A Computer Science and Engineering staffer is among those named UC San Diego Exemplary Staff Employees of the Year for the 2015-2016 academic year. Glenn Little (pictured below) -- a Programmer-Analyst III who has worked in CSE for more than 30 years -- made the cut. He is one of ten Professional and Support Staff members selected by the campus Review Panel. Little is one of only three winners from Academic Affairs (the other two hailed from Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the School of Global Policy and Strategy). Little is CSE's Information Technology and Infrastructure Support Manager, and he was cited for recurring examples of "extraordinary service to the CSE community, and more than likely, to other departmental personnel connected to the CSE department."
Among CSE faculty recommending Little for the honor, Prof. Joe Pasquale noted that "the one constant in every single one of my interactions with him is his absolutely positive, can-do attitude... [Glenn] exemplifies everything one would want in our staff and he has repeatedly demonstrated a total commitment to the university over his many years at UCSD." Prof. Alin Deutsch also wrote in support of Little, and he cited what happened after the department stopped using the software developed by CSE Help in favor of a tool created by the UC San Diego Graduate Division (to process approximately 4,000 applications annually to CSE for grad school. "It soon turned out that the Graduate Division tool did not support the scale and particulars of the CSE admissions workflow, leading to a crisis in which CSE was facing the inability to review the entire applicant pool and generate admissions offers in time to compete with its peer CS departments," noted Deutsch. "Glenn generously stepped in, continuing to maintain [CSE Help's] 'csegradapp' on the side, in addition to his official tasks... [and] Glenn still continues to take care of the application whenever there is a problem.”
Little also oversees building operations in CSE, and he is an active participant on the Building Renovation Committee, which is responsible for the current $6 million in renovations underway this summer. He also has been instrumental in building computer labs, a dedicated machine room, and managing Linux machines and custom systems to support faculty research, instruction, and staff. The nominating letter points out Little's 'special talent' for problem-solving: "More than likely it is because he is a musician, and a very bright and talented individual. He is always trying to find that perfect note, whether it is in the computing or musical realm." Congratulations Glenn!
Joining Little in receiving a staff award will be another winner who is a past CSE staffer. Suzan Cioffi worked as the assistant to two past Chairs of the CSE department -- Jeanne Ferrante, and Larry Carter -- before moving to other units, including Human Resources. She is now the director of the campus Retirement Resource Center and the UC San Diego Emeriti Association. Cioffi has worked at UC San Diego for nearly 18 years.