Our current Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Dr. MIchael Young, announced his retirement a couple of months ago and formed a search committee consisting of faculty, staff, students, and alums. There was one spot available for staff to be chosen by the Chancellor through a recommendation by a staff committee. I submitted by nomination but, unfortunately, I was not selected. I’m confident, however, that committee will choose the best person for the position. I’ve chosen to post my self-nomination on my blog to share what I think are the issues facing student affairs at UCSB (and in general) that the new VC will need to address.

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September 17, 2014
Re: Call for Nominations – Search Committee for the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
To Chancellor’s Staff Advisory Council:

I am Joe Sabado, Director for Student Information Systems and Software Development Services in Student Information Systems & Technology (SIS&T). SIS&T is the central computing department within the Division of Student Affairs, providing technology services to both the Graduate Division and the Division of Student Affairs. In my role, I oversee 34 staff and 10 student employees/interns organized as teams dedicated to serving the departments’ and their customers’ specific technology needs. These units include: Financial Aid Information Systems (IS), Admissions IS, Graduate Division IS, Registrar IS, Student Services IS, Counseling & Psychological Services/Student Health Service IS, and Marketing & Communication.

I am interested in serving on the search committee because of my personal and professional interests as a student affairs staff and a student advocate. I firmly believe in the mission of student affairs to promote holistic student development and learning to complement classroom education. My campus involvement listed below demonstrates my dedication to serving the needs of our students and the campus community. It also shows commitment to learning and understanding the perspectives and issues of those I work with, including students, staff, and faculty. I would like very much to have an input and contribute to discussions throughout the search process to select the best candidate for the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs position, working with the other
members of the search committee.

Vice Chancellor Michael Young has built a strong culture over the past 25 years, a culture committed to the well-being of our students, commitment to staff growth through professional development, and campus partnerships. I look forward to the next chapter and welcoming a new Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

I believe the next VC for Student Affairs will need the skills, knowledge, and experience to provide strong management and leadership to address the following issues and topics that impact our students, the Division of Student Affairs, and the UCSB community.

  • Access to higher education, affordability, and financial aid
  • Mental health and physical wellness
  • Alcohol and other drugs
  • Student engagement
  • Technology
  • High touch/high-tech concept as technology is increasingly used to complement/replace methods
    of student services delivery (e.g., virtual advising, online training, video interviews)
  • Recruitment, retention and persistence, particularly with underrepresented groups
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Town and Gown (Isla Vista)
  • Budget and decreased state funding for public education / alternative sources of revenue
  • Professional development and succession planning
  • Assessment
  • Partnership and integration of student services and information systems with academic affairs and administrative services
  • Accommodation and resources for “non-traditional” students (beyond 18-24 years old) and populations including first-year generation, low socio-economic and underrepresented groups, international students, Veterans, Dreamers, foster youth, and students with disabilities
  • Research and scholarship about student development and learning in the digital age

While my formal title is IT Director, I consider myself a student affairs professional first and foremost. I have used technology and participated in many programs, committees, and projects within student affairs and across campus to contribute to the goals of student affairs. Through my current divisional IT leadership role and my experience working in the Division of Student Affairs and at Housing and Residential Services since 1996, as well as a student leader at UCSB before that, I have gained perspectives on issues and trends impacting our students, student affairs, and the campus. In addition to my IT duties, my current and previous activities within the division and on campus include:

  • Admissions applications reader
  • First Year Experience (Freshmen, Transfer) discussion leader
  • EOP STEP Facilitator
  • Student Fee Advisory Committee (SFAC) staff representative
  • Staff advisor to multiple student organizations
  • Veterans Resource Team member
  • Judicial Process Advocate
  • Graduate Student Support Network (GSSN) member
  • Gaucho U participant, mentor, Steering Committee member
  • Foundations: New Student Affairs Professional Development Committee member
  • Student Affairs Management Development Group (MDG) graduate
  • NASPA Undergraduate Fellowship Program (NUFP) mentor
  • UCSB Social Networking Policy chair
  • UCSB Web Standards Guide co-chair
  • UCSB Student Email Governance Committee chair
  • Campus speaker on professional development, building digital reputation, social networking, and mobile web development

I also try to keep current with contemporary higher education and student affairs trends and issues through my membership with National Association for Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and collaborations with other student affairs professionals from other higher education institutions. I continuously study higher education topics, including organization and governance, management and leadership, technology, contemporary issues, trends, philosophies, and history. This page http://bit.ly/joereadinglist includes my higher education/student affairs reading list.

My interest in student affairs issues and trends and contributions to the discussions through my student affairs and technology-focused blog (https://joesabado.com/articles/student-affairs/) led to an invitation by NASPA President, Dr. Kevin Kruger, to participate in a national student affairs technology summit. Along with 12 student affairs professionals and administrators, we discussed the future of student affairs in Washington, DC, last February. A document intended to provide a foundation for discussions about the future of student affairs and its implications for the profession is in the final revision. It will be available shortly.

For more information about my current job responsibilities as SIS&T Director and UCSB professional
experience, please see my Linkedin profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/joesabado.
I hope I have demonstrated my strong interest in serving on the search committee and what I can contribute to the process. I look forward to hearing about your decision.

Sincerely,
Joe Sabado