Hello Carolyn,

Welcome to the Academic Affairs newsletter. Browse updates and announcements, connect to tips and resources, and check out stories from around campus.

New Projects Activate More Free Online Books

The Library is participating in two new projects that bring more than 100,000 scholarly e-books to users. A deal with major European publisher Brill features some 27,000 titles spanning humanities, social sciences, international law and biology, with new titles added to the active pool through April 30, 2024. The Brill corpus features recent and older releases in English and German. Chapter and full book downloads are available on brill.com. The other online initiative offers some 85,000 online books from multiple North American university presses (including Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Chicago, NYU, Stanford, Toronto) plus the major European press De Gruyter. The project runs through August 31, 2023. Chapter and full book downloads are available on degruyter.com. The Brill family and the De Gruyter platform titles are already appearing on UC Library Search.

Save the Date: Division of Extended Studies' Showcase Sept. 21

Mark your calendar to join UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies for a day of discovery, experiencing the services and programs offered to empower collaboration and success. On Sept. 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., at UC San Diego Park & Market, attendees can learn how the Division of Extended Studies can help bring your work and passions to life, create unexpected connections, and amplify your impact. The day’s offerings include a morning, in-person exploration of the state-of-the-art, multilevel, mixed-use Park & Market facility in downtown San Diego. Enjoy a kickoff breakfast, followed by leadership presentations, partner panel discussions, tours, and experiential arts and culture activities. Virtual breakout sessions throughout the afternoon will allow for remote participation, demonstrating successful collaborations that have benefited students, partners, colleagues, and friends in San Diego, throughout California, across the nation, and around the world. The day will be capped off by a musical performance with Park & Market’s acclaimed Intersections Concert Series.  

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION UPDATE: Triton Addressing Initiative Underway

In future Academic Affairs Newsletters, we will be offering periodic updates from various EVC unit leaders. This is the first spotlight on finance and administration information from Associate Vice Chancellor Marie Carter-Dubois:

The UC San Diego main campus is shifting from using 9500 Gilman Drive as the only official address to adopting a more standardized addressing model, like what you’d find in a town or community of a similar size to our campus. The Triton Addressing Initiative aims to identify individual addresses and help people find buildings and landmarks more easily by improving campus signage. Facilities Management began installing building addresses in December 2022 and anticipates completion in December 2024. For deliveries, given the tremendous construction activity on campus, you are strongly encouraged to review information on the RMP website, locate your building address, and review recommendations on the Receiving and Distribution Blink page.  

Revelle Medal Nomination Deadline August 11

The Revelle Medal is the highest honor given by the Chancellor to a retired or emeriti UC San Diego faculty member. The Revelle Medal recognizes sustained, distinguished and extraordinary service to the campus. The recipient’s achievements are illustrative of UC San Diego founder Roger Revelle’s vision to attract distinctive and visionary faculty leaders. The Medal honors a record of accomplishment that advances UC San Diego in fulfillment of the campus mission of exceptional teaching, research, service and patient care. Nominations of distinguished emeritus faculty for consideration by this year’s Revelle Medal selection committee are invited until August 11. Awards will be presented during the Revelle Medal Luncheon on November 17. Please see the nomination guidelines for details, the nomination form, and a list of previous honorees.

2023 Art of Science Exhibit Now on Display

Art and science converge once more in a new Art of Science exhibit curated by the UC San Diego Library which opened July 28. The exhibit features nine winning images from the Library’s 2023 Art of Science contest and will be on view at two locations – the San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat) and Sally T. WongAvery Library – through January 15, 2024. A digital exhibit has also been created to share the images more broadly and will remain online in perpetuity. “Groundbreaking discoveries are being made everyday at UC San Diego. Through the Art of Science, we are able to take the university’s research off campus and into the community, making it more accessible to a larger audience,” said Audrey Geisel University Librarian Erik Mitchell. “We are grateful to The Nat for their partnership, one we hope will continue for many years to come.”

