Joe Sabado – Higher Education & Technology Leadership

One important lesson I have learned in life, a lesson learned from moments of frustration, is that it’s probably easier for me to change myself rather than change others. As I wrote in this blog post about working effectively with my boss, I realized that I needed to adjust my communication style and perspective so we could work better.  The idea of changing myself first rather than asking others to change is one I’ve come to apply to my personal and professional relationships. I can perhaps influence others to change, but I don’t think I can force others to change. Especially in a position of leadership, this is one of my key beliefs when helping others grow.

I read somewhere that in academia, we are quick to offer suggestions on how others could change but asked to change; that’s a different story. I’m sure this is not universally applicable, but one of my colleagues who work with faculty told me this – “faculty are quick to profess about change but ask them to change their parking space, and you’ll get a lot of complaints.” As I wrote, I’m sure this is not universally applicable to all faculty, and staff and administrators are probably just as guilty of this reluctance to change.

As I learned to accept the idea of looking to change myself first over others, I realized I needed to practice self-reflection of my actions, my values, and my emotions. I suppose it could be considered emotional intelligence, but I’ve learned (and still learning) to be aware of my reactions and thoughts, especially in emotional moments, and to react appropriately.  In addition, I’ve come to be more considerate/appreciative of the perspectives other folks bring. I look for these perspectives’ validity and positive aspects instead of offering quick criticisms.

In taking the approach of changing myself first before seeking to influence the change in others, I’ve become less stressed, and I think it has led to improved personal and professional relationships.

Photo credit: http://www.ifunny.com/pictures/who-wants-chang/

I attended a campus event to celebrate the retirement of UCSB Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Michael Young yesterday, January 23, 2015. Dr. Young will retire at the end of this month after 25 years as the VC for Student Affairs starting in 1990. It was an event attended by former and current students, staff and faculty, campus administrators, and local politicians. Throughout the three-hour event, speakers on stage shared Dr. Young’s accomplishments, the differences he made to the community, and most importantly, the differences he made to them as human beings. During the 24 years I’ve known Dr. Young, he has had a profound impact on me, greater than he will realize, as a student, professional, and human being. As I shared in this post dedicated to Dr. Young as my mentor/role model, I admired how he led, his integrity, and how he made others feel special. Even as a student new to UCSB, I saw Dr. Young as my possibility model. Dr. Young embodies the possibility that I, too, a person of color (PoC), can hold a leadership position at the highest level of the university. And, I can do so without compromising my value systems and my experience – my identity.

The event yesterday reminded me of the significance of possibility/role models and the impact  Dr. Young has had on others. Dr. Young inspires others through the virtue of his accomplishments and how he handles himself, especially with other folks who share similar experiences and backgrounds.

I became student affairs professional because of Dr. Young. Two primary reasons led me to my career path. For one, I had a positive experience as an undergraduate student, a student leader, and a student worker at UCSB because of the support many student affairs professionals provided. I chose this profession because I saw how Dr. Young effectively used his experience and value systems to create positive changes for the students and staff at UCSB.  At times, these changes needed principled leaders, like Dr. Young, who brought a sense of dignity and respect to the process leading to the appropriate outcomes. At times, these changes needed strong leaders, like Dr. Young, who was not afraid to challenge the institution. As one of the speakers said yesterday, Dr. Young brought conscience to the institution. Through him, I saw how a PoC could overcome racism and other institutional obstacles to get to its position. In addition, I saw how a PoC could bring their unique perspective, experience, and value systems only persons of color can only understand and use to promote the benefit of others.

My positive experience as an undergraduate student at UCSB was due to the help of many student affairs professionals during times of personal struggles and in helping me develop my sense of self. As a first-generation Filipino-American student, I faced many challenges during my times at UCSB from culture shock, limited financial resources, micro-aggressions, academic challenges, and just going through the process of growing up. How these professionals viewed, their work was shaped by Dr. Young.  Collectively, the student affairs professionals shared a common set of values of putting the needs of students first and treating them like they matter. These are value systems that were developed under the leadership of Dr. Young. Throughout the division of student affairs and the campus, his value systems were on display through the work of his staff and his relationships with students. These are values that matter to Dr. Young. These include freedom of speech, student activism, mental health and wellness, sustainability, technology, professional development, teamwork, and treating others with dignity.

