EMSS Team Members:

Happy Friday to all members of the EMSS team – I apologize that I missed the scheduled communication during spring break, but as many of you know, I was traveling with 21 of our students, and some university colleagues, as part of the International Service Learning trip to the Philippines. It was a fabulous experience, and I am excited to become part of the permanent leadership team for this signature experience for our students. Sharing the cultural experience with them, and supporting them as they interacted with and learned from school children in a rural school there, was an honor that reminded me of the life-changing work we all do.

While the trip was wonderful, I was not able to find the time to finalize the planned communication – as a result, this week’s communication is a bit longer, and some items intended for that week unfortunately did not make it in below because the time has passed. As your time allows, please check out some of the current highlights from our division below:

Enrollment Progress

Fall 24 enrollment continues to look promising, though the window between now and early July will be the most volatile time for measuring student intent. This March 11 report from the Enrollment Target Progress work group provides additional information and detail about our current trajectory; a new report will be disseminated next week. Since this report, we have seen application growth continue, and our First Time Undergraduate (FTUG) applications have now surpassed the total received this time last year. That total will continue to grow as the March 31 application deadline approaches, and as we also intend to extend the deadline further in order to capitalize on what seems to be an emerging national trend of late applications from current high school seniors. Deposits are also trending higher than this date in 2019, the only other time in which we required an enrollment deposit.

This cycle promises to be very unusual, as the traditional May 1 national deposit/confirmation deadline has already shifted to May 15 (and potentially later in June) due to the federal delays in FAFSA processing. California recently adjusted its state financial aid deadline to May 2, in an attempt to lessen negative impacts on families who have been unable to file the FAFSA. It is likely that student confirmation activity, as well as other downstream actions (housing applications, registration, etc.) will be delayed until families have a better understanding of affordability for the coming year. Cal Poly Humboldt’s Financial Aid team is working exhaustively to ensure our aid packages can be provided as soon as possible – more info will be shared on that in the coming weeks, as we finalize testing of the new datasets.

Registration is Coming

The class schedule for Summer 2024 & Fall 2024 is live! Registration for summer opens on April 8 for eligible, continuing students. Registration for Fall 2024 begins by priority appointment as early as April 8 as well - students can view their appointment times in Student Center and will receive reminders. Visit the Depot March 25 – April 5 for collaboration with Advising Center, RAMP, Records, and more to support students planning and preparing for registration.

Budget Planning

Campus planning for the 24-25 budget continues, and I will provide information regarding our division’s priorities and needs to the University Resources & Planning Committee (URPC) later today. If your time allows, please join the last set of divisional updates later today via Zoom by clicking here.

Meeting ID: 882 5227 5935

Passcode: 117418

The Divisional Updates schedule for today is as follows:

1:00 pm-1:45 pm- Enrollment Management and Student Success (Vice President Chrissy Holliday)

1:45 pm-2:30 pm- Academic Affairs - Non-Instructional (Provost Jenn Capps)

URPC will provide a budget recommendation to the president in support of broad university priorities later this semester, informed by the division presentations received throughout the month of March. URPC will also hold a Spring Open Forum on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, from 12 pm-1:30 pm with location and other details to be shared soon – this was rescheduled from a March date in order to allow URPC to receive all of the division updates prior to the forum.

Spring Preview

Across EMSS and the campus, preparations are underway for this weekend’s Spring Preview, which promises to bring our largest attendance ever. More than 1,300 guests (525+ admitted students plus family members) are registered for Saturday’s special visit experience, and our Preview Plus program will bring around 80 students to campus by bus. We know Preview/Preview Plus are signature events for those students making their final decisions about whether to attend Humboldt this fall, and attendees have higher yield rates than admitted students who have not been part of these days. Visit our Spring Preview website for the day’s agenda.

Every interaction our admitted students and their families have with members of the Cal Poly Humboldt community will help inform their decision of where to attend college. Should you come across a visiting student or guest who needs assistance, please be welcoming, friendly, and answer any questions they may have. Wear your Green and Gold with pride and be ready to assist our visitors. Thanks to all who have worked tirelessly to make this event a success – I look forward to sharing more in the next communication about the weekend, and more details for the April 13 date.

Giving Day

Cal Poly Humboldt Giving Day is a 24-hour fundraising campaign on April 3 that brings faculty, staff, alumni, donors, friends, and family together in support of our students. Of special note is the fact that a large number of EMSS programs are participating in the fundraising event this year, including Oh Snap!, student clubs, El Centro, ITEPP, Center Arts, Umoja, SAC, CARE/Basic Needs, and YES. Check out all the great Giving Day Opportunities at https://giving.humboldt.edu/giving-day or visit the SAC Quad from 11am-1pm – if you choose to support your favorite Humboldt initiative, don’t forget to share about it on social media and encourage others you know to explore giving options for our campus as well – crowdsourcing campaigns can have a significant impact on our ability to serve our students well.

