Center West’s indoor and outdoor dining commons is nearing completion!

Price Center West has undergone renovations to more than 7,000 square feet of the interior food court, including common dining space, restrooms, and access between Price Center West and East. Renovations to approximately 25,000 square feet of the exterior plaza have focused on improvements to circulation, storm water treatment, landscaping, and a beautiful new canopy structure for an enhanced outdoor dining experience.

AVC Piya Bose

Renaming the Office of Student Conduct
Earlier this Fall, the Office of Student Conduct was officially renamed the Center for Student Accountability, Growth, and Education (SAGE). The name change reflects the team’s expanded functions (student conduct, student compliance, and restorative justice), while further focusing on the importance of accountability, growth, and education throughout these functions.

Triton Time: Professional Development Series
As a reminder, the Student Affairs Professional Development Committee offers weekly Triton Time programming on Thursdays from 10 - 11 a.m.

Triton Time is designed to support staff in both their personal and professional growth, with upcoming topics including: Creating an Undocu-serving and Undoc-friendly Environment; Fulbright Opportunities for Faculty and Staff; and more. View the schedule and check out previous session recordings at TritonTime.ucsd.edu.

AVC Tamara Cunningham

People everywhere are experiencing challenging times. We need only remember those impacted by world wars, earthquakes, floods, mass shootings and the like to center ourselves in expressions of gratitude, understanding, compassion, and grace. Global Initiatives has been working alongside divisional colleagues to support students, scholars, faculty and staff during these difficult times.

Next week, the 19th annual International Education Week (IEW) will focus on the value of people-to-people exchanges in peacebuilding, policy, and research; to celebrate the beauty of culture, tradition, and language; and to promote access to global learning opportunities for all.  We encourage you to join the IEW events from Nov. 13-17.

Nov. 13-17, 2023

International Education Week (IEW) is returning to UC San Diego for the 19th consecutive year. IEW, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, is an international campaign celebrating the benefits of international education and exchange.

From Nov. 13-17, Global Initiatives will join units and departments throughout the university in hosting a wide array of programs, activities and events open to the entire UC San Diego community, showcasing our diverse and internationalized university.

Dec. 12, 2023

I look forward to seeing you all for the sixth annual Student Affairs Professional Development Day on Dec. 12, which will be followed by our annual VCSA Holiday Celebration at the Epstein Family Amphitheater.

Please mark your calendars, and be on the lookout for calendar invites in the coming weeks.

Jan. 13-14, 2024

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade and Day of Service Committee would like to invite staff, faculty and students to join UC San Diego in the campus traditions of serving our local community and marching in the 42nd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade!

Day of Service - Saturday, January 13
Location Information to be Announced Soon
Work alongside students, faculty, staff, and community members to make improvements at a local K-12 school.

Parade - Sunday, January 14
Downtown San Diego
The UC San Diego contingent will include a float, university spirit groups, students, staff and faculty. Colleges, departments and organizations are encouraged to showcase their own banners and signage as we march together.

More information will be available in the coming weeks at http://mlkday.ucsd.edu.

Thank you for all you do to advance student centeredness at UC San Diego, and please let me know if you would like to take a walk on campus, grab a cup of coffee together, or hop on a Zoom to connect – just send me an email at vcsa@ucsd.edu.

Be Well,

Alysson
---
Alysson M. Satterlund
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs