June 26, 2024
Dear Members of Our Campus Community,
After 11 years of distinguished leadership of our Admissions Office, and nearly 40 years of dedicated service to UC Santa Barbara, Executive Director of Admissions Lisa Przekop has decided to retire, effective June 28, 2024.
I will be consulting with our Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Executive Vice Chancellor, Academic Senate, administrative colleagues, and other members of our campus community on the formation of a search advisory committee for our next Executive Director of Admissions. I look forward to announcing the committee in the near future.
During the interim period before the conclusion of the search, I am pleased to announce that Associate Director of Admissions Cuca Acosta has graciously agreed to serve as the Interim Director of Admissions, effective July 1, 2024. I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to our many faculty, staff, and student colleagues for their advice and recommendations. Cuca is a UC Santa Barbara alumna, and has served as Associate Director, School Services in Admissions since 2001. We are grateful to Cuca for her continued service to UC Santa Barbara in this new role.
Executive Director Przekop has dedicated a great deal of her life to UC Santa Barbara. She has led Admissions since 2013. She began her career in Admissions in 1985 after graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in developmental and experimental psychology. She has served on numerous educational committees and boards, among them the UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association Board of Directors, the California Student Opportunity and Access Program Board of Directors, the Student Aid Committee of the Santa Barbara Foundation, and the board of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.
In 2008, Lisa founded our Guardian Scholars Program, which supports the needs of former foster youth enrolled at UC Santa Barbara. In addition, Lisa was a recipient of our campus’s Margaret T. Getman Service to Students Award, and has been recognized as Greek Advisor of the Year for her work with the Zeta Chapter of the multicultural Lambda Sigma Gamma Sorority. The Santa Barbara Independent has honored Lisa as a “Local Hero” for her work with Santa Barbara youth.
I am honored to have this opportunity to thank Executive Director Przekop for her contributions to our academic community; for her steadfast commitment to excellence, diversity, and accessibility; and for the leadership and support she has provided to our collaborative efforts to bring outstanding and diverse students to UC Santa Barbara.
Please join me in congratulating Lisa, and in extending our heartfelt thanks for her deep and sustained devotion to our university. We wish her the very best in all that lies ahead.
Sincerely,
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor