UC Davis News: Campus Community

Blue Planet Prize awarded to UC Davis transportation expert

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:10:00 -0700

Daniel Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, is one of two recipients of the 2013 Blue Planet Prize. The prize, announced today by the Asahi Glass Foundation of Tokyo, has been described as the Nobel Prize for the environmental sciences.

Sperling is an international expert on transportation technology, fuels and policy, with a focus on energy and environment. His research is directed at accelerating the global transition to cleaner, more efficient transportation and energy, and mitigating climate change. The prize, which comes with a $527,000 (50 million yen) award, recognizes Sperling for his unique ability to bring together the top thinkers and strategists in academia, government and industry to develop new vehicle- and fuels-policy approaches that are models for the world.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Blue Planet Prize, and I share it with my many brilliant and passionate collaborators,” Sperling said. “I hope to use this time in the spotlight to promote universities’ tremendous reservoir of policy-relevant knowledge — particularly policy that averts the pending disaster of global climate change. My primary goal is to bring science to policy.”

Sperling was chosen to receive the Blue Planet Prize from among 106 candidates representing 27 countries.

“UC Davis faculty work every day to bring sound science to the world’s most pressing problems, and Dan Sperling is a wonderful example of that,” said UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi. “We are proud of his accomplishments and pleased that his efforts are being recognized through this prestigious prize.”

A professor of civil engineering and environmental science and policy, Sperling founded the Institute of Transportation Studies in 1991. ITS-Davis is now the world’s leading academic program in transportation technology and policy, thanks to Sperling’s talent for building enduring partnerships with industry, government and the environmental community; integrating interdisciplinary research and education programs; and connecting research with public outreach and education. Today the institute has 60 affiliated faculty members and researchers, 120 graduate students, and a $12 million budget.

ITS-Davis researchers pursue topics as diverse as consumer response to advanced vehicle technologies, such as hybrid and electric cars; biofuels production; hydrogen fuels infrastructure; telecommuting; and the potential for converting the globe to 100 percent renewable energy.

Sperling championed early research into lifecycle analysis, with his students going on to develop the world’s most widely used lifecycle-analysis models for transportation fuels, and led the effort to transfer lifecycle assessment from labs into policy. For transportation fuel, lifecycle assessment means accounting for the emissions that occur in every stage of a fuel’s production and use.

The lifecycle approach is a critically important tool used to calculate greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, and other emissions that harm the environment. It forms the basis of many new climate and environmental policies around the globe.

Sperling noted that this year, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere exceeded 400 parts per million for the first time in human civilization. Still, he is optimistic.

“Solutions are all around us,” he said. “New technologies and new behaviors will transform our cities and energy systems. It is not easy, but with great effort we can recover our healthy blue planet.”

In 2007, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Sperling to the California Air Resources Board. Sperling co-led the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard study, which formed the basis of the first standard of its kind to tackle carbon pollution from transportation fuel. The LCFS is in effect today in California and under consideration in other states. It is a model for similar polices in Canada and the European Union.

Sperling has authored or co-authored over 200 technical papers and 12 books, including “Two Billion Cars” (Oxford University Press, 2009). In 2010, he received The Heinz Award for addressing global change caused by the impact of human activities and natural processes on the environment.

This year is the 22nd year of the Blue Planet Prize. Previous recipients include: David R. Brower, chairman of the Earth Island Institute; Lester R. Brown, founder and president of the Worldwatch Institute; Paul R. Ehrlich, director of the Center of Conservation Biology at Stanford University; James Hansen, recently retired director of the U.S. NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies; and Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and administrator for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Also honored as a Blue Planet Prize recipient this year is Taroh Matsuno, principal scientist at the Research Institute for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.

Sperling will travel to Tokyo for the awards ceremony on Oct. 30 and give a commemorative lecture on Oct. 31.

About the Blue Planet Prize

The Blue Planet Prize was established in 1992 by the Asahi Glass Foundation of Tokyo. The award’s name was inspired by remarks of Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, who observed that our blue planet is beautiful and we should work to preserve it. The Asahi Glass Foundation named the prize in the hope that “our blue planet will be a shared asset capable of sustaining human life far into the future.” http://www.af-info.or.jp/en/

Global entrepreneurship expert Carl Schramm to deliver commencement address at UC Davis Graduate School of Management

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:05:00 -0700

Carl Schramm, one of the world’s leading experts on entrepreneurship, innovation and economic growth, will deliver the commencement address for the 2013 graduating class of the University of California, Davis, Graduate School of Management on Saturday (June 15).

Schramm will speak to a gathering of Master of Business Administration and Master of Professional Accountancy candidates, faculty, guests and administrators at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on the UC Davis campus at 10 a.m.

With 165 MBAs and 29 members of the charter class of the new Master of Professional Accountancy program, the 194 graduates of the class of 2013 represent the largest graduating class in the management school’s history.

Schramm this spring taught an MBA course on entrepreneurship at UC Davis as the inaugural Arthur and Carlyse Ciocca Visiting Professor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Named “the evangelist of entrepreneurship” by The Economist, Schramm has played important roles in advancing entrepreneurial capitalism globally. He co-authored the best-selling book “Better Capitalism: Renewing the Entrepreneurial Strength of the American Economy” (2012) with Robert Litan.

As president and CEO, Schramm grew the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation into a global resource for expanding entrepreneurship through innovative programs, grantee partnerships, policy research and advocacy. Schramm has created or co-founded five companies, started the nation’s first academic center to study healthcare costs, and was an executive vice president at Fortis, one of the world’s largest insurance companies.

Schramm said that as the new graduates enter the world of commerce he will urge them to actively engage, not shrink from, the political process.

“Government power, unbridled and driven by an ideology that is fundamentally opposed to economic growth, has shown itself to be aggressively hostile to the interests of business,” Schramm said. “These new UC Davis business graduates must adopt an entirely constructive ideology, a counter-ideology, that the only way that welfare can expand, that poverty can be overcome, is that if business flourishes and the opportunities that a career in business affords are open to every single person, regardless of their circumstances.”

Steven C. Currall, dean of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, said: “Our students and entire community have benefited greatly from Carl Schramm’s teaching, thought leadership and expertise. I want to thank Carl for addressing our 31st graduating class as they prepare to launch their business and accounting careers — and many their own start-ups. Carl is poised to share a powerful and inspiring message.”

The commencement ceremony and Schramm’s address will be webcast live and available later as video stream.

Learn more about Carl Schramm. at: http://www.gsm.ucdavis.edu/schramm.

Details about all UC Davis commencement ceremonies.

About the UC Davis Graduate School of Management

Dedicated to preparing innovative leaders for global impact, the UC Davis Graduate School of Management is consistently ranked among the premier business schools in the United States and internationally. The school’s faculty members are globally renowned for their teaching excellence and pioneering research in advancing management thinking and best practices. With prime locations in Northern California’s economic hubs, the school provides a bold, innovative approach to management education to more than 550 full-time MBA students and Master of Professional Accountancy students at the UC Davis campus, and part-time MBA students in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.

West Sacramento college prep school to graduate its first class

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0700

When they arrived at West Sacramento Early College Prep Charter School as seventh graders, the statistics said they had little promise of graduating from high school, much less moving on to higher education. But on Sunday, 32 historically underserved high school seniors will graduate and take their next step in education — advancing to a university, a community college, a trade or vocational school, or the military.

“We are really proud of the success of these students and their accomplishments,” said Harold Levine, dean of the University of California, Davis, School of Education, which launched the charter school in 2007 in partnership with Sacramento City College and the Washington Unified School District. “The school, the staff and the faculty have clearly made a difference in these students’ lives.” Levine also serves as the charter school’s board president.

Most of these graduates will be the first in their families to attend college; still others have English as their second language. Some of these students struggled with one or more subjects in earlier grades. Now, they boast future plans that include prestigious universities — UC Davis, UCLA, UC Santa Cruz and others.

They will all graduate at 10 a.m. Sunday at Freeborn Hall on the UC Davis campus, where they will be presented a diploma and T-shirts sporting the name of their future institution of higher learning.

“West Sac Prep” is part of a larger movement, begun a decade ago, to establish “early college” schools throughout the country. The UC Davis School of Education received $400,000 in 2006 from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation’s Early College High School Initiative, which helped launch the school.

Nationwide, 50 percent to 70 percent of children of color, or who live in underserved areas, drop out of high school, said Paul Heckman, associate dean of the UC Davis School of Education and a researcher on school leadership and high school completion issues. Furthermore, the years-of-school completion rates have dropped considerably in the United States in the past 20 years.

The charter school tries to curb this trend by helping students identify questions and interests as they individually learn in a way that works for them, he said.

“Everyone learns differently. That is the approach we take,” said Yolanda Falkenberg, executive director, or principal, at West Sac Prep. Student-designed questions and investigations — undertaken as scientists, historians, and readers and writers, in consultation with their teachers — are a large part of the school’s curriculum.

Students also can enroll in community college courses while still in high school. One such student, Jonathan Martinez, took a sociology course at Sacramento City College, where he worked on a community youth project. “I fell in love with the topic,” he said, adding that he was influenced by the professor’s enthusiasm. He has decided to attend UC Davis next year to major in sociology.

Falkenberg said the community college courses have worked out well, with West Sac Prep students consistently surpassing their college-age peers in their classes by earning primarily A and B grades in their coursework.

Admission to West Sac Prep is open and tuition-free to students in grades six through 12. The school makes it a priority to admit students who do not speak English as their first language; come from low-income families; have traditionally struggled in reading, writing, or mathematics; and those who will be the first in their families to go to college.

The school operates as an independent charter school through a nonprofit public-benefit corporation, made up of the school district, community college district and UC Davis. The school has 171 students.

“We look forward to seeing more graduates in the years to come, and we look forward to the futures of our current class of 2013,” Falkenberg said. “Our students had a dream to go to college, and today is proof that their efforts and perseverance paid off.”

Ancient streambed found on surface of Mars (WITH VIDEO)

Thu, 30 May 2013 11:10:00 -0700

[Editor's note: Geology professor and Mars mission co-investigator Dawn Sumner talks about latest findings from the red planet, 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, in the AGR Room, Alumni and Visitors Center.]

Rounded pebbles on the surface of Mars indicate that a stream once flowed on the red planet, according to a new study by a team of scientists from NASA’s Curiosity rover mission, including a University of California, Davis, geologist. The study will be published in the May 31 issue of the journal Science.

Rounded pebbles of this size are known to form only when transported through water over long distances. They were discovered between the north rim of the planet’s Gale Crater and the base of Mount Sharp, a mountain inside the crater.

The finding represents the first on-site evidence of sustained water flows on the Mars landscape, and supports prospects that the planet could once have been able to host life.

As a co-investigator for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory team, UC Davis geologist and study co-author Dawn Sumner played a key role in choosing Gale Crater as the landing site for Curiosity. Finding the rounded pebbles, which were deposited more than 2 billion years ago, was a matter of landing in the right place, she said.

“The main reason we chose Gale Crater as a landing site was to look at the layered rocks at the base of Mount Sharp, about five miles away,” she said. “We knew there was an alluvial fan in the landing area, a cone-shaped deposit of sediment that requires flowing water to form. These sorts of pebbles are likely because of that environment. So while we didn’t choose Gale Crater for this purpose, we were hoping to find something like this.”

The finding comes from Curiosity’s exploration of the Mars surface during its first 100 sols (102.7 days on Earth), or Martian days. During that time, the rover traveled about a quarter mile from its landing site, examining multiple outcrops of pebble-rich slabs. Curiosity took high-resolution images of these pebbles at three locations known as Goulburn, Link and Hottah. The grain size, roundness and other characteristics of the pebbles led the researchers to conclude they had been transported by water.

Sumner said the discovery involves some of the most basic principles of geology.

“On the first day of my sedimentary class, I have the students measure grain size and the rounding,” Sumner said. “It’s simple, and it’s important.”