The Campus Store Arcata

Big things are happening at The Campus Store Arcata. Don’t miss the Apple products BIG sale April 15-19, where you can save an additional 10% above the 8% educational discount pricing on Apple products. Visit https://www.bkstr.com/calpolyhumboldtstore/home for more information. The store also recently hosted a book signing and author event. Check out Betty Chinn and Author Karen Price's Facebook recorded story from The Campus Store Arcata's book signing event for "The Gray Bird Sings: The Extraordinary Life of Betty Kwan Chinn" https://fb.watch/qQuXx9mbF9/?mibextid=Nif5oz   

Housing Marketplace

Know someone who needs help finding housing in the community? Off-Campus Housing has launched a brand new Off-Campus Housing Marketplace for students, faculty and staff. Check it out at: https://rentallistings.humboldt.edu

Staff Recognition Recipients

A special congratulations to all who were honored at yesterday’s Staff Recognition Awards Ceremony. The luncheon and ceremony were an incredible reminder of the phenomenal staff who make this campus the amazing place it is to work and learn, and it was a joy to celebrate with two of EMSS’ own honorees:

Sulaina Banks, Visit Experience Coordinator, Office of Admissions

Mari Holguin, Transfer Coordinator, Office of the Registrar

Thank you for all you do for our campus and our students!

New Hires/Position Changes

The Student Success area has welcomed a number of new team members in recent weeks. Please welcome Ash Hansen as the new Orientation and New Students Programs Coordinator, Agustin Valdez as the new Diverse Male Scholars Coordinator and Octavio Acosta as the Interim Coordinator for El Centro Académico Cultural de Humboldt! 

Please join the Financial Aid Office in welcoming their newest Financial Aid Specialist, Kelson Foster. Two more specialists will join the team in April and May - stay tuned!

Congratulations also to Sierra Farmer, Freshman Evaluator & Residency Specialist, who has accepted a position at Portland State and will be leaving us next week, with her last day at Cal Poly Humboldt on April 1. The Admissions & Records teams are going to miss Sierra greatly, and we all wish her the best.

Accolades

Congratulations to Miriam Miner, Associate Director in Financial Aid, for passing the exam to become a NASFAA Certified Financial Aid Administrator.

Cal Poly Humboldt was awarded $360,000 in grant funds from a CSU initiative to support Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Students. The funds will go to supporting the work of the ADPI-MENA Collective. Congratulations to the cross-campus team that planned this submission, co-led by EMSS’ own Ravin Craig.

Cal Poly Humboldt recently received $210,000 in grant funds from the CSU Chancellor's Office to implement strategies designed to support the recruitment and success of Black students, as a result of the system's Black Student Success Initiative. The initial Black Student Success response team that contributed to this proposal and the related campus inventory included partners from divisions across campus, as well as myself and EMSS’ own Peggy Metzger, Dr. Mitch Mitchell, and former team member Douglas Smith.

Latinx Night at Eureka High School was a successful event last weeked where Cal Poly Humboldt and CR staff had a chance to present to 30+ Latinx students and their families about college after high school. It was a great event with food, laughter and community building. Cal Poly Humboldt Admissions plans to continue supporting these events and others like it to boost local college access to all.

Upcoming Events

Battle of the Bands:  Come watch the Battle of the Bands being thrown by the SAC student staff on Thursday, April 4 in the KBR at 7pm

Trinity Early Learning Center: Join us for a ribbon cutting at the newly named Trinity Early Learning Center which houses the Childrens Center and Child Development Lab, on Saturday, April 6 at 10am.

CenterArts Show: Immanuel Wilkins; Sunday, April 7, 7pm at Fulkerson Recital Hall

Arcata Chamber Mixer: Join us to represent Cal Poly Humboldt as we host the monthly Chamber mixer at The Campus Store Arcata on the Plaza, on Thursday, April 4, 5:30 to 7pm

California Indian Big Time & Social Gathering: The 14th Annual California Indian Big Time & Social Gathering is scheduled for Saturday, April 6th from 11am to 6pm in the Forbes West Gym. Come build community by honoring and celebrating California Native Traditions through songs, games, resources and arts & crafts!

Summer Algebra Institute: Date TBD - This is the first year it will be held in person at Humboldt. The program will provide 60 8th - 12th grade students with a chance to practice algebra over the summer, participate in STEAM workshops, listen to guest speakers, learn about college readiness, and earn elective credits. It is a collaboration between TRIO, K16, and the Early Assessment Program. It received full funding from the CSU Chancellor's Office and will be completely free for participating students.

As always, if you have items for inclusion in this division communication, share them with me via e-mail, or with the EMSS Leadership Team member in your area.

Take care of yourselves and each other,

Chrissy Holliday

Vice President, EMSS

Cal Poly Humboldt