UC Davis News: Dateline

EXHIBITIONS: Special events at Nelson, C.N. Gorman

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

• Nelson Gallery — The Nelson stays open late today (Feb. 10) for the Davis community's 2nd Friday ArtAbout. The gallery's featured exhibition this quarter is Poking at Beehives: Three Painters (see details below). Also: from the university's Fine Arts Collection, works on paper by major artists from Rembrandt to Cezanne, as well as newly acquired photographs by Northern California artists. Tonight's hours: 5 to 7 p.m.

Next Thursday (Feb. 16), the public is invited to spend An Hour with the Director (Renny Pritikin), joining him for a tour of the gallery and informal discussion along the way, as the group takes in Poking at Beehives and selections from the Fine Arts Collection. The Nelson ARTfriends will serve light refreshments. Starting time is 4 p.m., and admission is free.

The Nelson is in Nelson Hall (formerly the University Club).

• C.N. Gorman Museum — The museum hosts Ruthe Blalock Jones for an artist talk and reception, 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 15), in connection with Ruthe Blalock Jones: A Retrospective, the museum's winter quarter exhibition (see details below).The museum is in 1316 Hart Hall.

NEW AT SHIELDS LIBRARY

• Paper Takes: The Power of Uncivil Words — Materials from the library's Walter Goldwater Radical Pamphlets collection, part of the library's Special Collections. The exhibition debuted last fall as part of the campus's Civility Project, and now Paper Takes is on display in the Shields Library lobby, through winter quarter.

Looking beyond the bounds of the campus, the exhibition explores the ways in which intolerant views are communicated and disseminated through pamphlets. Paper Takes explores the particular rhetoric supporting race-based hatred, gender and sexuality bias, and political divisiveness, to better understand the dominant discourses that frame some of our most uncivil exchanges. Displaying a selection from more than 17,000 items in the leading collection of “extreme” pamphlets in the United States, this exhibition provides historical depth to our understanding of the language of hate and intolerance, traces of which remain potent today.

Regular hours: 7:30 a.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, noon-6 p.m. Saturday and noon-midnight Sunday. Holidays and other exceptions.

OPENING NEXT WEEK

• Hollow — Flame-worked sculpture and vessels by Craft Center instructor Andrew Phillips. Feb. 17-March 16, Craft Center Gallery, South Silo. Regular hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

ONGOING EXHIBITIONS

• Ruthe Blalock Jones: A Retrospective — The internationally acclaimed Blalock Jones creates in a range of media, including oil, acrylic, watercolor and printmaking — producing works that emerge from personal experiences with a focus on Native American women in dance attire, and depictions of ceremonial and social events. Blalock Jones (Chu-Lun-Dit), Delaware/Shawnee/Peoria, formerly served as professor and art director at Bacone College, Muskogee, Okla. Through March 16, C.N. Gorman Museum, 1316 Hart Hall. Artist talk and reception, 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15. Regular hours: noon-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 2-5 p.m. Sunday.

• My Turn: Revolutions in Wood and Glass — By Craft Center lathe instructor Dorothy Brandon. Through Feb. 10, Craft Center Gallery, South Silo. Regular hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

• Need and Desire, the work of blankblank — Curated by Rob Zinn, founder of blankblank, a Northern California firm that works with a select group of designers and artisans to produce furniture, lighting and limited-edition art — as seen around the world. The title of this show alludes to the ambiguities that Zinn sees between art and design, form and function, business and creativity, and individual and society. Need and Desire charts the past eight years of blankblank through examples from its collection, including documentation of development and personal insight from Zinn as to the time, environment and circumstance in which they were created. Through March 16, Design Museum, Cruess Hall. Regular hours: noon-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 2-4 p.m. Sunday. Closed holidays and holiday weekends.

• Poking at Beehives: Three Painters — “I believe that this will prove to be the most important painting show that I have organized in my seven years at the Nelson,” said the gallery’s director, Renny Pritikin. “These are three very special artists, and it’s a thrill to bring their work to the attention of this community for the first time.” Each of the artists, Peter Edlund, Leslie Shows and Fred Tomaselli, finds inspiration in nature. A news release describes them as follows:

Edlund, from Brooklyn via San Francisco, who makes representational monochromatic depictions of natural settings, has carved out a significant career since returning to the Northeast after many years in San Francisco and is a professor at the acclaimed School of the Visual Arts in Manhattan.