Sumner’s work in South Africa and Australia studying signs of past microbial life in rocks and her work on living microbial communities in Antarctica helped land her the spot on the Mars Science Laboratory team. NASA recognized her skills could be critical to the mission’s goal: to determine whether there ever could have been life on Mars.

As a co-investigator for the MSL team, Sumner helped coordinate the first scientific interpretations of what was seen during Curiosity’s first few days on Mars, helps direct the rover, via computer, to shoot photographs of the planet, and continues to work on the mission from UC Davis. She will soon go on sabbatical to work on the mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Read the study.

Student Community Center earns LEED Platinum, UC Davis’ fifth

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Large skylights send a flood of natural light into the lobby of the new Student Community Center at the University of California, Davis, where students hold meetings, study on lounge chairs, or chat over compostable cups of coffee from CoHo South café. Upstairs in the media lab, they use computers powered in part by solar energy. Outside, students sit at patio tables shaded by umbrellas, next to a lawn-less landscape of drought-tolerant plants and permeable paving.

These simple details may go largely unnoticed by the students, but they are among the elements that have helped the Student Community Center, completed in January 2012, become UC Davis’ fifth LEED Platinum certified facility. The designation is the highest environmental rating awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“The new Student Community Center is a great example of UC Davis’ commitment to create welcoming, productive spaces for our students while maintaining high standards for environmental sustainability,” said Administrative and Resource Management Vice Chancellor John Meyer.

The university currently has built more LEED Platinum facilities than any other UC campus. In addition to the Student Community Center, they include:

Gladys Valley Hall, a veterinary medicine instructional facility, LEED certified in 2012.
Conference Center and Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. Hall complex, certified in 2011. Gallagher Hall is home to the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.
Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, which in 2010 became the first brewery, winery and food-processing complex in the world to go platinum.
Tahoe Environmental Research Center in Incline Village, Nev., certified in 2007.

“The project met the high standards of the LEED Platinum designation without using rare or complex technologies — just smart, thoughtful design using the best practices of today,” said UC Davis campus architect Clayton Halliday. “But taken together, they make a big impact on the building’s overall sustainability.”

For example, sustainable design measures have made the building 32 percent more energy-efficient than California building code requires. Drought-tolerant vegetation is expected to need less than half the irrigation water that a normal lawn would demand. And more than 96 percent of construction waste was recycled or otherwise diverted from landfills.

The building’s other sustainable features include:

Low-flow water fixtures and “hydration stations,” which aim to reduce plastic bottle use.
Windows that open and close, allowing for natural ventilation.
High-efficiency lighting fixtures, selected with input from the UC Davis California Lighting Technology Center. The fixtures minimize artificial lighting when natural light is sufficient.
While solar panels are not installed on the Student Community Center itself, a portion of the renewable energy produced by solar panels at a south campus parking lot is earmarked for the center.
The center’s CoHo South café composts and recycles its food and food packaging. It is run by the Associated Students, University of California, Davis, which helped to create a composting program for the building.
During construction, students from the campus Waste Reduction and Recycling program developed a job-site composting program that trained construction crews to compost. The builders also donated scrap materials to the university’s student-run Aggie ReUse Store, which sells used and re-purposed goods.

BAR Architects of San Francisco designed the building, and MFDB Architects of Sacramento was the architect of record. It was constructed by Flintco Pacific Construction of Roseville.

The 44,000 square-foot building houses a café, open lobby, study areas, media lab, conference rooms, administrative offices and workspaces for several student life groups, including the Cross Cultural Center, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center, and the Student Recruitment and Retention Center.

The $22 million construction project was funded largely from student fees. The student body voted to authorize the fees in 1999 and 2002.

The University of California recently set a minimum requirement that all new buildings meet standards equivalent to LEED Silver certification. New buildings are also required to be at least 20 percent more energy efficient than required by California code.

But the Davis campus has set its own bar even higher: New buildings should be at least 25 percent more energy efficient than California's energy code requires.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification system that provides a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance approaches. The Green Building Council is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit committed to achieving a sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings.

Sustainability at UC Davis

UC Davis has long served as a proving ground for innovations in environmental sustainability. Sierra Magazine named UC Davis the nation’s #1 Cool School in its 2012-13 ranking of the country’s greenest colleges. In 2011, UC Davis West Village opened its doors with a goal of becoming the nation’s largest zero net energy community. Aggressive recycling, composting and reuse efforts prevented nearly 75 percent of campus waste from entering landfills in 2012. Through its Climate Action Plan, the campus has reduced greenhouse gas emissions below 2000 levels and expects to return to 1990 levels by 2020. The campus also boasts more than 42 miles of bike paths and more than 20,000 bike racks, earning it a platinum Bicycle Friendly Business award in 2013 from the League of American Bicyclists.

UC Davis selects architectural team to create an art museum for the 21st century

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:10:00 -0700

The new Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the University of California, Davis, will be created by a team of architects and builders intent on redefining the university museum and fostering a new conversation in the arts.

UC Davis today announced that it has selected an emerging New York-based design firm, SO – IL, to design the campus’s planned art museum, envisioned as a regional center of experimentation, participation and learning. The firm will work with team members Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, a prominent architectural firm with offices in San Francisco, Seattle and Pennsylvania, and contractor Whiting-Turner, a national construction firm with offices in Folsom and Pleasanton. The team was selected from a pool of three finalists following a five-month design competition with extensive involvement of students and others in the community.

Named in honor of Jan Shrem, proprietor of Clos Pegase winery in the Napa Valley, and his wife, arts patron Maria Manetti Shrem, the museum is expected to break ground next year. Jan Shrem made the museum possible with a $10 million gift to the university in 2011.

“The design for the new museum at UC Davis turns the traditional model of museum design inside out,” said UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi. “From its curved glass walls to its soaring canopy, it will draw people in, surprise them, and engage them. All who enter this museum will become students again.”

The jury of faculty, architects and museum professionals who selected the winning design cited its alignment with the essential characteristics of UC Davis, its celebration of the campus’s connection with culture and cultivation, and its use of light. They also cited the design’s potential to expand and evolve, along with its goal of achieving LEED Gold certification for sustainability from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Jan and I are extremely excited about the selection,” said Maria Manetti Shrem. “We believe that education and the arts should be accessible to all people and that a curious and open mind should be nurtured and supported. It is with the deepest pleasure that we are able to help bring this new museum to life.”

