From the Desk of Willie Brown V6N1

We’re Back 

Welcome back to The Compass! For those new to HDAE, this staff newsletter includes articles about divisional happenings, shares the comings and goings of our colleagues, and highlights fun information from our departments. After the retirement of our long-serving and admired director of marketing and communications, Julie Levangie, The Compass took a hiatus. As we welcome the new director, Kirsten Brinlee, you will see the return of regular communications.

With this in mind, I am happy to announce the release of the 2022-2023 Annual Report. I am always impressed by the tremendous work we accomplish year-over-year, and last year was no exception. I hope you’ll take some time to look through the report and reflect back on a small sample of our impact across campus.

We have a lot of big things happening in HDAE that I’m excited to share with you. The first is the Student Housing Development project. The two-phase housing development project will provide 3,500 new undergraduate beds as part of the University’s Long Range Development Plan. During this development process, we will also investigate the possibility of allocating some undergraduate apartment housing stock to graduate students.  With planning well underway and moving quickly, HDAE leadership and campus partners will present San Benito (Phase One) to the UC Board of Regents in May. 

Located on the former Facilities Management site at Mesa Road and Stadium Drive, San Benito will consist mostly of four-bedroom apartments, with a mix of some doubles and singles, making up the first 2,100 new beds. The project will feature amenities such as a market and cafe, study and game rooms, recreational spaces, and both bike and pedestrian pathways connecting the site to campus, and is slated to open in Fall 2027. Input from students, staff, administration, and faculty has been critical in developing the vision and will continue as the project progresses beyond concept into design and construction. Planning for Phase Two will begin later this year, and the project will include 1,400 beds located on the southeast side of campus. 

As part of the organizational restructuring announced in Fall 2022, I am pleased to announce that the recruitment process for the Senior Executive Director of Auxiliary Services has begun. This new leader will unify the vision for the auxiliary operations of the campus store, conference & hospitality services—including The Club & Guest House, transportation & parking services, and administration of the university center and events center. We hope to fill this position by July 1, 2024.

With spring break and the end of winter quarter around the corner, I want to express my sincere thanks for all you do to keep our organization and the campus running. I hope you will join your colleagues at our annual Deepening Understanding Conference on Wednesday, March 27, and save the date for the HDAE Town Hall scheduled for Wednesday, May 8 at 1 p.m. I look forward to seeing you at these events!