RSSP - Newsletter | UC Berkeley: Division of Student Affairs

Residential & Student Service Programs Update February 2016 Volume 2, Issue 1
	Straight Talk from Interim Associate Vice Chancellor Stephen Sutton Even though we are early in the spring semester, we're already planning for the next academic year. As part of the University of California's commitment to accommodate 10,000 additional California students over the next three years, Berkeley will be welcoming approximately 1,000 additional freshman and transfer students in Fall 2016. For us, this means accommodating more new residents than ever. This will be a complex task but I am confident our team will find a solution through creativity and thoughtful collaboration with campus colleagues. The Cal Housing team is actively exploring a variety of options and we are also working with Real Estate to develop master leases. We're also entering our annual budget cycle; in addition to funding our own operations, RSSP will continue to be instrumental in generating revenue to help support the overall student experience outside of RSSP as well. We are developing plans on how we can accommodate the new students, generate revenue, and stay focused on our priorities. I'll be sharing more with you in the coming weeks as planning begins in earnest. In the interim, I encourage you to come to me or any member of RSSP Cabinet with creative ideas. The RSSP Cabinet is also engaged in strategic planning and analysis related to the budget as outlined in the Chancellor’s email announcement this week. Thank you for your continued good work!
	Spring Kickoff and Senior Staff Meeting Over the last two weeks RSSP management and senior staff came together for the Spring 2016 Kickoff and Senior Staff meeting. In these meetings the staff received updates on the budget, Real Estate transition, the 2016-17 occupancy plan and the UCOP housing initiative. In addition, the staff learned about steps that can be taken to help strengthen leadership and supervisory skills as well as efforts which can help the division be more strategic. These efforts include the Lead Big tool kit (an online resource to build supervising skills), employee engagement resolutions, and the balanced scorecard (an initiative that provides individual, team and organization focus on priorities through objectives, initiatives measures and targets). Each meeting also included community building and wellness activities.
	GO BIG Walkthroughs Help Create a Culture of Pride, Trust and Community In January, the GO BIG team held Walkthrough events for Cal Dining staff, ECEP teachers and staff, and one for general Student Affairs staff who could not attend the first Community Conversation in October 2015. The Walkthroughs, which are abbreviated versions of the Community Conversation, were designed to make sure everyone could participate. They included community building and creative activities, helping to build a better culture for our division. Thank you to all the staff who were able to participate!
	'Are We Ready?' - ECEP In The News Clark Kerr Preschool Teacher & Site Coordinator Leslie Craig and her students were featured in a video demonstrating the capabilities and uses of a public earthquake early warning system, showing how such a system can help people prepare. The video was presented to the national press at a White House event on February 2nd. View the article and video, here.
	SIS Update The fourth of seven Student Information Systems (SIS) launched on February 1 and includes: The Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) for fall 2016 admitted undergraduate students in CalCentral Centralized onboarding checklists and messages for fall 2016 admitted undergraduate students in CalCentral Functionality for Undergraduate Admissions to admit new cohort of fall 2016 freshmen through SIS The Launch of Financial Aid and Scholarships functionality for the 2016-17 awarding cycle through SIS Select Financial Aid, Scholarship and Graduate Student reports Form and workflow for requesting an academic classroom Questions and comments about the SIS project can be directed to sis-project@berkeley.edu. For more information, please visit sis-project.berkeley.edu.
	Welcome New Staff! Please join me in welcoming new staff by saying “hello” to: Monica Armstrong, Administrative Officer Nicholas Barnes, Food Services Supervisor Emmanuel Figueroa, Cook Cristina Flores-Vazquez, Appointed Official, Student Activities Suzanne Gagliano, Laborer/Gardener Juan Gutierrez, Cook Frederick Harvey, Sr. Custodian Janae Johnson, Student Life & Development Support Jocko Milan, Storekeeper We’re so glad to have you on board!
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