In its presentation to the jury, the winning team characterized Davis as an “ideal setting for a museum that will sow new ways of thinking about the experience of art.”

“The Central Valley breathes a spirit of optimism,” the designers said. “Whether one is influenced by the sweeping views over the flat plains beyond to the horizon, or the sense of empowerment one feels when being able to cultivate and grow freely — the spirit of this place is one of invention and imagination. It is precisely this spirit we capture in our architectural proposal for the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art.”

The design’s centerpiece is a 50,000-square-foot steel canopy that floats atop a series of interconnected interior and exterior spaces. Illuminated at night, the grand canopy will beckon drivers along Interstate 80 between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe and establish a new focal point for the campus.

“The design is truly unique,” said Museum Director Rachel Teagle. “It is sensitive to the spirit of this place and will make ours a museum like no other.”

American architect Stan Allen, former dean of the School of Architecture at Princeton University, praised the design’s “quietly assertive presence” and “generous public spaces.”

“Davis will be getting a piece of contemporary architecture that both serves the needs of the community and contributes to the advancement of the field,” Allen said.

The museum’s 29,000 square feet of interior space will allow for one-on-one interactions with world-class art, artists and faculty. It will house the university’s fine art collection and provide space for thought-provoking exhibitions, faculty lectures, artists’ residencies, and hands-on studio art classes. At the same time, it will serve both as a home for art experiences that extend throughout the campus and, virtually, to visitors and distance learners beyond.

Education is at the core of the vision for the museum, said Jessie Ann Owens, dean of the UC Davis Division of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, who praised the winning design for “literally and metaphorically putting education at the heart of the project.”

“With this museum, the university is making an investment that will advance teaching, enhance the student experience and make arts education more accessible to all,” Owens said.

SO – IL was created by husband-and-wife team Jing Liu and Florian Idenburg, winners of The Museum of Modern Art’s prestigious Young Architects Program. Liu teaches architecture at Columbia University, Idenburg at Harvard University. The Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum will be their largest commission to date.

Liu and Idenburg are best known for their tent designs at the Frieze Art Fair in Manhattan in 2012, and the Kukje Gallery in Seoul, Korea. They recently received the Architectural League of New York's “Emerging Voices” award, which recognizes individuals and firms with distinct design voices, and the potential to influence the disciplines of architecture, landscape design and urbanism.

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, founded in 1965, is a high-profile architecture firm known for its designs for Apple, Pixar and Bill Gates’ private compound. The firm has created many buildings on college campuses, including a new arts facility at UC Santa Cruz.

Whiting-Turner is currently constructing the Burton and Deedee McMurtry Building for art and art history at Stanford University, and has collaborated with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson on many projects.

The capital budget for the building is $30 million; to outfit the building and create the program will require an additional investment of up to $5 million. Campus officials plan as well to raise philanthropic support for an endowment that will allow museum programming to grow in future years.

“This is a dream project that completes the university’s new South Entry, an area that includes the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science and Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, along with others,” said Jan Shrem.

Among the earliest supporters of the museum was Margrit Mondavi, who gave an early lead gift to the project. Mondavi, with her late husband, Robert, also made possible the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at UC Davis.

“The excellent teaching artists of the past and the prominent faculty at UC Davis today deserve a great home for art, which is an ongoing love affair of my life,” said Mondavi.

As with all building commissions awarded at UC Davis, the Office of Design and Construction Management allows a period of time for competitors to appeal the decision if they feel there are grounds to do so.

More information about the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis is available at http://shremmuseum.ucdavis.edu.

Go to http://youtu.be/ysMnS2vINU0 for a video interview of the winning architect.

Good to be green: Accolades add to UC Davis’ environmental reputation

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700

In a month that marked the annual Earth Day celebration, the University of California, Davis, received recognition for its environmental sustainability efforts from The Princeton Review and the League of American Bicyclists, reaffirming the school’s reputation as a green leader.

On Earth Day, April 22, the League of American Bicyclists announced UC Davis as the first university or college to receive the league’s platinum Bicycle Friendly Business Award for helping to lead America “toward a greener future.” The bicycle award came on the heels of The Princeton Review’s April 16 announcement that UC Davis was chosen as one of 322 environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada.

Both awards bolster UC Davis’ 2012-13 designation by Sierra magazine as the nation’s No. 1 Cool School, a ranking based on measurable efforts toward improving sustainability, from energy and infrastructure, to transportation and academics.

“Sustainability is a core value at UC Davis,” said UC Davis chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi. “Our students, faculty and staff work hard to create a sustainable campus — from our bikes and trees to our green building and zero waste programs. We are proud to be recognized for our commitment to the environment.”

League of American Bicyclists

The League of American Bicyclists’ business awards program began in 2008 and has presented only eight platinum awards in that time — and never before to a college or university.

The awards recognize employer efforts to encourage a more bicycle-friendly atmosphere for employees and customers, or, in UC Davis’ case, students, faculty, staff and visitors.

David Takemoto-Weerts, coordinator of the Bicycle Program with UC Davis Transportation and Parking Services, said UC Davis provides “a safe, efficient and welcoming environment to encourage campus employees to choose cycling as their preferred commute mode.”

In applying for the Bicycle Friendly Business award, UC Davis cited such accommodations as restricting most vehicle traffic in central campus, and the Bicycle Education and Enforcement Program, an online education module.

The campus also offers 42 miles of bike paths, more than 20,000 high-security racks, free showers, safety programs and other measures that help make commuting by bike a viable option.

In addition, the campus’ Bike Barn offers bike sales and service, and the Transportation and Parking Services office provides do-it-yourself bike repair stations around campus.

Princeton Review

UC Davis is profiled in the fourth annual edition of the free, downloadable book, “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges,” published in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Center for Green Schools.

The guide is intended as a resource for students who are seeking colleges that practice and promote environmentally responsible choices and practices.

