Letter from
Vice Chancellor Penny Rue

I know that I am in the right job, because as we approach the beginning of the school year, I am filled with anticipation for the students’ return. How exciting to greet our new students at Welcome Week events and to hug those who return! Our newest students are often both enthusiastic and anxious, and a kind word from us can make all the difference. Our returning students are eager to tell us their stories and to share the ways they have learned and grown since last we saw them.

As we begin the 2009–10 year, we do so with an awareness of some uncommon challenges. The California fiscal predicament continues, and tough decisions have been made to rein in spending, including furloughs for all of us. These are difficult decisions and tough challenges to manage, but we are coming together as a community to do just that.

As always, our highest priority should be to provide the best possible service to our students, even as there are fewer of us to do the work. Students will undoubtedly encounter longer wait times and shorter hours in some key student services, and yet they should always be greeted with warmth and caring. It is the human touch that will make the difference in difficult times. Did your mother ever tell you, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”? That goes for organizations as well as people, and it reminds us how important our first few days and weeks are for our new students, freshmen and transfers alike.

Students will find some exciting new opportunities. We celebrate the grand opening of the long-anticipated RIMAC Annex, which will afford new spaces for students and all of us to come together and relax. The addition of more than 1,000 beds of transfer housing will enliven the campus as those resilient and experienced students seek to claim their place. New programs in community-building and engagement, both in the colleges and throughout Student Affairs, provide a wealth of opportunity. I’m a big proponent of what I call friend-dragging. How many of us have gotten involved in something because a friend did not want to go alone?

One risk factor for students is lack of engagement. While getting a firm foundation academically is important, long-term success will be more likely if students feel a part of something bigger than themselves. Don’t be afraid to ask a student, as a part of a conversation on any topic, what they are involved in. Don’t be afraid to suggest something, or to send them to their college dean’s office or to the Center for Student Involvement, where professionals are eager to help them find a niche.

Stay tuned for more information about our fall All-Staff meeting and other professional development opportunities to help you sharpen your saw. Despite tight times, we have a pool of funds to support ongoing learning, and it is being augmented through our professional partnership with the China Scholars program. And while you are looking for something new, if you have an iPhone, check out the free UC San Diego app. We’re only the third university, after Duke and Stanford, to develop one!