Tomaselli, from Brooklyn via Los Angeles, is internationally acclaimed for his collage paintings depicting birds, nature and narratives in thick resin.

Shows, from San Francisco via Alaska, also makes collaged paintings based on man’s impact on nature, and is considered to be one of the handful of most important artists to emerge from San Francisco in the past 10 years.

Through March 18, Nelson Gallery, Nelson Hall. Regular hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Saturday-Sunday, and by appointment on Fridays.

ONGOING EXHIBITIONS

• New Works by Jaime Montiel — The UC Davis alumnus is the 2010-12 artist in residence at the TANA community art center, where this exhibition is taking place. TANA, run by the Department of Chicana/o Studies, stands for Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer, or art workshop of the new dawn. Montiel is exhibiting paintings and prints that he created the last two years, during which time he has been helping as an instructor in TANA's youth workshops. The artist in residence is from Winters, where he has a studio. He received a bachelor's degree in studio art at UC Davis and a master's in painting at the Savannah College of Art and Design. TANA is at 1224 Lemen Ave., Woodland. Call for hours: (530) 402-1065.

MORE AT SHIELDS LIBRARY

• The Ground Beneath Our Feet: The Nikola P. Prokopovich Papers on Land Subsidence — Manuscript archivist Liz Phillips prepared this exhibition on the papers of engineering geologist Nikola P. Prokopovich (1918-99)., who worked as a geologist with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Mid-Pacific Region.

He worked out of the bureau's Sacramento office from 1958 to 1986, investigating the geology and geochemistry of statewide water projects, including the Central Valley Project and the Solano Project. He was an avid field geologist and spent as much time as possible on site, collecting his own data. Prokopovich was particularly interested in the engineering geology of the Central Valley Project's canals and dam sites, and in the effects of state water projects and field irrigation on the surrounding landscape.

The collection includes draft reports, memoranda and published writings, as well as nearly 25,000 slides and photographs documenting his work and the land around his work sites.

The Shields Library presents its exhibitions in the lobby. Regular hours: 7:30 a.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, noon-6 p.m. Saturday and noon-midnight Sunday. Holidays and other exceptions.

OFF-CAMPUS

• Between the Quotes: Work by UC Davis Art Faculty — New work by 12 members of the UC Davis Department of Art: paintings by Timothy Berry, David Hollowell, Hearne Pardee, Bryce Vinokurov and Gina Werfel; photographs by Robin Hill, Matthias Geiger and Youngsuk Suh; video and sculpture by Darrin Martin; sculpture by Tom Bills, Lucy Puls and Annabeth Rosen, alongside a recent drawing. Through Feb. 29, Pence Gallery, 212 D St., Davis. The exhibit and related programs are sponsored by the Department of Art, and the Division of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies (Herbert A. Young Society Fund).

NEWS BRIEFS: Weekend of Service recruits faculty, staff

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

The Community Service Resource Center is reaching out to faculty and staff to lend a hand (actually a lot of hands) during Weekend of Service. The next of the quarterly events is scheduled for Feb. 25-26 — with volunteer opportunities available on 13 community projects.

“Usually we have about 150 students who volunteer an average of four hours each,” said Amrit Sahota, a biological sciences major (econd year) and student adviser at the Community Service Resource Center.

By recruiting faculty and staff for the Feb. 25-26 weekend, the Community Service Resource Center hopes to muster a force of 200, which is the estimate of the number of people needed to complete the designated projects.

This quarter’s projects are with Angels of Hope (Winter Children’s Fair), Davis Farm to School (gardening), Davis Food Co-Op (Souper Bowl), Putah Creek Council (nursery care), Tree Davis (tree care) and the UC Davis Domes (revamping).

Online signups are under way and will close Tuesday, Feb. 21. (If you are not a student, you can skip the box that asks for student ID.)

ASAP: Meditation, 'Emotional Intelligence'

The Academic Staff and Assistance Program announced a pair of programs to ease your mind: a once-a-week meditation class and a brown bag meeting on “Emotional Intelligence … Your Hidden Edge.”

The faculty and staff meditation class, taught by ASAP Director Beth Cohen, is scheduled to meet from noon to 1 p.m., starting Feb. 15 and continuing Feb. 22 and 29, and March 7, 12 and 21. All are Wednesdays except March 12, a Monday. The meeting place is the King Room on the second floor of the Memorial Union.