I worked for a corporation that owned/managed hospitals a few months after I graduated from UCSB as a web developer. A few times, I was invited to meetings attended by hospital CEOs. I still remember walking into those meetings looking at the room and the folks sitting at the table. I sat in the corner of the room. They were all white males, middle-aged or older. I was the only person of color in the room. It was very intimidating. There were a couple of times when I joked to myself how I could never be one of them because I would fail one of the requirements – that I needed to be a white male. After a few months, I left the position to go back and work at UCSB in student affairs. I just didn’t feel like I belonged in the corporate world.

My experience in those meetings highlighted the significance of having folks in leadership/management positions who share similar backgrounds/values/experiences. At the very least, having persons of color at the highest leadership positions in an organization could suggest the org values diversity, or it could be just tokenism. So, as I describe the significance of Dr. Young and possibility models to PoCs like me, it goes beyond skin colors. It’s also how those folks like Dr. Young conduct themselves. It’s about how they overcame obstacles and how they can use their value systems and positively influence them to provide opportunities for others. Dr. Young embodies the qualities I was looking for in someone I admire and why he’s profoundly impacted my personal life and career as my possibility/role model.

In my career, I have been told a few times that I wasn’t the first choice for a seat on a committee or a role in my organization. I’ve been told I was given the position because there was either an extra seat or that other people didn’t want the role that was eventually given to me. At this point in my career, I am grateful for the opportunities that come my way, albeit not always how I may have wanted them.  My mentality nowadays is that I will make the best out of my situations and the opportunities given to me. I use this information to fuel my motivation to show others what I can do.

This was a different perspective from when I was younger. Back then, I took offense to the idea that I was not the first choice and was deemed not as qualified as others. I had a conversation quite a while ago with a colleague about the idea that I was added to a committee because I’m Asian. I was told I made a good addition to the group for diversity. This colleague was laughing when he said this to me, so I wasn’t quite sure if it was true, but there was some probable truth. I was very offended, and it took me a while to get over the idea that I was chosen not because of my abilities but because of possible tokenism. However, I’m glad I was on that committee because I think I made some contributions, and I was able to meet new folks along the way.

However opportunities are given to me, I’m grateful for them. At the end of the day, it’s what I make out of them that matters.

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

There was once a time when I was a young kid in the Philippines when my family, four of us, lived in a one bedroom, probably no bigger than  a size of a typical dorm room. I remember my sister and I having to wake up early and take a bath outside, early enough, before our neighbors even wake up. But through it all, I never felt poor. I never felt as if I was deprived of anything in my life. We’ve always been a close-knit family and I think for me that’s what mattered the most. We didn’t have much money yet somehow my parents were able to give us things we needed. When my sister and I had to buy school uniforms, when I had to get a new boy scout uniform, they always seem to find ways. My dad, he’s very resourceful and a very hard worker. As far as I can remember, he always found ways to get side jobs. Oftentimes, he held more than one. When we moved to the United States in 1984, my parents immediately took jobs available to them at the local mall in Salinas. Throughout high school, my dad always worked two almost full-time jobs and still found the time to have his own janitorial service and mowed lawns during his time off. They never asked for anything from my sister and I. To this day, they have not asked for anything in return for what they have given us.

It’s times like this, three o’clock in the morning, when I get the time to reflect about my life that I realize how blessed I am. How privileged I am beyond belief. It’s all because of my parents’ sacrifices. Who would have thought I would have the career I have had to this point. I’m happily married to a wonderful partner. We’re enjoying life.

I’ve had challenges in life,feeling like an outcast at times, feeling like I’m not smart enough, like  I don’t belong but frankly, those challenges don’t matter as much anymore. I suppose, I can look back at them and in the bigger scheme of things, they’re trivial. I look at opportunities ahead of me and I’m just excited. Changes are happening and life is good. Life is good. I feel blessed. I feel privileged beyond belief.