The Princeton Review based its selection on “green rating” scores, which were tallied using data from a 50-question survey of hundreds of administrators from 806 schools.

Institutions selected for the guide earned green rating scores of 83 or higher. The Princeton Review does not report those scores or rank the schools numerically.

Other UC Davis sustainability efforts highlighted in the guide include:

UC Davis is among the top 10 environmental studies undergraduate degree programs in the nation.
The Unitrans community bus system is run by UC Davis students, and its fleet of clean buses runs on compressed natural gas.
Green building practices include four LEED Platinum buildings, the highest ranking awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.
UC Davis West Village is the largest planned zero net energy community in the nation.
The campus has achieved four consecutive years of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
More than 20 percent of food served in campus dining commons is considered sustainable.
The university’s career center emphasizes opportunities in a wide range of environmental fields.

Sierra Club

Sierra magazine in August named UC Davis the nation’s “Coolest School” for its efforts to address climate change and operate sustainably.

The 5,300-acre campus ranked No. 1 among the 96 top colleges and universities surveyed.

In bestowing the “Coolest School” ranking, the Sierra Club’s official publication praised UC Davis for establishing rigorous green purchasing standards; diverting nearly 70 percent of campus trash from landfills; and for its alternative transportation options, including the Unitrans bus service and extensive amenities for cyclists.

Nancy Pelosi to deliver commencement address at UC Davis School of Law

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:16:00 -0700

Nancy Pelosi, Democratic leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, will deliver the commencement address for the 2013 graduating class of the University of California, Davis, School of Law.

Pelosi will speak to a gathering of law degree candidates, faculty, guests, administrators and UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on the UC Davis campus on Friday, May 17, at 4 p.m.

From 2007 to 2011, Pelosi served as speaker of the House, the only woman in American history to do so. She first made history in November 2002 when House Democrats elected her the first woman to lead a major political party in Congress. Pelosi has led House Democrats for a decade and previously served as House Democratic whip. Pelosi is focused on strengthening America's middle class through job creation, reforming the political system to create clean campaigns and fair elections, enacting comprehensive immigration reform, and ensuring safety in America’s communities, neighborhoods and schools.

“I am delighted that Leader Pelosi has agreed to give the commencement address,” said Kevin R. Johnson, dean of UC Davis School of Law. “Our graduates will benefit greatly from hearing her perspective as a groundbreaking leader on the national stage. I want to thank Leader Pelosi for addressing the 45th graduating class at UC Davis School of Law as our graduates prepare to launch their legal careers. I know she will deliver a powerful and inspiring message.”

Previous commencement speakers at UC Davis School of Law include California Gov. Jerry Brown, former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, former U.N. Ambassador and Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, Chief Justice of California Tani Cantil-Sakauye ’84, California Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg ’84, and civil rights leader Coretta Scott King — the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for whom the law school building is named.

About UC Davis School of Law

UC Davis School of Law welcomed its first entering class in 1966. Today, the School of Law — housed in Martin Luther King, Jr. Hall on the UC Davis campus — ranks among the country’s leading law schools, known for its outstanding ranking, small size, and dedicated faculty of internationally-renowned scholars. The law school’s mission is to be a nationally and internationally recognized leader in the development and dissemination of legal knowledge, as well as the training of students to become socially responsible lawyers committed to professional excellence and high ethical standards. Please visit http://www.law.ucdavis.edu to learn more about the excellent record of scholarship, teaching, and service at UC Davis School of Law.

Campus demonstrations: News and updates

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Chancellor sends updated draft action plan to UC Davis Academic Senate

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi sent an updated draft action plan on Jan. 18, 2013, to the UC Davis Academic Senate, in response to the recommendations of the senate's Executive Council Special Committee on the November 18th Incident. This report marks the third detailed response submitted to the Academic Senate and it continues to document progress on a number of important fronts. Read the chancellor's updated draft action plan.

Q&A with Police Chief Matt Carmichael

Since he took over as chief a little more than eight months ago, Matt Carmichael has launched many initiatives to more closely weave his department into the fabric of the campus community. Dateline UC Davis, the university's online newspaper, talks with the chief about what's changed in the past year and what else is in the works in response to the recommendations and reforms stemming from the Nov. 18, 2011, pepper-spray incident. Read more of the Q&A.

Chancellor launches new task force to assess post-Nov. 18 reforms

The chancellor has invited California's chief justice, two state lawmakers, and an ACLU attorney to join members of the campus community and others on a new committee to evaluate our progress on reforms and recommendations following the Nov. 18, 2011, pepper spray incident. Read more.

Read chancellor's letter (PDF).

Campus to establish ombudsperson’s office for faculty, staff

UC Davis announces that it will establish a campus ombudsperson's office to provide confidential and independent conflict resolution services to faculty and staff. While formally reporting through the chancellor’s office, the ombudsperson will operate independently to resolve conflicts in an informal and impartial manner. Read more of the new ombudsperson's office announcement.

Police Department to launch student cadet program

The UC Davis Police Department announces that it will launch a student cadet program, beginning in January, with the expectation that the department will eventually hire the top cadet each year as a police officer. "It's an opportunity for the police to work with the community, and build more connections between students and the department," Chief Matt Carmichael said. "There are a lot of students with interest in the Police Department." Read more about the new student cadet program.

Chancellor sends updated draft action plan to UC Davis Academic Senate

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi sent an updated draft action plan on Oct. 1, 2012, to the UC Davis Academic Senate, in response to the recommendations of the senate's Executive Council Special Committee on the November 18th Incident. This updated plan reflects accomplishments to date. Progress has been particularly noteworthy and robust in two categories: police operations and administrative leadership and decision making. Read the chancellor's updated draft action plan.

Chancellor sends draft action plan to President Yudof

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi sent a letter to President Mark Yudof with the draft action plan that was prepared for the UC Davis Academic Senate in response to the recommendations in the reports related to the Nov. 18 incidents on campus.

The draft action plan describes steps the UC Davis administration has taken to date to prepare for broader campus conversations and also describes efforts that are underway or in the planning stages. Read more of the chancellor's letter to President Yudof.