This class is for all experience levels, from beginner to advanced. Cohen offers instruction in meditation deepening techniques, and breathing and mindfulness exercises, and leads lively discussions on a variety of meditation-related topics.

To sign up, send an e-mail to Sharon Ree, slree@ucdavis.edu. New participants must go through a screening process. The meeting room can hold 100, and, as of this morning (Feb. 10), about 20 spaces remained.

The “Emotional Intelligence” poster asks: “Are you so stressed out that you don’t even know how you feel most of the time? Are you challenged when it comes to handling yourself and others at work?”

If so, ASAP invites you to learn about this revolutionary concept that explores the ability to read, regulate and work with emotions effectively in yourself and with others.

“You will hear about how to strengthen your self-management, self-awareness, stress-busting and self-care. This will empower you to become the expert on yourself, what works for you at home and in your workplace, and will show you how to redefine what it means for you to be intelligent in today’s world.”

The brown bag is scheduled for the noon hour Thursday, Feb. 23, in 126 Voorhies Hall.

Students, staff, faculty invited to town hall on police practices

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

UC Davis student leaders Katheryn Kolesar and Adam Thongsavat will be the co-hosts for a town hall meeting here today (Feb. 10) with top UC officials who are seeking comments from students, staff and faculty on police policies and procedures around the UC system.

The UC Office of the President organized this town hall and two others (on the Berkeley and Irvine campuses, Jan. 31 and Feb. 28, respectively) as a listening tour for UC General Counsel Charles Robinson and UC Berkeley School of Law Dean Christopher Edley Jr.

As assigned by UC President Yudof last November, Robinson and Edley are leading a systemwide examination of police protocols as they apply to protests at all UC campuses.

Kolesar, chair of the Graduate Student Association, and Thongsavat, ASUCD president, will convene the town hall at 4 p.m. in the ballroom at the Conference Center, adjacent to the Vanderhoef Quad at the campus’s south entry. The meeting, including light refreshments, is scheduled to run until 6 p.m.

The comments that Robinson, Edley and their review team gather will help inform a broad examination of the best practices that universities across the country have implemented to balance campus safety and security with the rights to assemble, demonstrate and engage in civil disobedience.

Following their review of UC policies, the town hall meetings and consultations with experts within and outside UC, Robinson and Edley expect to post a draft set of recommendations for comment. The team expects to forward its recommendations to Yudof in early March.

'UC Davis 101': History, politics and finance

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

THE FUTURE OF THE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY

Video and PowerPoints from "UC Davis 101" are available online (scroll down on this "Video of Past Events" page, part of The Future of the Public University website). Or, click on the following links:

Also available online: Video of Professor Gonzalez's recent talk, "Universities Cannot Escape History, But Can They Make It?" — part of the UC Davis Humanities Institute’s ongoing series Conversations in the Humanities.

Read a message from Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter about The Future of the Public University.

By Dateline staff

Faculty members from the School of Education brought their expertise to a public forum this week on UC’s financial challenges, in a discussion that included recollections of 19th- and 20th-century UC leaders who overcame obstacles to build and preserve one of the world’s great universities.

The faculty panel addressed fast-rising tuition and the 33-year-old ballot initiative, Proposition 13, which forever changed UC’s financial picture.

Rounding out the “UC Davis 101” panel, the campus’s chief budget officer outlined where UC Davis’ money comes from and where it goes — and warned that preliminary calculations for 2012-13 show yet another shortfall.

About 50 people attended the late afternoon seminar Feb. 7 in 3 Kleiber Hall. This was a one-time seminar — but video is available online for those interested in UC’s struggle to maintain accessibility, affordability and quality in today’s tough economic times.

‘Extraordinarily good leaders’

Cristina Gonzalez, a professor in the School of Education and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and former dean of Graduate Studies, gave a brief history of the UC system, citing “extraordinarily good leaders at key moments of its development” — presidents who understood the forces of legislative control and popular clamor, and knew when to oppose them and when to tap them to advance the mission of the university.

People like founding President Henry Durant (1870-72) and his successor, Daniel Coit Gilman (1872-75), who fought the forces that sought to make UC more of a vocational school. And Benjamin Ide Wheeler (1899-1919) and Clark Kerr (1958-67), who tapped societal forces in favor of universal access to higher education.

