Report Card: Eight survey conclusions

• As a leader and center of excellence in agricultural sciences and veterinary medicine,
• As a university where students are taught by a first-rate faculty that cares about student education,
• As an institution that contributes to the economy, education, health care and cultural life of its region.

2. While UC Davis is not now perceived by some key audiences as representing the same standards of excellence as UC Berkeley or Stanford, UC Davis is widely seen as an institution "on its way up."

UC Davis should leverage this perception in all of its communications, conveying a sense of a dynamic institution that is on the rise and in the forefront of meeting challenges in higher education, the economy, and the world around us.

3. The best examples of UC Davis "on the rise":

• Leadership in biological and genetic sciences,
• Leadership in environmental sciences and environmental solutions,
• Leadership in delivering state-of-the-art health care.

External recognition (11th ranked public university in the U.S. News and World Report rating, 15th ranked [now ranked 14th] recipient of research funding) provides important validations.

4. UC Davis has a great story to tell about itself, but it needs to be much more committed to communicating its virtues and successes, with real focus and real resources.

Key internal and external audiences — including alumni and parents — do not know about UC Davis' accomplishments and leadership. The university should be more purposeful about recognizing its communications assets (publications, other mailings, e-mail, viral networks) and using them for simple, clear messages.

5. As UC Davis and its mission grow, the university must find ways to maintain the quality of the student academic experience as part of the institutional ethic. Already, there are signs from both faculty and students that the student experience is becoming dominated by "bigness" — large classes, difficulty getting classes, etc.

Off-campus experiences (internships, study abroad) do not substitute for caring on-campus relationships. As the university grows, it is more important to make students feel they are part of a learning community/social community.

6. Once UC Davis' successes have been posited, the university's needs and goals must be clearly, simply, and compellingly expressed.

Alumni want to give to specific needs — but they don't know what those needs are (let alone whether they exist). Fund-raisers say that they need a clear, specific vision as a focal point for major development. Student access, faculty support, and attracting the best faculty for state-of-the-art research are compelling needs with key audiences.

7. Faculty quality is cited by diverse audiences as the key consideration for judging the university's excellence, and faculty is a critical reference point for assessing the university's success/eminence. Alumni feel pride and reinforcement when a UC Davis faculty member is in the media for his/her expertise.

Senior faculty generally are satisfied today, but UC Davis needs to keep close watch on the impact of austerity on faculty attitudes.

8. Despite controversies with the city of Davis, UC Davis is recognized as a key local and regional asset, and a reasonably good neighbor. This public support is more important than ever in an era of state budget cuts and potential growth of the campus.

The university already is recognized as a quality educational institution and a source of cutting-edge research in agriculture, veterinary sciences, biology, environment — all of which are seen as benefiting the region. UC Davis' role in helping K-12 education and providing quality health care throughout the region help broaden the story of UC Davis' value.