Systemwide Staff Advocates Connect on Campus

CUCSA members toured campus, enjoyed an activity at the Craft Center, honored their members with awards, provided updates from workgroups and met with university executives.

Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla highlighted the goals and results of our campus transformation, which include expanding access to students and increasing diversity.

“I like this event because I can get a feel about what is on your mind across the system and learn what we can do to help, but also, I can boast about our campus,” he laughed. Khosla also updated the group on how staff are informing a refreshed strategic plan to inspire, guide and connect our community.

The leadership of CUCSA come from varied professional backgrounds and campus locations. CUCSA Chair John Bodenschatz has worked for UC Irvine for more than two decades, serving in areas ranging from Financial Services to the School of Law to Neurobiology, before serving as director of finance for the School of Humanities. He is interested in improving workspaces through team building and the application of technology to update status quo practices to best achieve positive outcomes for individual employees, the workplace team, the academic unit and at the university level.

“CUCSA has the opportunity to engage with university leadership, including President Drake and the Board of Regents, both to share what we are hearing from staff and to learn more about upcoming university initiatives,” said Bodenschatz. “As issues emerge, we are able to help find solutions and push initiatives forward to make things better for all staff.”  

CUCSA Chair-Elect Jen Bowser transitioned to UC Santa Barbara in early 2023 from UC San Diego where she managed sustainability engagement efforts for seven years. Before her career in sustainability, she was a senior accountant in UC San Diego’s General Accounting Department. Bowser sees her role on CUCSA as fostering a workplace that is supportive, safe and rewarding for all staff.

CUCSA keeps a pulse on top employee concerns through surveys, a robust network of local staff assemblies and regular meetings with the UC Staff Advisors to the Regents. "When we hear about an issue impacting staff at one campus, it sparks a conversation about how we can learn more about the situation and how CUCSA can get involved at the systemwide level,” said Bowser. She added that the regular CUCSA meetings on campuses throughout the system allow for building relationships and one-on-one conversations.

UC San Diego Chief Human Resources Officer Terri Winbush also met with CUCSA during their campus visit. Winbush described the university’s People Proposition as a roadmap to help people feel good about coming to work, bring their whole selves to work, contribute constructive feedback and offer ideas and new perspectives. Winbush also noted the training and support offered by the People Leader Network is key to both understanding and communicating about sustainable amounts of work.

“We are high achievers, working at night and on weekends, and sometimes push ourselves to just do more until we burn out,” said Winbush. “It is imperative to empower a new culture, starting with a conversation about what we can do with the resources we have, closely aligned with our strategic plan.” Winbush stressed that it is important to lead with data—everything from staff turnover rates, the cost of turnover, exit surveys and staff engagement survey results.

The topic was on-point for the CUCSA members in the room, as this year, their focus will be to continue their work related to staff retention, which includes compensation, staffing levels and wellbeing. Bodenschatz emphasized that senior leaders are concerned with day-to-day staff issues, and found the comments from our leadership on staff burnout encouraging—both that they are addressing it and encouraging staff to work as change agents.

“It was a pleasure hosting the CUCSA delegation at our beautiful and dynamic campus,” said UC San Diego Staff Association Chair Desiree Hennon. “We were strategic in our programming and presenter selections to enhance and inform the work we are doing this year to advocate for staff both at our individual locations and systemwide.”

The UC San Diego Staff Association is dedicated to celebrating staff and elevating their voices. Any UC San Diego staff interested in learning more or sharing their perspectives are encouraged to visit the UC San Diego Staff Association site or come start a conversation at one of the campus celebrations or monthly Triton Treats events.