“The most important issue facing the UC leadership at present is whether to oppose forces demanding greater social equality or to tap them to advance the mission of the university,” she said. Recent protests signify the birth of a new progressive era, she added, and such eras are very good for the university:

“I believe that this is not a moment to fight legislative control and popular clamor, but rather to draw upon those forces to advance the mission of the University of California, which is, and always has been, to provide access to the best available education to the people of the Golden State.”

Proposition 13: A ‘third rail’

Professor Thomas Timar, faculty director of the Center for Applied Policy in Education, gave a short primer on Proposition 13, the voter-approved, 1978 initiative that cut property taxes from about 2.6 percent of market value to 1 percent of market value from three years earlier, 1975, and prohibited further taxation based on property value.

Proposition 13 “turned finance on its head,” Timar said, explaining how cities, counties, special districts, schools and community colleges began looking to the state for extra money that they formerly could get from local taxation.

This meant that UC began competing with all those agencies for a piece of the state pie — and the pie had grown smaller, as a result of Proposition 13.

The state has been in decline ever since, Timar said, yet legislators think of Proposition 13 as “sort of a third rail — they won’t touch it, they’re afraid of it.”

An audience member asked about the repercussions of an attempt to repeal Proposition 13.

“That’s a great question, nobody’s tried it,” Timar said. In talks with legislative staff in Sacramento, he said, “The conventional wisdom that you can’t touch Proposition 13, that you can’t change Proposition 13, is just deeply, deeply ingrained.

Tuition keeps climbing

And, so, tuition keeps climbing — 347 percent (adjusted for inflation) over the last two decades, to $11,279 for resident undergraduates — “which explains why many students may be upset about it,” Michal Kurlaender, associate professor of education, citing data from The College Board’s Trends in College Pricing.

And, whereas students paid about 15 percent of the cost of their UC education in 2000-01, today they are paying about 45 percent — and could be paying more than 50 percent next year.

Kurlaender and UC President Mark G. Yudof respond to Assembly Speaker Joihn A. Perez's Middle Class Scholarship Plan.

Tuition for 2012-13 is on the regents’ agenda in March, and students are right to pay attention to the regents, Kurlaender said. “But, really, a lot of the attention should really be (on) pushing the Legislature to really think about their commitment to funding public higher education.”

Efficiencies and new revenue

Associate Vice Chancellor Kelly Ratliff, who leads Budget and Institutional Analysis, said, “By no means is the university relying just on student tuition to address the shortfall.”

The campus has begun an aggressive program of administrative efficiencies (such as the shared service center) and other cost cutting (such as the Strategic Energy Program), and come up with new sources of revenue (expanded summer programs and increased enrollment of nonresident students, for example).

In 2011-12, these efforts netted a savings of $35.6 million (compared with added tuition of $38.7 million, after diverting roughly a third of the new tuition revenue to financial aid). For 2012-13, Ratliff said she estimates an additional $5.5 million in new revenue and $4 million more in efficiencies.

Still, as of right now, the campus is estimating next year’s shortfall at nearly $28 million — to be adjusted after the governor and Legislature agree on a budget, and after the UC regents decide on next year’s tuition.

Then, if there is still a shortfall, departments and units are likely to be looking at a fifth consecutive year of cuts.

Previous cuts, from October 2007 to October 2011, resulted in the elimination of 500 full-time-equivalent positions (faculty and staff, paid with tuition and state general fund money), or about 7 percent of the work force. “Those are real people who are no longer employed,” Ratliff said.

During that same period, undergraduate sections with enrollment of 100 or more climbed 14 percent, while sections with 20 or fewer students dropped 8 percent.

With less state money and growing enrollment, Ratliff said, “something has to give and part of what’s giving are these quality measures.”

Tuition relief for the middle class?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

By Dateline staff

In her “UC Davis 101” presentation this week, Associate Professor Michal Kurlaender said UC has done a good job of protecting financial aid for low-income students — indeed, roughly a third of the revenue from increased tuition goes to financial aid.

“Which is to say, really, that the rise in tuition is really being felt by the middle-income families in California,” she said.

