What Staff Do

Alli Warren, Curriculum Planner

  1. Curricum Planning
    1. Collect all instructor teaching plans via google form in early October for the following academic year (i.e., for 2026-2027, I collect information in Fall of 2025).
    2. Schedule courses one year in advance of the class. Add instructors and GSIs to classes. Make sure we have at least one class in all five of our areas of concentration. 
  2. Enrollment Management
    1. Set enrollment caps based on instructor preference/departmental policy. Assigns Permission numbers when used/ needed.
    2. Reserve seats for Geography majors during Phase 1 of enrollment, and some other more specific seats. 
    3. Manage waitlists. The waitlist automatically processes every two hours up until a given point in the semester, after which one has to manually process it if an instructor wants to enroll someone in the class.
    4. Request new classrooms for instructors and GSIs where necessary
    5. Submit tickets for issues with classrooms. 
    6. Enroll students in independent and honors classes after they submit the relevant forms.
  3. Course Proposals and Modifications
    1. Collaborate with faculty to submit new courses and course modifications to COCI, ushering the course through the course approval process. 
  4. Final Exams
    1. Each course is approved by COCI  for a certain assessment method – either final exam or alternative assessment (take home essay, etc.). I communicate with instructors about these assessment methods and the final exam room assignments.
  5. Course evaluations
    1. Request course evaluations on behalf of instructors. 
  6. DeCals
    1. DeCals are student facilitated courses offered as 98 or 198. Students work with a faculty sponsor to prepare all their materials, which they submit to me for review. I review and assist with submission to COCI. Once COCI approves, I schedule the course, secure a room, and publish the course.

Ambrosia Shapiro, Undergraduate Major Advisor

  1. Address any and all undergraduate student problems
  2. Enhance the undergraduate student experience
  3. Provide requirements of the undergraduate major
  4. Determine if non-Geography courses fulfill requirements for the major
  5. Provide course promotion materials (posters, email shout-outs) for courses needing enrollment boosts

Ambrosia Shapiro, Communications Coordinator

  1. Disseminate all news and announcements to be shared with the department
  2. Update needed website or slides on public display in the department
  3. Provide announcements of Colloquium events
  4. Develop newsletters, website content, social media posts, and marketing materials
  5. Ensure consistency in departmental branding, messaging, and visual identity.

Ambrosia Shapiro, Events Coordinator

  1. Plans and coordinate departmental events, including all aspects of colloquia, conferences, orientations, Cal Day, beginning of the year welcome back event, the holiday party, career panels, mixers, and commencement
  2. Provides guidance on events being planned and administered in the department including event communications, registration, catering, space reservations, manage guest speakers arrangements

Ambrosia Shapiro, Development Coordinator

  1. Can assist with fundraising opportunities. Can also provide opportunities where faculty may be asked to take part in events/ visits with potential donors
  2. Build and strengthen relationships with alumni, donors, employers, and community partners
  3. Identify opportunities for alumni engagement through mentorship, networking, guest speaking, and career exploration
  4. Collaborate on fundraising priorities that support departmental programs, students, and strategic initiatives. Plan alumni and donor events, receptions, and engagement activities
  5. Partner on stewardship efforts that recognize and thank donors for their contributions.

Analicia Riegert, Graduate Student Affairs Officer (GSAO)