Chancellor alerts Senate chair that draft action plan is ready

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi sent a letter to UC Davis Academic Senate Chair Linda Bisson with an attached draft action plan (PDF) related to recommendations contained in the Executive Council Special Committee report, the Reynoso Task Force Report and the Kroll Report. Read more of the chancellor's letter to Bisson (PDF).

Chancellor speaks at joint legislative oversight hearing

In her prepared remarks for a joint legislative oversight hearing on May 15, at the Capitol, Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi told members of the Assembly Higher Education and Senate Education committees, “We cannot allow the events of last November to impede or diminish the university’s many great accomplishments and contributions to our state and nation. I am 100 percent committed to improving our campus and reforming how we engage with civil disobedience when we are confronted with it.” Read more.

UC releases draft report on response to campus protests

University of California officials today (May 4) released a report that examines policies and practices related to UC responses to campus protests. Campus stakeholders and the public are encouraged to make thoughtful and constructive comments about the report's 50 recommendations. The deadline for public comment has been extended from May 25 to June 8 to encourage additional input.

After incidents involving police and protesting students at the Berkeley and Davis campuses last November, UC President Mark G. Yudof directed General Counsel Charles F. Robinson and Christopher F. Edley Jr., dean of the UC Berkeley Law School, to identify best practices that could shape responses to such demonstrations in the future. Read more.

View the draft report and related documents.

Campus announces proposed reforms

UC Davis today (May 2) announced a series of actions and reforms -- newly proposed steps as well as efforts already under way -- to improve and enhance campus protest management policies and practices, police operations, and administrative coordination and communication.

The action steps represent the university's preliminary response to input and recommendations from a task force appointed by UC President Mark Yudof to investigate the Nov. 18 pepper spraying of students on campus. The steps, all developed in collaboration with campus stakeholders. Read more.

View the campus's proposed action plan.

Chancellor and provost's letter

The chancellor and provost issued a statement to the campus community today (April 27) regarding the 11 UC Davis students and one professor facing misdemeanor charges stemming from the blockade of the U.S. Bank at Memorial Union. This morning’s scheduled arraignment of the 12 individuals has been continued to May 10. In their letter, the chancellor and provost emphasized that “UC Davis has no desire for restitution or retribution, but only wishes to see the rights of everyone on campus preserved.”

Read the chancellor and provost's letter.

Yudof's statement

UC President Mark G. Yudof today (April 11) issued a statement shortly after the public release of the Reynoso task force report on the Nov. 18 pepper-spray incident at UC Davis. He thanked UC Davis Professor Emeritus Cruz Reynoso and other members of the task force "for the long hours and hard work they invested in this effort to fully understand the events of Nov. 18 and to propose remedies that might prevent similar incidents in the future."

“My intent now is to give the task force report the full and careful reading it deserves, and then, as previously announced, to meet with Chancellor Katehi and discuss her plans going forward for implementing the recommendations," Yudof said.

Read Yudof's entire statement.

U.S. Bank

U.S. Bank has closed its UC Davis branch office and told UC officials that it is terminating its agreements with the campus. In a March 1 letter to the Board of Regents, the bank stated its reason as the interference by protesters who intermittently blocked the door to the bank branch in the Memorial Union since January.

The bank chose to close during many of the protests, and, now, in a letter to account holders, says the branch is "officially closed" (as of Feb. 28). The letter refers the approximately 2,500 account holders to U.S. Bank branches in Davis and Woodland.

UC officials said they believe the termination letter is premature, noting that the university had been in discussions with bank representatives about the future of the branch office. The university had hoped to resolve the situation in a manner that would enable the bank to resume operations while at the same time making allowance for law enforcement to prosecute proven violations of the California Penal Code and also allowing for peaceful protests. Read the complete article.

In fact, 11 UC Davis students and one professor facing misdemeanor charges stemming from the blockade of the U.S. Bank at Memorial Union were to be arraigned Friday (April 27) at the Yolo County Courthouse in Woodland. The arraignments have been continued to May 10. See the chronology of protest activity at U.S. Bank. (PDF)

UC officials, on behalf of UC Davis, filed a complaint against U.S. Bank on Friday (May 4) in Yolo County Superior Court, alleging that the bank breached its contract when it closed its campus branch in the MU on Feb. 28. In a March 1 letter sent to the Board of Regents, U.S. Bank wrote that its decision to terminate the agreement with the university was due to the ongoing blockade of the bank by protesters. U.S. Bank officials have not been served with the complaint, and UC officials say they are still open to negotiations. View the complaint. (PDF)

A year later: Progress at UC Davis West Village

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Since officially opening in October 2011, UC Davis West Village continues to grow both physically and academically, as a community and energy research hub for students, staff and faculty residents to live and learn.

Zero net energy

Nearly a year since the first solar panels were installed at UC Davis West Village in March 2012, the nation’s largest planned zero net energy community appears to be on track to meet its goal of producing as much energy as it consumes.

While it is too soon to tell whether West Village will meet its zero net energy goal this year, developer Carmel Partners of San Francisco said preliminary data shows zero net energy is within reach.

“The project is not fully built or stabilized, so it is too early to tell,” said Stephanie Martling, asset manager at Carmel Partners. “Data is starting to come in, and the data looks good. However until the project is fully stabilized, we will not know whether the project is meeting its goal of zero net energy.”

Martling said the project was built as designed, the solar panels are functioning as intended and producing their full potential, and residents are using the amount of electricity expected.

“We are actively trying to educate residents on how to reduce their consumption, paying particular attention to units showing higher energy use than others,” Martling said.

Sid England, UC Davis’ assistant vice chancellor of environmental stewardship and sustainability, said such considerations were expected, given that a project of this size had not been done before. “As the project grows and changes, some parts perform as expected and some do not, which Carmel Partners is evaluating to keep on track to meet the goal of zero net energy,” England said. “This is consistent with the idea of UC Davis West Village as a living laboratory that balances energy efficiency with renewable energy generation.”