The very next day, Feb. 8, Assembly Speaker John A. Perez, D-Los Angeles, introduced his Middle Class Scholarship Plan to cut UC and California State University fees by about two-thirds for students from families making less than $150,000 a year.

Here is how UC President Mark G. Yudof responded:

“Like Assembly Speaker Perez, we are deeply concerned about ensuring affordability for middle-class students who don’t qualify for financial aid.

“That said, the University of California has made it a priority to make a high-quality education accessible to a wide range of students from families with low or moderate income. Roughly half of UC students pay no tuition because of robust financial aid reinforced by an ongoing institutional commitment.

“As we work with the governor and legislators on fiscal and policy issues that would affect the affordability of a UC education, we welcome constructive efforts such as the speaker’s proposal to provide middle-class tuition relief."

UC's Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan covers systemwide fees for students who are California residents and whose families earn less than $80,000 a year. Additionally, students must be in their first four years as UC undergraduates or first two years as transfer students, and they must meet other basic requirements for UC grant aid.

Kurlaender also responded to Perez's plan:

"As California families have to pay an increasingly larger share of the cost of public higher education through tuition increases, the state needs to consider how to maintain affordability for students across family income backgrounds.

"There should be some discussion about limits to tuition increases, and much more information about the effects of different types of financial aid programs on college access and persistence."

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Administrative advisory committees, librarian forums

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

INDEX (scroll down to read the complete announcements)

Feb. 9, 2012: Apply for 2012-13 administrative advisory committees
Feb. 8, 2012: Public forums for university librarian candidates
Feb. 1, 2012: Application deadline extended for Faculty Athletics Representative
Feb. 1, 2012: Hotel Program added to Central Travel System
Jan. 31, 2012: Nominations invited for Soaring to New Heights awards
Jan. 31, 2012: Nominations sought for Calvin E. Handy Leadership Award
Jan. 24, 2012: Student Recognition Awards
Jan. 24, 2012: Call for nominations for the Charles P. Nash Prize
Dec. 28, 2011: Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award
Dec. 20, 2011: Nominations sought for Academic Federation Award for Excellence In Teaching
Dec. 20, 2011: Nominations sought for Academic Federation Award for Excellence In Research
Nov. 15, 2011: Call for nominations for the Charles P. Nash Prize
Nov. 7, 2011: Senate calls for teaching award nominations
Nov. 7, 2011: Call for nominations for the Bradford-Rominger award
Nov. 1, 2011: Call for applications for the WCAHS 2012 Seed Grant Program
Oct. 26, 2011: Chancellor seeks nominations for faculty athletics representative
Oct. 19, 2011: Orders due for fall commencement regalia
Oct. 17, 2011: Nomination of candidates for the Faculty Research Lecture
Oct. 14, 2011: Nomination of candidates for the 2011-12 Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award
Oct. 14, 2011: Call for nominations for Distinguished Emeritus/a Award
Oct. 6, 2011: Call for nominations for Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity and Community
Sept. 23, 2011: Updated policies for graduate student academic appointments
Sept. 12, 2011: Request for seed grant proposals
July 13, 2011: Reminder on increased contribution rates for the UC Retirement Plan
Earlier announcements

Feb. 9, 2012: Apply for 2012-13 administrative advisory committees
From Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi

I encourage you to become involved in issues affecting the UC Davis community by applying for membership on a UC Davis administrative advisory committee for the 2012-13 year. The committees address topics such as arts, athletics, child care, student services and research, and provide an opportunity for all constituencies — Academic Senate and Academic Federation members, staff, graduate students and undergraduate students — to participate in governance of the campus.

As a member of an administrative advisory committee, you can ensure that your constituency's perspectives are well represented in the committee's recommendations to the administration. You can also help representatives from other constituencies understand your interests and concerns and, in turn, learn more about their views of campus issues.

The selection of members is guided by the interests and experience of the applicant, the recognition that each committee should involve inexperienced as well as experienced members, and the necessity to provide balance within the committee to achieve a broad base for administrative decision making. It is our wish, as expressed in our statement in the Principles of Community, to receive applications from people representing the wide range of diversity — gender, ethnicity, academic discipline, areas of knowledge — that exists at UC Davis.

I hope you will participate in this advisory system. The application form is available online, along with a list of the committees with brief descriptions of their activities, and other information. Please submit your application by Monday, March 12.

