The UC ANR Business Operations Center (BOC) hosted a two-day training on administrative services at the ANR Building in Davis on Dec. 4 and 5, 2024, with sponsorship from Tu Tran, associate vice president for business operations, and Brent Hales, associate vice president for research and Cooperative Extension.

Thirty presenters fromBOC and partneringANR units provided memorable sessions on Aggie Enterprise, reporting,UCCE funding allocations, data security, purchasing and more to more than 75 attendees.

After the first day of workshops, presenters and attendees gathered for a networking dinner at Sudwerk Brewing Co. It was a great to unwind and connect with new and familiar colleagues.

Attendees told the BOC team in person and on the event evaluation how much they appreciated gaining knowledge from the presentations, as well as networking with and learning from their county office peers. 

Here's what they had to say:

“It was great to hear about updated policies all at once.”

 “It was helpful to have conversations about report applications and references to department contacts, as well as the opportunity to hear questions and answers from other Office Managers and UC ANR departments.”

“Table trivia [based on presentation content] was fun and a great idea. I might even test my advisors at staff meetings!”

“These opportunities really foster a sense of belonging for those of us in county offices and a reminder we are all a part of a bigger ANR team and mission. No ‘us' and ‘them' but a collective ‘we.'”

The BOC team also appreciated attendee feedback on how they can make the next training even better. Based on the suggestions provided, BOC plans to discuss the best way to include breakout sessions, stretch breaks and live reporting demonstrations.