Greetings!
Welcome to the Academic Affairs newsletter. Browse updates and announcements, connect to tips and resources, and check out stories from around campus.
Message from EVC Simmons
Dear Colleagues,

Congratulations on bringing the 2020-21 academic year to a successful conclusion!

On Monday, June 28th, the UC will officially celebrate Juneteenth for the first time.  Declared a new federal holiday earlier this month, Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States by commemorating the day (June 19th, 1865) when enslaved people in Texas learned that they were free, due to the Emancipation Proclamation that had been signed into law two and a half years earlier.  More background about Junteenth is available on the website of the National Museum of African American History & Culture.  

The establishment of this new federal and university holiday is a reminder about the need for us all  to be active participants in promoting a more anti-racist society and a more inclusive university community.  I wanted to mention several resources available to assist in this kind of self-reflection:


On the practical side, as various campus notices and emails have explained, the university will not be holding classes or meetings on June 28th and administrative offices will be closed.  Summer session instructors are encouraged to use remote/asynchronous means in mitigating the impact of the schedule change.  Other deadlines and key dates in summer session will remain unchanged, as listed in the Summer Session calendar.  

Wishing you all a relaxing weekend, a joyful Juneteenth holiday, and a less hectic summer!

Best regards,

Elizabeth H. Simmons
Academic Advancement in the Wake of COVID

The Senate-Administration Workgroup charged in Spring 2021 with assessing the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the research, teaching, and service missions of UC San Diego faculty recently released its report.  Senate and administrative leaders are in the process of reviewing the report, and information is forthcoming about how the report findings may be implemented. We anticipate revisiting this important topic over time as the impacts of the pandemic continue to evolve.
Supporting Students with Dependents

The UC Parenting Workgroup recently released its report that identifies strategic goals, recommendations, and next steps related to a number of issues facing this student population. 

Student Affairs also recently revamped its Students with Dependents website, including information about assistance resources, priority enrollment, and more. 

Creating a Culture of Care

Case Management Services will be facilitating three upcoming virtual trainings for “Creating a Culture of Care: Supporting Students in Distress." This free and interactive training is designed to assist faculty and staff in recognizing and supporting students in distress. What is a student in distress? A student whose academic progress or functioning in the university environment is adversely affected due to a number of indicators that are impacting their well-being and/or the well-being of others. This is an excellent training for any staff or faculty member that interacts regularly with students. 

Register on the UC Learning Center and search keyword “Students in Distress”
For more information, please contact dgo@ucsd.edu
California community college transfer students face...

Too few California community college students are transferring to universities and those that do face roadblocks to earning their bachelor's in four years. A new report describes a complex statewide transfer system that can prolong and...

Read more
edsource.org
Upcoming Return to Learn Town Halls
Please note that the June 28 researcher & faculty town hall is canceled.

Visit the Return to Learn website to register for upcoming virtual town halls and view information from previous sessions.  Follow the links below to register for upcoming town halls. 

We will continue to have town halls throughout the summer, including combined sessions for faculty and researchers. Please be sure to check the Return to Learn website for dates.
Faculty Leadership in Diversity Grant

Are you interested in advancing diversity and equity? Is there a conference, workshop, or other opportunity that would enhance your leadership skills in EDI? FDI offers small grants of $500 to $3,000 to support faculty who want to transform their knowledge around diversity into strategic action. Allowable costs include professional coaching, conference or workshop fees; and applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Library Re-Opening

Beginning Tuesday, June 29, Geisel Library’s 1st and 2nd Floors West will be open Sunday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. At least 300 study seats, including computers, will be available for individual study, and reservations will not be required. No library services will be provided at this time, and there will be no access to group study rooms or the collections. Currently-enrolled UC San Diego students, including UC San Diego Extension students, faculty and staff may utilize the space. Building capacity can be viewed in real-time via the Library homepage, the Library hours page, and the Waitz app.  Learn more.
Return to Campus Series

Human Resources and ITS are excited to share the Return to Campus series for managers and supervisors. Through workshops and interactive sessions, participants will learn topics related to enhancing connections among current and new staff, adapting supervisory skills to effectively manage remote and hybrid environments, and identifying the communication and collaboration tools that work best for your team. Learn more.
Women's Leadership in Higher Education:
Global Opportunity, Global Challenge

Higher education remains highly unequal in terms of gender in almost every country in the world - this is particularly pronounced in the area of leadership. Join ACE's Assistant Vice President for Learning and Engagement Robin Helms in an upcoming webinar that will discuss specific barriers and opportunities facing aspiring women leaders in a number of different geographic contexts. The free July 6 event will be co-hosted by Boston College Center for International Higher Education and the Center for International Higher Education. Learn more.
2021 CSU/UC Event Professionals Network Conference - Registration Now Open!

In lieu of the annual in-person CSU Event Professionals Conference, we’ve decided to return to a virtual format! Join us for your chance to learn, brainstorm, problem solve, mix and mingle with your colleagues throughout California. We’re offering our usual conference programming in a new format: providing a series of webinars over four weeks, one session per week, two hours per day! Join us for one or all of the sessions and re-live the experience through our recordings library. Membership in the CSU Event Professionals Network is open to staff within the CSU, UC, and private higher educational institutions in California.  Learn more.
Persistence Pays Off

Thousands of graduates and their guests streamed into RIMAC Field and Triton Track this past weekend to celebrate Commencement. The long-anticipated event was a chance for students to reconnect with classmates outside the virtual world and revel...

Read more
ucsdnews.ucsd.edu
Social Justice as Part of the Remedy for What Ails Us

The newest center within the T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion at UC San Diego will have that focus, created to identify, understand and resolve social justice issues in health care that primarily affect racial and ethnic...

Read more
ucsdnews.ucsd.edu
Have an idea for our newsletter? We'd love to hear from you!