Research and education

The university’s first “uHub,” or innovation center, is taking shape at UC Davis West Village. Several of the university’s energy research centers began relocating to West Village in December 2012. They include: the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, which includes the Plug-In Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center; China Center for Energy and Transportation; Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways (STEPs); and Urban Land Use and Transportation Center. Also newly relocated are the Center for Water-Energy Efficiency; the Energy Efficiency Center; the Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy; and the Western Cooling Efficiency Center.

By concentrating this energy research hub at UC Davis West Village, the centers are expected to enhance the living laboratory of the West Village project while fostering interactions with the private sector in the area of energy research.

Sacramento City College Davis Center celebrated its one-year anniversary at UC Davis West Village on Jan. 14, 2013. Last year, the school became the first community college center to be built on a University of California campus. It opened in 2012 to 2,000 students. This year, its enrollment includes about 2,300 students. Roughly 220 students from Sacramento City College transfer to UC Davis each year.

Construction

There are 507 units for 1,476 residents living in the Viridian and Ramble apartment complexes. Current occupancy rate at the apartments is 99 percent.
A third complex, Solstice apartments, is under construction and scheduled for completion in fall 2013. Solstice will have 156 units for 504 residents.
Plans for the community’s $300 million first phase include 343 faculty/staff houses. In light of the current real estate market, timing for the housing construction is being evaluated by the West Village Community Partnership, LLC, a joint venture of developer Carmel Partners of San Francisco and Urban Villages of Denver.
When completed, the ambitious 130-acre development will be home to about 3,000 people.

West Village Community Partnership, LLC (a joint venture of Carmel Partners of San Francisco and Urban Villages of Denver), worked with UC Davis to bring the plans for UC Davis West Village to life. The developer has a 65-year ground lease with the university for the project.

Holiday book gift ideas from UC Davis authors: Snow White, bats, hip-hop and more

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:30:00 -0800

From Snow White to science fiction, new books by UC Davis authors offer a variety of holiday gift choices.

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” by Eric Smoodin (Palgrave Macmillian/British Film Institute, $14.95, 112 pages) — Published to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the BFI Film Classic Series, this book presents a history of the events that led up to the Snow White film, the trajectory of Walt Disney's career, and the film’s reception throughout the world. It also looks at the story’s impact on contemporary culture. Smoodin, a professor of American studies at UC Davis, based the book on extensive research in materials from the period of the film's production and distribution.

“Annals of the Omega Project — A Trilogy,” by Thomas A. Cahill (EditPros LLC, $19.95, 354 pages) — A UC Davis physicist most recently known for his work analyzing pollutants at Ground Zero of the World Trade Center post 9/11 pens his first fiction. In this science fiction thriller, Cahill unfolds a tale of good conquering evil that begins on a flight from Sacramento to Denver. The story develops further when a UC professor and a group of psychic students form what they call the “Omega Project” to battle evil Coven members who invoke horrifically lethal “feedings” on the minds of their telepathic victims.

“Gold Fever,” by Rachael Long, (Tate Publishing, $11.99, 140 pages) — The first in a planned trilogy, this book introduces children to the benefits of bats through the story of a boy named Jack who befriends a bat after getting lost in the Nevada wilderness. The author, University of California Cooperative Extension adviser in Yolo County, based the book on a story she used to tell her now 16-year-old son on long commutes. Long intends to donate proceeds of book sales to fund bat conservation programs. In describing the book, the publisher writes: “Jack is excited when he gets a pick hammer and mining helmet for his ninth birthday and can help his dad look for gold in the Black Rock Range. But falling into and waking up alone in a cave was never part of the plan.” A second book in the trilogy is due out next summer.

“Better Capitalism: Renewing the Entrepreneurial Strengths of the American Economy,” by Robert Litan and Carl Schramm (Yale University Press, $32.50, 280 pages) — On the heels of the Great Recession and in time for President Obama's second term, the authors offer a recipe for economic growth that builds entrepreneurial strength. The formula calls for, among other things, government reforms (loosening immigration restrictions, altering corporate taxes), changes in university policies (allowing faculty to more easily launch startups) and privatization of certain infrastructure (roads, airports and other public facilities). Currently a professor at Syracuse University, Schramm will be a visiting professor at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management teaching courses in entrepreneurship beginning in April. Litan is director of research at Bloomberg Government, a Web-based government information service.

“The Hiplife in Ghana: West African Indigenization of Hip-Hop” by Halifu Osumare (Palgrave Macmillan, $85, 256 pages) — In this book, one of the few U.S.-based experts on global hip-hop explores Ghana, West Africa, where hip-hop music and culture have morphed over two decades into a form of world music called “hiplife.” Drawing on 30 years as a dancer and scholar of black popular culture, the associate professor and director of African American and African Studies at UC Davis investigates hiplife music not merely as an imitation and adaptation of hip-hop, but as a revision of a century-old popular music in Ghana known as “highlife.” As a Fulbright scholar at the University of Ghana at Legon, Osumare researched the effects of hip-hop culture in Ghana’s capital city of Accra.

“German History in Modern Times: Four Lives of the Nation” by William W. Hagen, (Cambridge University Press, $28.99, 463 pages) — With 159 illustrations, including new maps, this book provides an interpretive history of the social and political history of German-speaking Europe through four centuries. Hagen, a scholar of modern European history, is an emeritus professor of history at UC Davis.

“José Martí: Images of Memory and Mourning” by Emilio Bejel (New York & London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, $85,186 pages) — Bejel, a distinguished professor of Spanish at UC Davis, explores how visual images of Martí, a 19^th century Cuban national hero, have seduced people across ideologies and have figured in Cuban history and culture. Bejel is critical of the ways governments and political and civic groups have exploited this iconography for their own political agendas. A Cuban-born poet, critic and narrator, Bejel is the author of several books on literary and cultural criticism as well as poetry.

“Romanticism and the Question of the Stranger” by David Simpson (University of Chicago Press, $35, 288 pages) — Simpson, the G.B. Needham Distinguished Professor of English at UC Davis, calls to mind post-9/11 and homeland security fears and practices, pointing out that the view of the stranger as the enemy is not new to the early 21st century. Rather, he shows that debates about the stranger loomed large throughout history Simpson also is the author of “9/11: The Culture of Commemoration,” (University of Chicago Press, 2006).

