Greetings!
Welcome to the Academic Affairs newsletter. Browse updates and announcements, connect to tips and resources, and check out stories from around campus.
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Dear Colleagues,
As we approach the end of 2021, many will reflect on all that has happened in the last year, and the success and challenges that serve as wayfinding moments for navigating this complicated time. However, it is also a moment to look ahead to opportunities on the horizon.
With the recent opening of the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley stations on our campus, I have been reflecting on all of the opportunities this transit offering provides to so many: The chance for many in our local community to visit UC San Diego for the first time due to this direct, affordable transportation option. Enhanced connection and partnership with new collaborators at the border and in Mexico. Access to new and different art galleries and performance spaces, including the university’s new Park and Market facility in downtown San Diego. The list is long and growing. I look forward to hearing from you about how the Trolley is impacting your plans for the future.
Remaining open and welcoming to new and different ways to collaborate is a hallmark of our unique campus identity and part of what has led our campus to have such a high number of Highly Cited Researchers. We expect that colleagues campuswide will spark new ideas and initiatives in the recently opened Design and Innovation Building that stands ready to welcome makers, designers, entrepreneurs, and collaborators from all intellectual areas and disciplines.
May this time of reflection also deliver inspiration for new ways to work together toward common goals and a more inclusive campus community in the years ahead.
Best regards,
Elizabeth H. Simmons
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UC San Diego Ranks 9th Globally in List of Institutions with Highly-Cited Researchers
In the latest rankings released by Clarivate, a scientific and academic research analytics company, 51 faculty members and researchers were cited as the most influential in their fields due to the number of times their work was cited in publications during the last decade. This high number makes UC San Diego the 6th highest ranked U.S. institution. Moreover, our own Prof. Rob Knight is the only scientist in the world to be a Highly-Cited Researcher in four different fields.
According to Clarivate, “Of the world's population of scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers are 1 in 1,000.”
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UC-HBCU Initiative Requesting Proposals for 2021-22
The UC Office of the President just announced the 2021-22 Request for Proposals for the UC-HBCU Initiative. This systemwide initiative is designed to assist UC faculty interested in developing and encouraging efforts to achieve a more inclusive educational environment of excellence.
The goal of the UC-HBCU Initiative is to increase the number of scholars from Historically Black Colleges and Universities completing UC academic doctoral programs.
UC faculty grants are available to support HBCU students conducting summer research with UC faculty at a UC campus, support departmental efforts for greater faculty collaboration between UC and HBCU institutions, and increase applications from HBCU scholars to UC Ph.D. programs.
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Call for Programs: UC San Diego Changemaker Week 2022
You are invited to host a virtual, in-person, or hybrid event during Changemaker Week 2022, taking place January 16-22, 2022!
Changemaker Week is an entire week dedicated to celebrating and promoting the positive social change taking place at UC San Diego through workshops, public and community service, research, social innovation, social entrepreneurship, and social justice.
Consider hosting an event that highlights your changemaking efforts during Changemaker Week! If your department/organization is interested in hosting a Changemaker event during Changemaker Week, please complete the Changemaker Week Event Interest Form by Dec. 22, 2021.
For more information about hosting an event during Changemaker Week, please email changemaker@ucsd.edu.
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Upcoming Return to Learn Town Halls
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Omicron Variant and COVID-19 Booster Shot Update |
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UC San Diego’s expert epidemiologists and UC San Diego Health’s physician scientists are keeping a close watch on developments with the new Omicron variant and will advise the campus if changes in our safety procedures are warranted. There are no known cases caused by this variant in San Diego at this time. Our scientists are reinforcing that our current goal should be to ramp up vaccinations and boosters.
Individuals should not wait for an Omicron-specific vaccine or booster to be developed in the future, but should obtain one of the existing vaccines and/or booster shots now..
As a reminder, COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots:
- Reduce the chance you’ll get infected with COVID-19
- Reduce the severity of symptoms if you do become infected with COVID-19
- Make it less likely for you to transmit COVID-19 to others, if you become infected
- Reduce the risk of new variants, such as Omicron, taking hold in our community
You are eligible for a COVID-19 booster if it has been…
- Six months or more since you completed your two-dose regimen of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or
- Two months or more since you completed your one-dose regimen of Johnson and Johnson.
