Hello Carolyn,

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

Celebrating Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage in May

2023 marks the 17th year that UC San Diego has celebrated Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage. This year’s theme, “Uplifting Generations through the Spirit of Community,” is a call to come together to honor and to acknowledge the value of community in supporting one another. The month-long commemoration honors the Asian and Pacific Islander American identity and recognizes the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture and achievements of the United States through a series of events, lectures and seminars. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to participate in this annual series of events. A full calendar of events can be found on Blink.

Reminder - Commencement Registration Now Open

Faculty participation in Commencement plays a key role in making the pomp and circumstance of the occasion come alive for our graduating students and their families. The event is also a joyous time for faculty to come together and reconnect with colleagues at the morning’s breakfast event. It was requested that faculty register no later than May 8 for the 2023 All Campus Commencement which will be held on June 17, 2023, to receive their personalized regalia. However, faculty are still encouraged to register and will be ordered UC San Diego regalia.  

Learn Strategies to Best Prepare for the Tenure and Promotion Process

AVC for Faculty Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Victor Ferreira will host a special hybrid workshop to give tips on how to best prepare for the tenure and promotion process, and how to avoid common pitfalls, particularly for early career and underrepresented faculty. “Demystifying Tenure and Promotion: Strategies for a Meritorious File” will be Friday, May 12, from 11 a.m. to Noon, and for those who attend in person, there will be a networking lunch following the workshop. Learn more information and register for the event online.

Celebrating the 13th Annual Integrity Champions

Each year, the UC San Diego community is invited to nominate students, staff, and faculty who champion integrity in their volunteer work, research, teaching, mentorship, or courage. This year, two community members were recognized as Integrity Champions and both were graduate students. Hema Kopalle, a Ph.D. student in Biology, has been called “a force for change at UCSD over the last few years”. Through her volunteer and service work, Hema helped create the foundation of work that would eventually become the Bullying & Harassment Advocacy Committee, as well as an emergency psychological co-response program (now called Triton CORE). Gregory Patchell, Ph.D. Candidate in Mathematics, has dedicated his time for the last three years as a graduate student panel member on the Academic Integrity Review Board. Greg’s level of service and commitment to degree integrity goes beyond what is expected for a graduate student, and his  unrelenting work ethic, and his commitment to integrity and equity are in evidence every time he serves. Click here to see the Champions’ videos and learn more about them. Nominations for the 14th Annual Integrity Awards will open in November 2023.

A First-of-Its-Kind Virtual Symposium on Artificial Intelligence & Academic Integrity

When ChatGPT was released at the end of 2022, panic and excitement flooded the educational community. ChatGPT, a form of Generative Artificial Intelligence, seemingly made it easy for students to outsource their academic assignments to a machine. As a result, UC San Diego’s Academic Integrity Office was flooded with questions from the faculty about what they should do in response to maintain integrity while facilitating student learning. In addition to quickly issuing a Statement on Artificial Intelligence in January, and continuing to make updates to it, the Academic Integrity Office organized and delivered a week-long virtual symposium – “The Threats & Opportunities of Artificial Intelligence & Contract Cheating: Charting a Teaching & Learning Path Forward” – from April 17-21, 2023. The symposium featured internationally renowned speakers from Australia, the UK, and the U.S., as well as an amazing UC San Diego student panel. If you were not one of the more than 1,500 people who registered to attend the sessions, you can view the recordings online. If you are interested in being a part of a UC systemwide or UC San Diego Community of Practice, you can contact the Academic Integrity Office Director Tricia Bertram Gallant at tbg@ucsd.edu.

Learn More About Student Work Study

Work-Study is a student aid program funded by federal, state and institutional funds and supports part-time job opportunities for students. 

There are several reasons to prioritize work-study students in your student employment hiring decisions, including actively supporting students who demonstrate financial need by providing an employment opportunity and reducing their reliance on student loans as part of the UC Debt-Free Pathway. Also, work-study is financial aid and will not impact a student’s eligibility for need-based financial aid in future years, unlike income earned from non-work-study positions. Finally, work study allows you to subsidize student employment expenses in your department budget with work-study dollars, rather than funds from your department’s operating budget.

The Financial Aid and Scholarships Office and the Career Center are making a concerted effort to ensure that UC San Diego students understand what work-study is and how to apply for work-study jobs to ensure they are leveraging this form of financial aid. Students are encouraged to take a copy of their financial aid letter to their employer or potential employer to demonstrate they are eligible to earn work-study funds. Please visit the Blink Student Employment page for more information about hiring students or to connect with the Student Employment Team.

Lean Six Sigma Scholarship Application Window Open Soon

The Lean Six Sigma scholarship application window for FY 23/24 will open on June 12, 2023. This  scholarship can be applied to the project-focused LSS Green or Black Belt courses at UC San Diego Extended Studies, which provide hands-on, instructor-led training in process improvement. This is a fantastic opportunity for professional development and to create tangible outcomes that impact our campus community. For more information about application requirements, selection criteria, past project awardees, and additional resources please visit the LSS Scholarship page. For questions about course curriculum, please see the Extended Studies Green Belt course page.

Community-Led Juvenile Diversion Conference on June 5 at UC San Diego Park and Market

The Applied Research Center for Civility at UC San Diego and the National Conflict Resolution Center are co-presenting a conference on community-led juvenile diversion where an Impact Paper by the UC San Diego Center for Research and Evaluation team will be presented and ideas will be shared about changing the juvenile justice landscape in the United States. The conference, scheduled for June 5, will take place at UC San Diego Park & Market. For more information and to register for the conference, please visit the conference webpage.

Creating a Culture of Care: Supporting Student in Distress

Student Affairs Case Management Services will be facilitating an upcoming, in-person, training 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 UCSD staff or faculty member that has high interactions with UCSD students. The next training session will be May 11, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Register on the UC Learning Center and search for the keyword “Students in Distress.” For more information, please contact Diana Go at dgo@ucsd.edu

Call for Art for 2023 Show at UC San Diego

The UC San Diego Visual Arts Group is now accepting applications for its 20th annual art show. This year’s art show will be in-person and virtual!  Faculty, staff, students, alumni, retirees and other UC San Diego affiliates are welcome to apply. The 2023 In-Person Art Show will be located at Price Center West in the Red Shoe Room and Bear Room, from June 22 through August 27. The Virtual Art Show will be available on the Visual Arts Group Flickr site.  An artist reception will be held on Wednesday, June 28 from Noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Price Center West Red Shoe Room. All themes and media are welcome. To apply, fill out the artist application. Visit the UC San Diego Visual Arts Group page to learn more about the organization.

Registration Now Open for 2023 Assessment Day

UC San Diego staff, graduate student staff and faculty are invited to register for Assessment Day, a full-day professional development program that will cover a variety of assessment, evaluation, and research topics. Morning sessions will be virtual, and afternoon sessions, including lunch will be in person. For more information and to register, visit the Assessment Day website.