This is our eleventh edition of the UC Santa Barbara Student Affairs Annual Report, but its theme is one of our oldest. Preparing students for the "real world" after they graduate has always been at the heart of Student Affairs work. "Co-curricular" and "transferable" skill building, "experiential" and "practicum-based" learning are baked into the bread of being a Student Affairs professional. We specialize in the "service" and "development" and "empowerment" that departments gushed about in the pages to come. The variety of ways that departments do this continues to impress; from programming for large groups to training for peer educators to formal mentoring programs and professional development opportunities. Operational units with small groups of student staff and programming units with large groups of interns  take equal pride in their responsible management of student's potential. For many this was the year to reach out to alumni and catch up with former mentees. Some departments needed only to survey or interview staff to reflect on why they never left and how they developed "back in the day" when they were the students. In some ways reading this year's report was a gratitude letter to how Student Affairs departments turn the academic challenges of the university experience into professional and tangible service to emerging adults going through a major life transition. 

Assessment is usually a complex challenge for Student Affairs professionals because in a single day they can receive feedback from current students, serve as references for former students, write letters of recommendation for graduating students, and lead tours to welcome incoming students. Then, just when they think they are done, some colleague asks them to write about how they are preparing leaders for life after college? The challenge became narrowing down. Of all the themes we've we asked departments to address, this year's was almost existential, challenging them to tell stories about the obvious reasons they get up in the morning. They responded with a variety of impacts on student and staff development, training, transferable skills, productivity lessons, and a myriad of reflections on the often unspoken lessons of college.

As you read through this report, it's clear our departments have strengthened academic partnerships, fostered a safe, healthy, and supportive learning community, advanced access, equity, and inclusion, maximized the potential in students and staff, and invested in our future. They have reflected on the intentional and unintentional learning that defines being a staff member at a major research university. They are all clearly paying it forward!

On behalf of the Student Affairs Assessment Initiative team, we share this edition with gratitude.

We dedicate it to the fellow educators, partners, and community members developing leaders each day in Student Affairs and beyond.