Linda P.B. Katehi
Chancellor

•••

Feb. 8, 2012: Public forums for university librarian candidates

After reviewing the recommendations of the recruitment advisory committee for the position of university librarian, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter has invited three outstanding candidates to meet with campus constituents, starting Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Each candidate’s name and curriculum vitae will be posted online approximately 48 hours in advance of his or her visit. Look for this information on the provost's Web page for the university librarian recruitment.

Each forum is scheduled from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Room 174 in the School of Education Building, on the following dates:

Candidate A — Tuesday, Feb. 21
Candidate B — Thursday, Feb. 23
Candidate C — Tuesday, Feb. 28

Hexter welcomes comments on the candidates; comments on a particular candidate should be sent no later than 48 hours after the candidate’s public forum. Comments should be sent by e-mail to universitylibrariansearch@ucdavis.edu.

•••

Feb. 1, 2012: Application deadline extended for Faculty Athletics Representative
From Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi

Dear Colleagues,

I write to inform you that we have extended the deadline for nominations and applications for the position of Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) for our campus. Applications will continue to be accepted through March 15, 2012. Once selected, the individual would serve as the campus's FAR until June 30, 2015, with the possibility for reappointment.

The FAR serves as our campus representative to the Big West Conference and as UC Davis’ appointed delegate to the conventions and other activities of the NCAA. The FAR certifies eligibility for all student-athletes for conference and NCAA competition, practice and financial aid, among other responsibilities. A copy of the formal position description is here.

Article 6.1.3 of the NCAA Bylaws states that the Faculty Athletics Representative shall be “… a member of the institution’s faculty or an administrator who holds faculty rank and shall not hold an administrative or coaching position in the athletics department.” Also, the Faculty Athletics Representative Handbook states that “… it is recommended that those who hold this position have permanent tenure.” The handbook also states that the FAR “… should be involved in the assurance of academic integrity of the athletics program and in the maintenance of the welfare of the student-athlete” and “... ensure academic integrity, facilitate institutional control of intercollegiate athletics and enhance the student-athlete experience.” For additional information, the Faculty Athletics Representative Handbook can be found online.

Please note that experience as an intercollegiate athlete is not a requirement for this position.

The person serving in this important capacity will receive a stipend as well as 25 percent release time to enable her or him to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.

Applications and nominations should be submitted directly to me in the Office of the Chancellor or by e-mail to chancellor@ucdavis.edu. Please share this announcement with faculty colleagues who may be interested in this exciting opportunity.

Sincerely,
Linda P.B. Katehi
Chancellor

•••

Feb. 1, 2012: Hotel Program added to Central Travel System
From the Accounts Payable Travel and Entertainment Department

Effective today, the Central Travel System includes a Hotel Program (on a pilot basis) for university business lodging expenses at these Davis hotels: Aggie Inn, Best Western Palm Court and University Park Inn. This program minimizes paperwork (including travel expense vouchers), as the expenses can now be reconciled in MyTravel.

Similar to how some of the Connexxus travel agencies are able to charge airfare to a CTS account that directly imports into MyTravel, the selected hotels in Davis can now do the same thing. To make a lodging reservation, departments need to complete and submit the appropriate “Local Hotel Reservation Form” (details below) to the hotel. Upon receipt of the form, the hotel will charge a central UC Davis VISA card on the same day, and the expenses (lodging and lodging tax) will import into MyTravel within a few days after that. Because the “Local Hotel Reservation Form” specifies the MyTravel ID number for the traveler, the expenses will automatically be imported into the traveler’s Imported Expenses Queue and will be charged to the default departmental account number (as specified in the traveler’s MyTravel Profile).

Upon completion of the travel event, the lodging expenses can then be reconciled like any other CTS-imported expense: just add them to the MyTravel expense report along with any other travel-related expenses that may have been incurred (e.g., airfare, food, car rental, etc.). During this reporting reconciliation process, the lodging expenses can also be moved to other accounts.

The “Local Hotel Reservation Form” is available online (look under "Forms") in two versions: individual travel and group travel.

An information meeting about the Hotel Program is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to noon Friday, Feb. 24, in the Hamilton Room at the Heitman Staff Learning Center. Sign up via the UC Learning Center; search for "Hotel CTS").

Questions? Contact the MyTravel Help Desk, (530) 757-8888.

