Dear Colleagues,
It’s hard to believe that the fall quarter is almost here. I hope you had opportunities for rest this summer as we all know that compared to summer, fall is a whirlwind! The start of the academic year always makes me grateful and proud to work in public higher education and to get to do work that I believe in alongside so many dedicated colleagues. No matter the challenges, we will do good work together this year.
Budget
One of our biggest challenges is of course the core funds budget. We provided an update on the budget in mid-August and our Chief Financial Officer Ed Reiskin will provide progress updates as we see the outcomes of this collective effort. In light of our budget situation, I will not be accepting a salary increase this year, including the 4.2% increase that was disbursed to our policy-covered employees in July.
Reducing our expenses and identifying new revenue sources requires the help of everyone in our community. We have already tightened our collective belt by managing hiring and non-essential core-funded travel and entertainment. I’ve had outreach from folks who have ideas about possible efficiencies and new ways of doing things, but aren’t sure how to share them. Our Budget Advisory Committee and Revenue Augmentation Committees developed surveys to allow everyone on campus to share their suggestions. You can find both surveys on the budget website and I encourage you to share your ideas, big and small.
Fundraising
The University Advancement team, led by Vice Chancellor Mark Delos Reyes Davis, had a banner year and fundraising is up 20% to $71.7 million - the second highest one-year giving total for our campus. Giving Day 2023 was also incredibly successful bringing in $1.5 million in gifts from more than 5000 donors. This kind of giving is possible because of the shared efforts of so many on our campus who are doing outstanding work that inspires transformational giving.
As we announced earlier this week, UC Santa Cruz also received its largest single monetary gift to date, a bequest from alumnus Richard Sabatte ('75). The gift will support full scholarships to high achieving students with financial need and the first forty scholars were notified this summer and will join us this fall. To have an alumnus acknowledge the power of a UC Santa Cruz education and provide support for others to have the same opportunities is so inspiring. These scholarships will be transformational for campus and the students who receive them.
Move-In
Another all-campus effort is helping more than 9,000 students move into their campus housing each fall. Move-in for new students is September 19–22. Volunteers are a crucial part of helping our new students and their families way-find and have a great first day on campus. To volunteer, please use this web form to select your preferred time slot (or slots!) by Tuesday, September 17. I love move-in not just because we get to greet our newest Banana Slugs but also because I get to spend time with the fantastic CHES team who do so much to support our students all year long.
Supporting our Community
As we shared with the community on Wednesday, we will be abiding by additional guidance from the legislature and the Office of the President to ensure our campus supports the free speech rights of our community while protecting the access rights of all through our time, place, and manner requirements.
Living in community with one another means that we are impacted by the choices other community members make. At our best, the ability to impact one another is our strength as we help each other learn and grow and as we create new knowledge and new ways to access it.
To address our challenges and create opportunities, collaboration and partnerships are crucial to help us continue to deliver on our mission. Let’s each take on the good work of fostering a positive community by assuming positive intent in others, demonstrating respect in our speech, writing and demeanor and practicing kindness and compassion.
Sincerely,
Cindy
