Category Archives: General

Celebrating Staff Achievement: Honoring our first cohort of the ABSO Certificate Program

Three people stand together. The woman in the center holds flowers and a certificate. A blue and yellow decorated backdrop is behind them.

Celebrating Staff Achievement: Honoring our first cohort of the ABSO Certificate Program

On March 19, 2025, in a heartfelt ceremony, we proudly recognized five exceptional staff members who completed the foundational track of the ABSO Certificate Program, Pathway to Employee Excellence. Launched in Fall 2023, this professional development initiative aims to refresh, strengthen, and teach new skills to staff employees within Academic Affairs.

Since its inception, the program has offered three comprehensive courses focusing on basic personnel management, basic budget and financial management, and event planning. With approximately 100 Academic Affairs staff participating in at least one course, these five individuals demonstrated remarkable persistence by completing all three courses, which included assignments and quizzes.

Congratulations to:

  • Nima Abrishamkar, Senior Analyst, Programs and Operations, Applied Data Science
  • Sarah Kam, Senior College Resource Analyst, COSS Dean’s Office
  • Kristina Luna, Administrative Services Specialist, School of Information
  • Lydie Rashel, Administrative Analyst, Mechanical Engineering
  • Mahasti Tayebi, Administrative Support Coordinator, Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

During the ceremony, Provost Vincent Del Casino and AVP Sami Monsur presented certificates of completion, joined by colleagues, directors, and deans who came to celebrate and support their staff’s professional growth. The honorees can proudly showcase their ABSO training badge in their professional portfolios, highlighting their achievements and skills.

Honoree Highlights:

“I love communicating and being in touch with students…I love the training.” — Nima Abrishamkar
“I’m grateful for this training… it gave me exposure to how the university works.” — Sarah Kam
“I love my job. I grow and learn every day… this training was wonderful.” — Mahasti Tayebi
“The better I am, the better our faculty and students can focus on their work.” — Lydie Rashel
“I’ve learned in each module… it’s necessary to stay fresh.” — Kristina Luna

Leadership Reflections:

AVP Monsur encouraged participants to see this as a stepping stone: “These trainings show that the campus is open to you — even beyond our division — as growth opportunities arise.” The program seeks to empower employees through knowledge. 

Provost Del Casino applauded the dedication shown: “This is above and beyond your day-to-day work. It’s inspiring to see people invest in each other and build community. Congratulations to everyone!”

What’s Next?

We’re excited to announce new courses in the exploratory track this summer: Fundamentals of Enrollment Management and Intro to Change Management (ADKAR Method). We’re also offering Introduction to Courses & Class Scheduling as part of the foundational track. Stay tuned for more details!

Again, congratulations to our first cohort for their dedication and achievement. We look forward to seeing more staff continue to grow and thrive through this impactful program.

Acad Sched & Space Mgt (AS&SM): Summer 2025 Published & Winter/Spring 2026 Survey

Summer 2025

The Summer 2025 class schedule published today, March 18, 2025. Continuing students will begin registration in three weeks on April 9. This early publication of the Summer 2025 class schedule is important to support our student’s planning to make progress in their programs as supported by the undergraduate and graduate advising communities.

Winter/Spring 2026 Survey

AS&SM is preparing for the next class schedule production cycle for Winter/Spring 2026. We have prepared a brief Winter/Spring 2026 Class Schedule Production Timeline Survey that we hope you will complete no later than Friday, March 28, 2025.

Winter 2025 Deadlines & Reminders for the Class Schedule & Faculty Appointments

The start of the Winter 2025 term is just one month away. Deadlines and reminders for Winter 2025 are included below for your reference. 

Winter 2025 Deadlines & Reminders

    • 12/3/2024 – Final Date to Evaluate Sections for Cancellation (low enrollment), includes sections with changes to the course meeting patterns or modes of instruction (unless it’s from in-person to a more online modality), which will be required to be canceled and re-added. 
    • 12/10/2024 – Final Date to Submit Changes to Existing Sections
    • 12/11/2024 – Deadline for Faculty Appointments. Late requests that have not been approved by Monday, December 24, the last staff workday prior to Winter Session 2025, shall be considered denied.
    • 12/17/2024 – Registration closes at 11:59 pm with no add/drop activities. 
    • 12/18/2024 – Payment due date for courses added from Oct 9 – Dec 17 
    • 1/2/2025 – Registration will reopen (on the first day of instruction). Payment due the same day. 
    • 1/2-17/2025 – Dates of Instruction for most courses (3.3 WTUs is the maximum allowed total employment in the CSU and its auxiliaries)
    • 1/21/2025 – Grades due from Faculty

Update to the Academic Affairs Division Telecommuting Agreement Process

We are implementing an important update to the telecommuting agreement process for the Academic Affairs Division. Effective immediately, we are shifting to a calendar-year model for all telecommuting agreements, regardless of an employee’s hire date. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Calendar Year Model: We are in the process of transitioning all of our telecommuting agreements to a January–December schedule. This update will standardize agreements across the Division to streamline tracking and renewals.
  • Standard Campus/Remote Model: The standard schedule for telecommuting is a 3-day campus / 2-day remote model. Any department or unit requesting a schedule other than this 3/2 split must be prepared to submit written justification from the Appropriate Administrator if requested by the Office of Equal Opportunity.
  • Agreement Cycle: When an employee’s current Telecommuting Agreement expires, the new agreement must have an end date of 12/31/25 to align with the calendar year model. For agreements ending on 12/31/2024, please submit a new agreement in December to allow for approval processing and ensure an effective start date of January 1, 2025.
  • Guidelines and Resources: Review the telecommuting process – including the policy, signing authority, and agreement guidelines – on the AA Resource Hub. As a reminder, please use the AAD-specific Telecommuter Agreement, also available on the AA Resource Hub.
  • Telecommuting Help and FAQs: For more information, check out UP’s Telecommuting Help and FAQs webpage.

If you have any questions, please consult with your DRO/manager or reach out to ABSO at abso@sjsu.edu.

Thank you for your cooperation in this transition to a streamlined telecommuting process.

Academic Scheduling & Space Management (AS&SM): Spring 2025 Close Waitlists on the First Day of Instruction

Per F20-1, departments may close waitlists starting on the first day of instruction. In order to close waitlists for a course for Spring 2025, submit a Request Form no later than Friday, January 3, 2025.

Why close or keep open course waitlists? 

Close waitlists on and after the first day of instruction to manage enrollment through permission numbers shared with students. When closing waitlists on the first day of instruction, departments are responsible to share the process to request permission codes with their students. 

Keep waitlists open on and after the first day of instruction to allow students to be automatically enrolled from waitlists through the ninth (9) day of the term, reducing any extra workload to instructors to hand permission numbers. Avoiding the use of permission codes creates one less barrier for their course enrollment. 

Review How to view permission numbers and waitlist position from Faculty Center?.

Department Questions? Email Sarah Schraeder Cisneros. 

Student Questions? Email the Registrar’s Office.