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While summer is an ideal time for us to rejuvenate and recharge, it is also full of opportunities to host and attend conferences without the day-to-day challenges that come with the academic year. This summer I have been able to seize such opportunities at events on our campus and around the country, sharing best practices and learning from colleagues across the campus, state, and nation.

VCSA Cabinet Retreat
Cabinet members gathered on Friday, July 21 for our first retreat! We spent a great day in dialogue around innovation, collaboration, and building relationships. The main topic of conversation was about higher education changing and the student affairs role in that change.  We focused on how we can be the model for our campus around change for the benefit of students and their campus experience. I walked away invigorated by not only the conversations we had but the willingness to create a plan with priorities in how we get things done.

NASPA 2019 Planning Committee
Our first meeting was held in Los Angeles July 22-23. The chair decided we needed to meet earlier than most conference planning committees because we will be celebrating NASPA’s 100th year anniversary and we want the time to think about the next 100 years and the “why” of how we do our work in creating student ready campuses for the next generation of practitioners.  Lastly, we spent quite a bit of time around the word INNOVATION and what it means for student affairs.

Introducing our Short Experiment Winners
Earlier this summer I asked Division staff to bring forth ideas for innovation after attending an inspiring retreat on the topic. These short experiment proposals would help initiate the process of creating a learning culture while building the capacity for innovation and change. I’m extremely pleased with the number of creative and timely proposals that were submitted, as well as the inspiration and positive energy from the proposal presentations last month.   

It’s an honor to introduce our three winning teams and their proposals. These proposals stood out as creative solutions to challenges and will help further achievement toward Division and campus goals. Please join me in congratulating the following teams on their winning proposals:

CU On Campus Job Fair
Team members: Molly Brauer (Residence Life), Jennifer Fox (Residence Life), Vicki Vanderwerf (Residence Life), Hannah Wilks, (Volunteer Resource Center), and Sarah Williams (Office of Victim Assistance).
Proposal: To help with the recruitment and hiring of student staff across the Division, this team proposed the idea of facilitating an in-person, on-campus job and recruitment fair in January 2018 for students looking to work on the CU Boulder campus. This one-day fair will be open to all campus departments who hire both work-study and hourly student workers.

First Year Commuter Student Success Plan 
Team members: Rob Carroll (New Student & Family Programs), Kim Foster (Financial Services & Occupancy Management), Barb Loo (Financial Services & Occupancy Management), Jeremy Moore (Off Campus Housing & Neighborhood Relations), and Jenny Wilson (Financial Services & Occupancy Management).
Proposal: To help provide support and higher retention for first-year students living off campus, this team proposed the idea of the First Year Commuter Student Success Plan. This plan encompasses two parts: the first being the creation of an Off Campus Peer Mentor program, and the second being an overnight retreat for first-year off campus students and staff facilitators. 

Spirit Friday Lunch & Learns 
Team members: Kim Kruchen (Office of Assessment & Planning,), Susan Barkman (Off-Campus Housing & Neighborhood Relations), and Meagan Larsen (Student Affairs Communication)
Proposal: To help provide Division staff with learning opportunities and chances to collaborate, this team proposed the idea of monthly Lunch & Learns. These Lunch & Learns would be comprised of guest speakers and mini-presentations on student trends to help us anticipate the needs of future incoming students.

Congratulations to these teams! You’ll begin to see these short experiments implemented in the coming months

I want to remind you that this is the first step to increasing innovation across the Division.  I encourage you to continue thinking outside the box, discovering new opportunities to collaborate with other departments, and finding innovative solutions to challenges!

We will continue our focus with more to come as the new semester starts.

Sincerely,
Christina Gonzales