First Hundred Days ON the Beach

I’ve been busy.  Meetings with faculty, staff, students, alumni, elected officials, agency heads, industry partners, and friends of the university have been fun and enlightening.  Perhaps I can provide some details on just a few of these meetings and on the insights I’ve gained.  I’ll go in alphabetical order.

Our arts students have amazed me with their artistry and professionalism.  These students practice, create, and perform in addition to working and managing other academic work.  Wow.  Thank you, faculty mentors.

I’ve seen firsthand how athletics, like the arts, fosters greater campus and community engagement in our university.  I’ve loved watching volleyball, soccer, and water polo, and meeting Beach supporters at games and events.  I salute our stellar student-athletes and the hundreds of other students who help make these competitive events a success.  Our student-artists and student-athletes have exceptional and rare talents that enrich the campus in unique ways.  I hope we can find even more ways to support these students’ life trajectories.

We’ve had one cabinet meeting (faculty, administration, student, and staff leaders) which focused on ensuring a campus free of sexual violence.  The next cabinet meeting, inspired by our recent AASCU Excellence and Innovation Award, will address student learning.  By recognizing exceptional learning experiences offered by faculty and staff, our singular focus on student success is enriched.

I’ve met faculty leaders and emeriti faculty at many different events and meetings.  Future meetings will connect me with faculty in all our colleges and will give me an opportunity to tour several faculty labs.  My conversations with individuals and with groups have illustrated both deep expertise and genuine concern for student welfare and success.  Our faculty members work hard.  They are the major architects of our future size and shape.  I look forward to facilitating their work.

International students and visitors are attracted to The Beach, and it’s been an honor to meet with the Deputy Consul General of Germany, the President of Suwon University, and faculty who are passionate about increasing our students’ access to international experiences.

Did you know that the motto of our Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is “learn more; age less”?  I saw about 90 (out of 1,500) senior students in action the other day, and I am a believer.  This visit reminded me, of course, of the great support we receive from both the Osher and Archstone foundations to promote physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being at every age.

We’ve been site visited by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Education, and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.  These visits have allowed me to gain some in-depth understanding of pieces of our work in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the College of Engineering, and Student Services.  Initial feedback from all sources matches my assessment of our strong programs.

Staff Council’s conversations have kept me abreast of our staff’s wide-ranging contributions to campus.  They do it all, from advising to toy drives to professional development.  We could not excel as a university without staff’s 110% effort, and I’m deeply grateful for their loyalty.  Students succeed most remarkably when the entire campus — every division and every job classification — takes ownership of facilitating their way through our university.  Everyone’s work is vital to our effectiveness.

Input from students has been invaluable and has come from many different groups and individuals.  I enjoy our students’ intensely held beliefs, sophisticated and energetic analyses of EVERYTHING, and appreciation for their Beach education.

Some fun highlights for me have included “conducting” our Brass Symphony, introducing Brian Wilson at a Carpenter Center performance celebrating the venue’s 20th anniversary and Mr. Wilson’s 50th year of performing, signing a Peace Corps MOU to establish a special link between Geography and the Peace Corps, attending an Angels game with Louise Ukleja, and attending a Santa Barbara alumni reception that overflowed with grateful alumni and former professors.

Although not as much fun, I learned a lot by visiting the worst work spaces on campus for staff and faculty.  So sorry!  We’ll keep working on this.

I’ve shared a sample of my first 100 days on The Beach as a thank you to those who have given generously of their time for my Beach education and as a strategy for inviting suggestions for contacts during my next 100 days.  Nuanced and deep knowledge will be vital as we seek resources to support our students through faculty hires; improved faculty offices; enhanced teaching/learning/research spaces and equipment; and stories told near and far about our special accomplishments in teaching, research, and scholarship.  As I learn from all of you, I can tell The Beach’s many stories of success.  Help me know our best stories.

Next installment will cover some off-campus work.