Jan. 31, 2012: Nominations invited for Soaring to New Heights awards
From Rahim Reed, associate executive vice chancellor, Campus Community Relations; and Karen Hull, associate vice chancellor, Human Resources

The Diversity and Principles of Community Achievement Recognition Awards are for campus employees whose efforts to advance diversity and the Principles of Community go beyond the expectations of the employees’ positions. All members of the Davis campus and UC Davis Health System communities are encouraged to submit nominations for any of the awards. Recipients of the 2011 Diversity and Principles of Community Achievement Recognition Awards are ineligible.

• Individual Awards — Intended to recognize staff members who, through personal efforts, have made significant contributions to affirmative action/equal employment opportunity, or heightened awareness and sensitivity to diversity. Nominations received for contributions made by faculty, executives, student employees or community members will be considered for special citations.

• Deanna Falge Award — The criteria are consistent with those for the Individual Awards, with this addition: The Deanna Falge Award recognizes the ongoing (five years or more) demonstration of one's exemplary contributions toward the furthering of UC Davis' affirmative action/equal opportunity or diversity objectives.

• Department/Unit/Team Award — Intended to recognize the unit or team whose members, through personal or group efforts, have made significant contributions to affirmative action/equal employment opportunity, or heightened awareness and sensitivity to diversity.

Criteria: Each nomination must include specific examples of contributions, such as:

Advances awareness of affirmative action and/or diversity issues and concerns.
Models behavior consistent with the Principles of Community.
Advances a positive work environment that is inclusive and bias-free.
Contributes substantially to achievement of affirmative action goals.
Participates productively in affirmative action and/or diversity programs.
Demonstrates commitment to affirmative action and diversity through public service and community Involvement.

All nominations must address these criteria.

•••

Jan. 31, 2012: Nominations sought for Calvin E. Handy Leadership Award

Named after the police chief emeritus, this crime prevention and public safety award recognizes community engagement and activities that are collaborative, cooperative and proactive — promoting safety and security on the Davis campus and in the UC Davis Health System, and in the surrounding communities. Members of the campus community developed the award to honor Chief Handy’s legacy of public service and leadership, and his outstanding record of engagement and relationship-building on and off campus.

Eligibility: Individuals, groups and organizations, on campus (including staff, faculty and students) and off (including business and service groups, government agencies and community organizations), on the Davis campus and in the UC Davis Health System, and in the surrounding communities. First responders (such as police and fire personnel and units) are eligible, of course. Here are examples of other potential nominees: school crime prevention programs, sexual assault education programs, child safety programs, family shelters, elderly care programs, medical clinics and hospitals, diversity and culture based programs, emergency management programs, charitable and nonprofit organizations whose missions promote a safe and secure environment, and media organizations who use their outreach capabilities to promote public safety.

Criteria and qualifications: Nominees must have acted to create or support the safety of community members; and shown leadership in establishing a sustainable program, or cultivating and/or enhancing relationships that encourage the collaboration of two or more groups to create an identifiable impact on public safety.

The nomination form is available under "Quick Links" on the Office of Campus Community Relations website. Nominations should be directed to Vickie Gomez, Office of Campus Community Relations, preferably by e-mail, vlgomez@ucdavis.edu. If desired, nominators may attach a one-page letter describing the nominee’s attributes and accomplishments. The qualifying information should be specific and comprehensive, yet written so that readers outside the nominee’s field can understand the impact of the accomplishment(s). The deadline is March 8.

•••

Jan. 24, 2012: Student Recognition Awards
From Fred E. Wood, vice chancellor, Student Affairs

Nominations are being sought from faculty, staff and students for the following student awards:

• Mary Jeanne Gilhooly Award for Outstanding Graduating Senior Woman — Honoring the graduating woman who is judged to be the most outstanding in the areas of leadership, scholarship, integrity and service in the campus community. Established in 1942, the award memorializes the achievements of Mary Jeanne Gilhooly, recognized as an “unofficial goodwill ambassador to every prospective Aggie.” She died while attending UC Davis.

• Veloyce Glenn Winslow Jr. Award for Outstanding Graduating Senior Man — Honoring the graduating man who is judged to be the most outstanding in the areas of leadership, scholarship, integrity and service in the campus community. Established in 1966, the award memorializes the achievements of Glenn Winslow Jr., who died while serving as vice president of the student body.

