June 12, 2026

Dear Members of the UC Santa Barbara Community,

From our very first days on campus, Eleni and I have witnessed the unmatched ingenuity and talent of our dedicated staff colleagues at UC Santa Barbara. From ensuring operational excellence to supporting our world-class research and teaching, over 3,500 staff members power our university each and every day. 

In an effort to better support our staff, the Chancellor’s Task Force on Campus Staffing was established in 2024 in consultation with the Academic Senate, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, and administrative leadership. The Task Force met with diverse groups across campus from spring through fall 2025, gathering valuable insights and identifying potential opportunities to enhance the staff experience. The Task Force reviewed opportunities to: 

As a part of ongoing efforts, the university has taken a number of productive steps and is undertaking new initiatives to cultivate an environment where staff excellence and thriving go hand in hand.

Recognize Excellence

In coordination with campus Human Resources and the UC Office of the President, we are establishing a campus Staff Appreciation and Recognition (STAR) Award program to recognize staff effort and accomplishment. This program will provide discretionary cash awards to celebrate excellence through two specific avenues: 

  1. Achievement Awards: Recognizing sustained, exceptional performance and significant contributions over an extended period. 
  2. Spot Awards: Recognizing specific contributions and project successes.

Encourage Wellbeing 

UC Santa Barbara leadership will formally adopt the Okanagan Charter, an international charter promoting health and wellbeing at universities and colleges. The charter has two primary goals: 1. To embed health into all aspects of campus culture, across the administration, operations, and academic mandates, and 2. To lead health promotion action and collaboration locally and globally. 

We also will host our first UCSB Wellbeing Day this summer. The day will be filled with events, activities, and an expo promoting work-life harmony and supporting physical, environmental, mental, and emotional wellness. 

Support Housing and Childcare Needs 

Access to housing is critical for the wellbeing of our campus community. In an effort to support workforce housing needs, the university acquired the Soltara Apartments in downtown Santa Barbara, providing 80 residential units for UC Santa Barbara staff and faculty. And this week, I am pleased to announce that the university has signed a master lease for an additional 36 residential units in downtown Santa Barbara. The Alena on Haley Apartments, around the corner from the Soltara, will soon be available to interested staff and faculty at below market rates. Our Real Estate Services team will be sharing more details about an open house and rental information in an upcoming communication. 

The university also established a building committee to develop recommendations for a new childcare facility to expand support for our staff and faculty and their families. 

Review Workload and Compensation

Over the past academic year, the university has engaged in good faith collective bargaining with represented staff and their unions, and we have successfully negotiated a series of broad salary increases. In the coming days, we expect to be issued UC's annual salary guidance for policy-covered staff (not represented by a collective bargaining unit) for the coming fiscal year. 

In FY25, Academic Affairs undertook a salary equity study and made adjustments. We will soon initiate a campuswide workload review to evaluate and recommend solutions and ensure the efficient allocation of staff effort across units. 

Enhance Culture and Community

UC Santa Barbara is committed to fostering a positive and collaborative culture between faculty and staff that is grounded in respect and collegiality. Communication and clearly defined role responsibilities are essential to building strong working relationships. To that end, I have asked our colleagues in Human Resources to 1. improve our processes for staff to provide feedback and share ideas with supervisors and campus leadership, and 2. make sure that roles are clearly defined and communicated. 

Provide Training and Support 

Human Resources is currently developing more professional training programs for staff across campus. The university recently launched the AI@Work certificate program and is currently building a comprehensive professional development series to provide staff with valuable opportunities to acquire new skills and hone their talents. These new programs will complement the campus’s other offerings, including Lean Six Sigma and LinkedIn Learning service, which gives employees access to over 24,000 courses and professional certifications. 

I want to express my deepest gratitude to the members of the Task Force for their diligent work, and to the many staff and faculty members who shared their perspectives and ideas to improve the staff experience. Our progress is truly a team effort, requiring a culture of cooperation between staff and faculty that strongly recognizes the distinct responsibilities and shared purpose that make our mission possible. 

This is only the beginning of a sustained effort to ensure that our campus remains a place where staff are valued, supported, and empowered to succeed. On behalf of everyone at UC Santa Barbara, thank you to our extraordinary staff members for everything you do to elevate our university! 

Sincerely,

Dennis Assanis, Chancellor