“Drugs for Life: How Pharmaceutical Companies Define Our Health,” by Joseph Dumit (Duke University Press, $23.95, 280 pages) — Featuring a cover photo of stacks of pill bottles, this book discusses how the pharmaceutical industry has made people feel they are inherently ill and in need of chronic treatment for everything. “Drugs for Life,” says the publisher, “challenges our understanding of health, risks, facts, and clinical trials, the very concepts used by pharmaceutical companies to grow markets to the point where almost no one can imagine a life without prescription drugs.” Dumit is a professor of anthropology and director of Science & Technology Studies at UC Davis.

To keep up with other new books from UC Davis authors and author appearances on campus, subscribe to the UC Davis Stores’ newsletter, published by trade books buyer Paul Takushi (who helped select titles for this list). Send an e-mail to pmtakushi@ucdavis.edu with “newsletter subscribe” in the subject heading. Books by UC Davis authors are also on sale at the bookstore in the “campus authors” section, or can be ordered by calling (530) 752-2944 or e-mailing generalbooks@ucdavis.edu.

UC Davis Foundation Board raises $1 million-plus for students

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0800

The University of California, Davis, today announced the creation of a $1 million-plus matching fund to encourage gifts to help UC Davis students.

Under the leadership of UC Davis Foundation Board Chair Bruce Edwards ’60, current and emeriti members of the foundation board and UC Davis administrators personally gave $1.04 million to create a universitywide matching fundraising initiative for endowed student scholarships, fellowships and awards called the UC Davis Foundation Matching Fund for Student Support.

“Our students are our most valuable asset, and this matching fund will provide critical assistance for dozens of them now and in the future,” said Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, who made a lead contribution to the fund. “This fund also helps further the university’s deep commitment to securing support for our students so that they can excel at their academic pursuits and long-term aspirations.”

New gifts of $25,000 and above made to new or existing student support endowments will generate a matching contribution of $25,000 from the foundation’s matching fund. Additionally, the fund provides a bonus allocation of $1,000 so that once the endowed scholarship has been established, help will be provided to students right away. Typically, student support endowments must be invested for a minimum of one year before endowment earnings are distributed through scholarships, fellowships or awards.

“We are grateful to our board members and campus leaders who have yet again demonstrated their exemplary leadership, immense generosity and genuine interest in UC Davis and our students,” said Shaun Keister, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and president of the foundation. “Their support will provide vital assistance to our students now and for years to come.”

This fundraising initiative is expected to inspire new gifts for student support and raise more than $2 million in new scholarship endowments, which would create about 40 scholarships, fellowships or awards annually and help UC Davis students for generations.

“We understand the challenges students today are facing and that many of them have a need for financial assistance to help pay for their education right away,” said Edwards, founder of Los Gatos, Calif.-based March Development Company. “That is why our board was so motivated to launch this matching fund initiative and do what we can to help these deserving UC Davis students receive a top-quality education.”

Barbara Jackson, longtime supporter of the university and an emerita member of the foundation, made the final contribution to the matching fund initiative and with her $10,000 gift allowed the foundation board to surpass its $1 million goal.

“UC Davis students are near and dear to my heart,” said Jackson, recipient of the 2013 Cal Aggie Alumni Association’s Distinguished Friend of the University Award. “This matching fund will have a tremendous impact on their lives, which is why I decided to give.”

Members of the foundation board shared the news today with the campus community at a gathering in the Memorial Union Building.

Students, many of whom attended the event, said they are touched by the commitment the board members are making in support of their education.

“Many students wouldn’t be able to attend college without the help of scholarships or fellowships,” said Christine Kim, co-director of We Are Aggie Pride, a student-run fundraising initiative that provides emergency funds to students in need. “It’s great to hear that the UC Davis Foundation has created this matching fund that will help more students pay for their education.”

All gifts made to UC Davis through this matching fund count toward the university’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign. Publically launched in October 2010, The Campaign for UC Davis seeks to inspire more than 100,000 donors to commit $1 billion to UC Davis by 2014. As of Dec. 2, more than 96,000 donors had given more than $863 million through the campaign to advance the university’s vision of excellence in teaching, research and public service.

The UC Davis Foundation is a nonprofit organization that plays an essential role in sustaining and enhancing the excellence of UC Davis by highlighting the impacts of philanthropy and stewarding private donations to the university. It is governed by a distinguished volunteer Board of Trustees.

UC Davis News: Campus Community

Blue Planet Prize awarded to UC Davis transportation expert

About the Blue Planet Prize

Global entrepreneurship expert Carl Schramm to deliver commencement address at UC Davis Graduate School of Management

About the UC Davis Graduate School of Management

West Sacramento college prep school to graduate its first class

Ancient streambed found on surface of Mars (WITH VIDEO)

Student Community Center earns LEED Platinum, UC Davis’ fifth

Sustainability at UC Davis

UC Davis selects architectural team to create an art museum for the 21st century

Good to be green: Accolades add to UC Davis’ environmental reputation

League of American Bicyclists

Princeton Review

Sierra Club

Nancy Pelosi to deliver commencement address at UC Davis School of Law

About UC Davis School of Law

Campus demonstrations: News and updates

Chancellor sends updated draft action plan to UC Davis Academic Senate

Q&A with Police Chief Matt Carmichael

Chancellor launches new task force to assess post-Nov. 18 reforms

Campus to establish ombudsperson’s office for faculty, staff

Police Department to launch student cadet program

Chancellor sends updated draft action plan to UC Davis Academic Senate

Chancellor sends draft action plan to President Yudof

Chancellor alerts Senate chair that draft action plan is ready

Chancellor speaks at joint legislative oversight hearing

UC releases draft report on response to campus protests

Campus announces proposed reforms

Chancellor and provost's letter

Yudof's statement

U.S. Bank

Related news and information

Messages to the UC Davis community

Additional information

Multimedia

News archive

A year later: Progress at UC Davis West Village

Zero net energy

Research and education

Construction

Holiday book gift ideas from UC Davis authors: Snow White, bats, hip-hop and more

UC Davis Foundation Board raises $1 million-plus for students