SUBJECT:

Associate Vice Chancellor - Undergraduate Education

After six years of outstanding service to UC San Diego as Associate Vice Chancellor - Undergraduate Education (AVC-UE), Professor Mark Appelbaum has announced his intention to step down from his administrative post at the conclusion of the current academic year. Following a sabbatical, he will return full time to the Department of Psychology to teach and pursue research.

As UCSD's first AVC-Undergraduate Education, Mark has defined this position and made extraordinary contributions to the campus' educational mission. Working with faculty, the Academic Senate, the Colleges, the administration, Associated Students leadership, and colleagues throughout the UC system, Mark has been a strong voice and advocate for undergraduate education. During his tenure as AVC-UE highly successful one-unit Undergraduate Seminar Programs have been established for Freshmen, Transfer Students and Seniors, with over 1800 students participating in these seminars each academic year. Mark also established the Council on Undergraduate Education, consisting of the Vice Chairs for Education and Program Directors in the General Campus academic units. The Council serves as a forum for sharing best practices and discussing new initiatives and proposed policy changes, with the overall goal of enhancing the undergraduate academic experience at UCSD.

As Chair of the CAPE Faculty Advisory Committee, Mark has worked with the CAPE leadership to improve course evaluation processes, guide the transition to online posting of evaluation results, and develop comparative data to help faculty interpret their course evaluation results. The Office of the AVC-UE also plays a coordinating role in the undergraduate program review process, collaborating with CEP to conduct effective and timely reviews.

Under Mark's leadership as UCSD's Accreditation Liaison Officer, the campus proposal submitted to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) for reaffirmation of accreditation was judged "exemplary" and has been featured by WASC as a model for other institutions. With the Admissions Office, Mark has developed a forecasting system for freshman course demand and worked with the colleges and the academic departments to ensure that entering students have access to needed courses and a positive initial experience at UCSD. Among his many activities that have positively impacted the UCSD undergraduate experience are efforts to ensure that transfer students experience a smooth transition from the community colleges and the development of strategies to increase the participation of undergraduate students in UCSD's research enterprise.

Professor Appelbaum joined the UCSD faculty in 1996 as a professor in the Department of Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology from the University of Illinois in 1968. His research focuses on the application of quantitative and statistical methodology for designing and understanding studies of human behavioral phenomena - particularly human development.

Please join me in offering heartfelt thanks to Associate Vice Chancellor Appelbaum for his exemplary service. I expect to begin an internal search for Mark's successor as soon as possible.

Marsha A. Chandler Senior Vice Chancellor