Compass

It’s that time again - time to hear from you about what is working well in our organization and where we can improve. 

After ten years of successful partnership, we will work with McLean & Company to launch our 2025 Employee Engagement Survey. McLean, an independent human resources research firm, is able to ensure that all responses remain anonymous, creating a unique opportunity to provide candid feedback on the health of our organization. 

Learning something new isn’t just fun and good for your career—it’s great for your brain! Trying something new, like taking a class or learning a hobby, helps keep your mind sharp and your memory strong – consider it a workout for your brain! Plus, learning boosts your confidence, making it easier to tackle challenges at work and in life.

Welcome back to The Compass! For those new to HDAE, this staff newsletter includes articles about departmental happenings, shares the comings and goings of our colleagues, and highlights fun information like recent photos and upcoming events.

After taking a break in the summer, we look forward to sharing updates each quarter about the incredible work happening across HDAE, led by you, our dedicated staff.

On August 5, 40 HDAE leaders came together for a one-day Strategic Planning Reset. The retreat was designed to re-energize, reimagine, and refocus our collective efforts as HDAE prepares for significant changes over the next five years. With two new residential complexes set to welcome 3,500 more students and approximately 100 new staff members by 2029, this was a timely and important event. The day was highly productive, sparking fresh ideas, fostering deeper collaboration, and laying a clear foundation for the future.

What do you get when you mix equal parts overnight accommodations, seamless event planning, and top-rated food & beverage in a stunning seaside location?  The answer is in the title - a recipe for success!

Under the leadership of Carol Dreste, Director, the UCSB Campus Store has undergone a remarkable transformation, demonstrating that big changes can happen even with no budget. The Campus Store had been stuck in an outdated look for years, with old, tired textbook gondolas that no longer served our students or our space. We needed to address issues with theft and have implemented a higher standard of customer serve.

Here's how we turned things around and gave our store a fresh, modern look without spending a dime.

Through a series of stakeholder workshops during the 2023-24 academic year, SOM as the Architect of Record and Mithun as Programming lead and co-design partner have been working to develop Detailed Project Programs (DPPs) for both the San Benito and East Campus projects. These DPPs are comprehensive planning documents that include all the information necessary for campus to establish a project budget and for the design team to initiate schematic design.

At the end of the last academic year, the work groups concluded their immense efforts toward researching and working to improve the employee experience around Recognition & Appreciation, Work Life Balance, and Career Advancement. While their work has concluded, their efforts will continue to live on. Each work group identified that giving supervisors the proper tools to support their staff in these three areas is crucial. As a direct result of this recommendation, the AVC’s Office Learning & Development is currently developing a program to do just that.