Merkin Graduate Fellows Program Available to Grad Students

A new fellowship is available for UC San Diego graduate students whose research aims to improve human health and longevity, providing them the opportunity to conduct research abroad for up to two quarters. Established with the generous support of Dr. Richard Merkin, the program seeks to drive bold, transformational advances in medical research and clinical applications and at the same time impact Fellows’ personal and professional futures. You can read about what current fellows are up to online. Fellows design their own international research experience, proposing and securing an academic or industry host site at which to conduct their research. Each fellow receives a monthly stipend of $4,000, as well as tuition and fee coverage for one to two quarters. Applications are encouraged from eligible Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. students across a wide array of disciplines broadly related to translational medicine. It is recommended that those interested apply well in advance (at least one full quarter) of the proposed travel date. Applications are reviewed once per quarter; the next deadline is October 2, 2023. Additional details about the program are on the program’s website, merkinfellowship.ucsd.edu. Questions can be directed to the Merkin Fellowship Program Manager at merkinfellowship@ucsd.edu.

Faculty Teaching Workshops Available This Summer

The Teaching and Learning Commons’ Engaged Teaching Hub is offering a series of Teaching Chats, in conjunction with Academic Integrity,  focused on the intersection of generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, and education. These conversations are designed to generate conversation amongst colleagues on topics currently impacting teaching and learning in the classroom. There are four more chats scheduled for this summer. In addition to these chats, a three-part Course Design Series to help faculty work to design, redesign or update an existing course, is also being offered this summer.  Both of these opportunities are open to all UC San Diego faculty and more information, as well as the links to register can be found on their website.

Faculty Participation Invited for 2023 New Student Welcome Convocation

The Chancellor, EVC, and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs invite faculty to participate in the annual New Student Welcome Convocation to be held on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2022 at 4:30 p.m., on RIMAC Field. Convocation is the inaugural academic event for all incoming students – graduate and undergraduate, first year and transfers – and serves as their formal entrance into UC San Diego's scholarly community. It is the figurative bookend to Commencement. Participating faculty will join in the Convocation Processional at the start of the ceremony, and will be seated facing the audience as an extension of the platform party during the program. The event will last one hour and regalia will not be worn. Please RSVP online by Tuesday, Sept. 19 with your intent to participate.

Read More About the State of the Arts at UC San Diego

Dean Cristina Della Coletta recently wrote an article on "The State of the Arts at UC San Diego," for the UC San Diego Emeriti Association. Read more in their recent newsletter.

Annual Staff Summer Celebration, Thursday, Aug. 17

This year’s Annual Staff Summer Celebration will be at the Epstein Family Amphitheater on Thursday, Aug. 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This year’s Staff Summer Celebration will feature giveaways, staff affiliate booths, a delicious Mediterranean lunch served by UC San Diego Catering and entertainment provided by Cassie B Project, a top-40s band. Tickets are required for all staff attending the event. Staff will need to reserve and download an e-ticket to their mobile device via Eventbrite and show their UCSD staff ID to receive lunch and attend the event activities. Tickets were made available starting August 1, and are on a first come, first served basis. Be sure to reserve your ticket or join the waitlist as soon as possible as ticket quantities are limited. To request your e-ticket visit the Staff Association webpage. 

Percipio Professional Development Courses Now Also Available in Spanish

As part of a continued commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, the UC now offers Percipio online professional development courses in Spanish through the UC Learning Center. Percipio is a digital learning platform hosting a vast content library, including courses, books, videos, and assessments. Spanish-language content ranges from subtitles on English courses, to full translation of on-screen text, and voiceover from native Spanish speakers. To get started, users can input keywords of interest in Spanish into the search function in the UC Learning Center.

Privacy Training Now Available on UC Learning

Privacy @ UC San Diego, a training focused on basic data privacy principles and relevant legislation and UC policies applicable to campus activities, is now available on-demand through the UC Learning Center. The course provides a survey of laws such as FERPA, HIPAA, and the GDPR, along with policies related to students, academic personnel, and electronic communications, among others. This training is required for UC San Diego workforce members who access personal data or databases storing personal data, but has information that is helpful for all staff.