Vice Chancellor's Welcome
Dear Student:
I am pleased to welcome you to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). By choosing to enroll at a health sciences campus, you have demonstrated a strong commitment to a career of service to others. Please take this opportunity to learn about the many services available to ensure your success at UCSF.
The departments that make up Student Academic Affairs (SAA) provide an array of quality services to students and educators at UCSF. SAA departments provide students with financial aid, health and counseling services, career and professional development services, and registration and fee payment services. In addition, we provide support to international students and scholars, to student government and other student organizations and we sponsor programs that help to prepare K-12 students for admission to college and careers in health science.
The SAA staff is working diligently to address two significant challenges. First, we are implementing new ways of better serving the ever-changing needs of our students inside and outside the classroom. Rapid advances in technology provide new opportunities to serve student needs faster and more efficiently than in the past. A robust new lecture capture system enables students to review lectures that take place in many of our educational spaces. New and more complex health needs of students require that we increase access to a wider range of health services at a reasonable cost. Second, SAA is leading the campus’ efforts to enhance and expand interprofessional health education programming through the new Center for Innovation in Interprofessional Education. UCSF is well-positioned to lead the nation in an area that has great potential to strengthen our educational programs and enhance patient care.
UCSF is also committed to providing adequate financial support to students so they can make career choices that make the best use of their skills and not be overly burdened with loan debt. The Chancellor’s recent announcement of a three-year, $100 million fundraising initiative will provide valuable financial support for students and enhance further the campus’ educational infrastructure.
It is a great privilege for my colleagues and me to serve such extraordinarily talented and diverse individuals who are dedicated to improving the quality of health care in the state, country and world. I wish you great success at UCSF. If I can be helpful to you, please contact me at joseph.castro@ucsf.edu.
Sincerely,
Joseph I. Castro, PhD MPP
Vice Chancellor
Student Academic Affairs
