Request to Participate in Survey for Administrative Review of David Ruiter, Faculty Director of the Teaching + Learning Commons

Dear Graduate Student,

We have been appointed as a committee by Executive Vice Chancellor Elizabeth H. Simmons to conduct a review, in accordance with university policy, of David Ruiter’s performance in his administrative role as Faculty Director of the Teaching + Learning Commons. This includes performance in the following areas:

Provide a strategic vision and leadership to further the mission of the Teaching + Learning Commons to advance student success through teaching excellence and comprehensive academic support, in light of a complex and ever-changing higher education landscape.
The Commons consists of six hubs: Engaged Teaching, Digital Learning, Academic Achievement, Writing, Experiential Learning and Education Research + Assessment. Ensure the hubs closely interact, inform, and mutually reinforce each other to function as a single entity embodying the intertwined relationship of teaching and learning.
Assist all members of the UC San Diego community in developing learning environments and experiences for their students that encourage engagement and foster student success through a wide range of programs, services, and research.
Act as a key partner in creating transformative pedagogical advancements at UC San Diego to provide equitable, high quality and accessible educational experiences for all students under the direction of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Innovation.
Guide faculty in their advancement of teaching excellence, inside and outside the classroom in both traditional and digital teaching and learning settings.
Support undergraduate and graduate student academic success and professional development.
Serve as a catalyst for conversations and collaborations amongst faculty, departments and academic leaders to refine and assess student learning outcomes and to move educational innovation opportunities from development to implementation.

To assist in this effort, we would welcome your participation in a short confidential survey found at https://ucsd.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0OO7qaiKPobAGiy

Your feedback on this survey, which is anonymous and confidential, will be very valuable for the committee in reviewing and evaluating Faculty Director Ruiter’s performance in his role. There will be space at the end of the survey for you to share any additional feedback that you would like to provide. You may also email written comments to Faculty-Director-Ruiter-Review-2025-g@ucsd.edu

The deadline for receipt of written comments and submission of the survey is Friday, May 2, 2025. Your views are important and all feedback is helpful. We appreciate your attention to this matter.

You can learn more about David Ruiter and his role related to these charges at https://commons.ucsd.edu

Sincerely,

Administrative Review Committee
Holly Bauer, Teaching Professor, Associate Director of Analytical Writing Program and Committee Chair
Saharnaz Baghdadchi, Associate Teaching Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Phoebe Bronstein, Associate Teaching Professor, Director of Academic Programs CAT
Dani Cook, Associate University Librarian, Learning and User Experience
Daniel Suchy, Senior Director, Academic Technology Services
Brian Leigh, Associate Teaching Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Stephanie Mel, Teaching Professor, Molecular Biology
Florian Meyer, Associate Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Gerado Perez Cavazos, Associate Professor, Rady School of Management
Richard Pitt, Professor, Sociology

University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093