Students should also be encouraged to get a booster as Chancellor Khosla has pledged $50,000 to the Basic Needs Hub if 10,000 students register and receive their booster before the new year. The "Boostin' Out for Basic Needs" pledge, if enough students receive booster shots, will be used to support food security, housing resources, and financial wellness. Students can make a booster appointment at the above link.
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Enterprise Systems Renewal Targeted Sessions Scheduled
A series of Enterprise Systems Renewal (ESR) targeted sessions have been scheduled to cover six areas identified in previous Academic Affairs Listening Sessions as being of greatest concern for staff and administrators. The Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) will facilitate these sessions for Academic Affairs Assistant Deans, General Campus Division DBOs, and other involved staff, as part of the ongoing support of ESR stabilization efforts.
The sessions will connect ESR subject matter experts with Academic Affairs staff to discuss the identified issues and capture feedback on proposed solutions.
All Academic Affairs staff are welcome to join the targeted sessions below. Please register for each session you would like to attend.
Tuesday, Dec. 7, 10 to 11 a.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1 to 2 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 9, 1 to 2 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 13, 2 to 3 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 14, 4 to 5 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 16, 2 to 3 p.m.
Contact Allorah Pradenas at apredenas@ucsd.edu for questions about these targeted sessions.
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Coping with Pandemic Fatigue |
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According to the World Health Organization, a growing number of individuals are experiencing pandemic fatigue, which they define as the lack of motivation to follow health protocols that develop slowly over time as an expected and natural response to a prolonged public health crisis.
This type of fatigue can manifest in a variety of ways, however, some common signs that you, or your students, may be experiencing pandemic fatigue include:
- Feeling hopeless
- Sleeping properly, yet still feeling exhausted
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Struggling with racing thoughts
- Becoming more argumentative or snapping at others
- Retreating from people you care about
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Student Affairs Professional Development Day, December 14
Student Affairs is hosting a Professional Development Day on Tuesday, Dec. 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The focus of the day will be “Moving Forward Together,” aiming to reignite and reshape a collective passion for professional development. Lorri Sulpizio, Executive Director of Conscious Leadership Academy, will be the keynote speaker for the day. For more information, or to register, please visit the VCSA Professional Development page.
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Upcoming Staff Development and Education Offerings
If you are a staff member interested in looking for a starting point to gain the knowledge and skills needed to successfully initiate, plan, execute, monitor, and close projects at UC San Diego, there is an upcoming opportunity to sign up for a Project Management Training Program.
The program – a blended learning project management program that incorporates online learning, live discussion sessions, social learning and mentorship, and project work – is being offered by the UC San Diego Business Excellence Community of Practice (BECOP), UC San Diego Extension, and UC San Diego Campus and Health Human Resources.
If you are interested, please fill out the PMPTP Interest Form to receive more details about the no-cost program. By signing up, you will also receive the registration link when it becomes available. If you have any questions, please contact Raúl Navarro Rodríguez at raul@ucsd.edu.
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One-on-One Zoom Sessions for Oracle Questions Now Available
Team ORBIT, formerly the Oracle BI Team, now provides “Solo ORBIT Sessions” where users of Oracle Business Intelligence and Financial Reporting can get personalized, dedicated help with questions or issues they are having.
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Frank Würthwein Named Director of the San Diego...
The San Diego Supercomputer Center has a new director. Frank Würthwein, lead of SDSC's Distributed High-Throughput Computing Group, executive director of the Open Science Grid, a physics professor and a founding faculty member of the Halıcıoğlu...
Read more
ucsdnews.ucsd.edu
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'The Life and Times of Malcolm X' to launch Boston...
"X" is coming to New England for the first time along with four other operas by Black American composers, as BMOP and Odyssey Opera launch an ambitious new multiyear initiative titled "As Told By: History, Race and Justice on the Opera Stage."
Read more
www.bostonglobe.com
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