  1. Provides graduate student progress needs to academic advisors and committee members
  2. Manages all things graduate student funding (with support from the Financial Analyst)
    1. Hires all GSIs for department courses
    2. Hires all GSRs requested and funded by Geography faculty
  3. Admissions
    1. Plans and Coordinates Geography New Graduate Student Orientation (NGSO) 
    2. Confirms PhD Program Application Deadline with Graduate Division
    3. Provides updates and edits to applications and program information; and confirms deadlines
    4. Reviews Applications for Completeness
    5. Organizes Applications for Faculty Review in Slate 
    6. Confirms Faculty list in Slate PhD Application
    7. Creates Timeline for Admission season
    8. Organizes Interviews for PhD Applicants
    9. Plans and Coordinates Geography Spring Visit for Admitted Students
    10. Collaborates with the Office of Graduate Diversity to arrange travel arrangements for Admitted Students to attend “Diversity Days”
    11. Collaborates with Financial Analyst to confirm funding packages for incoming PhD Students
    12. Builds and Sends Financial Offer Letter to incoming students through Slate
  4. Program
    1. Updates department advisor roles and access
    2. Enter Department Milestones (Prospectus, 5 Annual Reviews, Exit Talks)
    3. Update Academic Progress Report (APR)
    4. Sends out a reminder to Graduate Students about enrollment requirements each semester and checks enrollment status each semester
    5. Shares Fellowship Opportunities (internal and external)
    6. Schedules Qualifying Examination in McCone 183 once date has been confirmed by student
    7. Completes and sends Berkeley/Chancellor’s/NRST Workbook to Grad Div
    8. Provides QE Chair with QE signature form and then submits completed form to Grad Div
    9. Processes all committee requests, and exception requests
    10. Enrolls students in independent studies courses
  5. GSI/GSR Hiring
    1. Creates GSI Application
    2. Sends Application Call to GSAO email list and post link to application on GEOG website
    3. Enters ASE appointments in Smartsheet (GSI & GSR)
    4. Creates and Sends GSI Offer Letters
    5. Creates and Sends GSR Offer Letters 
  6. Finance
    1. Enter SIS awards for stipends and tuition for students
    2. Communicates with Grad Div and Financial Analyst about Fellowships and Fellowship changes
    3. Works with HGA to determine Fellowship allocations
    4. Works with HGA and Financial Analyst to determine summer award amounts for students
    5. Works with and reviews graduate student budget with HGA and Financial Analyst
    6. Works with HGA and Financial Analyst to confirm ASE appointments each semester
    7. Reviews funding for prospective student appointment letters with Financial Analyst
    8. Sends call for Mentored and Dissertation Research Awards; reads applications with HGA and Chair to determine department nomination
    9. Sends call for GSI award; reads applications with HGA and submits nominations
    10. Sends out call for Graduate Service Award; reads applications with HGA to determine winner

Danielle Molina, Financial & HR Analyst

  1. Report on all faculty funds
    1. Manage commitments (i.e. from campus, Dean’s Office, any other unit) and work with the Dean’s Office to transfer commitments for research, FRA, relocation, renovation. 
  2. All things having to do with merit/promotion cases
    1. Using APBears
    2. Helping faculty update achievements and all documents needed in these records
    3. Reviewing faculty material for cases (CV, publications list, self-statement) to ensure everything aligns
    4. Assisting department chair with facilitating external reviewer lists for promotion cases
  3. Sabbatical/leave requests
  4. Retirement
    1. Assisting with Pathways agreements
  5. All things related to faculty searches including:
    1. Working closely with the search committee to develop search plan and address any changes requested
    2. Review applicants in APRecruit
    3. Search Committee guidance
      1. Advise on COI
      2. Set up scoring sheets for search committee
    4. Using APRecruit
      1. Assisting search chairs with submitting applicant pool report, short list report, and senate search report
    5. Job applicant visits
      1. Coordinating campus visits (travel, accommodation, and reimbursements)
  6. Processing appointments of Postdoctoral fellows, Visiting Professors, Visiting Scholars, Visiting Student Researchers
  7. All things visa and non-citizen work status
  8. Setting up vendors/independent contractors 

Eron Budi, GIS/Computing Facilities Manager

  1. Manages the CAGE Lab (McCone 535), the Remote Sensing Lab (McCone 502) the Grad Student Lab (McCone 565), the Pollen Lab,(McCone 107) and the StudioGeo Lab (McCone 106)
  2. Manages computers used by the Department faculty and staff
  3. Manages technical issues with the department’s main printer server, including mapping computers to printers and supporting use of the Geography Main Copier in McCone 508
  4. Manages Berkeley cardkey access to internal Geography Department rooms.
  5. Manages recycling E-Waste
  6. Handles internal-dept-request of poster printing
  7. McCone's designated emergency response floor monitor for the first floor

What GIS/Computing Facilities Manager Does Not Do:

  1. Does not manage the department’s AV equipment or AV needs
  2. Does not manage inquiries related to the department’s building facility maintenance
  3. Does not handle technology reimbursements and check funding verification

Important Resources

Cal ID Card Information
UC Berkeley Cal 1 Card
https://cal1card.berkeley.edu/

Cybersecurity Education, Guidelines, and Awareness
UC Berkeley Information Security Office
https://security.berkeley.edu

Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing: Data
UC Berkeley Earth Science & Map Library
https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/gis/data

Procurement Shop
UC Berkeley BearBUY
https://supplychain.berkeley.edu/bearbuy

Campus Software Availability
UC Berkeley Software Central
https://software.berkeley.edu

Zoom Support
UC Berkeley Zoom
https://berkeley.zoom.us

VPN Support
UC Berkeley VPN
https://vpn.berkeley.edu

Wi-Fi Support
UC Berkeley Wi-Fi
https://technology.berkeley.edu/wi-fi

CalNet Support
UC Berkeley CalNet
https://calnet.berkeley.edu