• Margarita Robinson Student Leadership Award for Outstanding Juniors — Honoring up to three students for their outstanding service and leadership through involvement in recognized student groups and activities. Established in 1982, the award serves as a memorial to Margarita Robinson, who was house mother at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity for 30 years and a founder of the Prytanean Honor Society at UC Davis.

The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13; no late nominations will be accepted. The 2012 Student Recognition Awards information brochure, including the nomination form, is available online.

Questions? Contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, (530) 752-2416 or vcsa@ucdavis.edu.

•••

Jan. 24, 2012: Call for nominations for the Charles P. Nash Prize
From the 2011-12 Nash Prize Selection Committee

The Davis Faculty Association, Davis Division of the Academic Senate and Davis Division of the Academic Federation invite nominations of candidates for the Charles P. Nash Prize.

The Charles P. Nash Prize is designed to reward exceptional achievement and commitment in promoting shared governance and advocacy for faculty interests and welfare.

The prize is awarded annually to a member of the UC Davis Academic Senate, the Davis Faculty Association or the Academic Federation whose actions demonstrate an exceptional and extended commitment to shared governance and/or promoting faculty interests by ensuring equitable treatment of faculty. In the spirit of Charlie Nash, such activity must be above and beyond normal committee assignments or academic obligations, typically, spanning a period of time or one’s career.

Nominations are sought from any member of the academic community: students, faculty, staff, alumni, departments or units.

Eligibility: All members of the Academic Federation, Academic Senate and Davis Faculty Association who have not previously won the award are eligible. Previous nominees who have not received the award may be renominated. Current Nash Prize Selection
Committee Members are ineligible for nomination.

The Charles P. Nash Prize is designed to reward exceptional achievement in the spirit of Charlie Nash. Examples of Charlie Nash’s achievements include:

Using the machinery of the faculty governance process, often invoking the mechanisms of Academic Senate committees, to achieve equity for individual faculty members.
Making certain that the machinery of shared governance works well, both structurally and functionally.
Contributing to analysis of shared governance, such as the “Mending the Wall” report.
Working with others to craft the Nash-Goldman Report, which made recommendations for changes in the personnel policy for Academic Federation employees.
Supporting legislation that allows faculty to assign their own texts and protect their intellectual property rights. The Charles Nash page on the Davis Faculty Association website includes a PDF link to Nash's article on the aforementioned legislation.
Mentoring and advising faculty to guide them in “finding their way through the merit and promotion briar patch,” as well as assisting them with their personnel cases within their departments and with the Academic Senate Committee on Academic Personnel
Serving for many years on faculty committees to advocate for faculty interests, including chair of the Davis Faculty Association board, vice president of External Affairs on the Council of University of California Faculty Associations board and chair of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate (two terms).

The annual prize will be awarded in a public ceremony and will include a $1,000 honorarium. There is no restriction on the prize recipient with regard to the use of the prize.

Nominations should be addressed to the Nash Prize Selection Committee. Letters of nomination accompanied by a one-page list of relevant accomplishments must be submitted electronically.

Send your nomination materials to the committee chair, Aliki Dragona, at apdragona@ucdavis.edu.

Deadline: All nominations must be received electronically by 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3. Questions may be addressed to the chair, apdragona@ucdavis.edu.

The committee will rely upon material presented to it; therefore, it is important that the letter and list make the best case possible within the space limitation.

The Nash Prize Selection Committee will review the nominations and will select a recipient from the original slate of candidates. The committee is permitted to select one recipient for each academic year.

Sincerely,

2011-12 Nash Prize Selection Committee
Aliki Dragona, chair
Robert Rucker
Ian Kennedy
Krishnan Nambiar

•••

Dec. 28, 2011: Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award
From Andre Knoesen, chair, Graduate Council; and Jeffery C. Gibeling, dean, Graduate Studies

We are pleased to invite applications for the 2012 Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award. This award recognizes the contributions of graduate students to teaching and learning at UC Davis. It is sponsored by the Graduate Council and the Office of Graduate Studies.

We believe that this is a tremendously important award because it honors outstanding graduate students, reminds the campus that teaching is a central part of the university’s mission, and can inspire students and professors to give increased attention to the educational process.

Any member of the campus community having direct experience with the graduate student’s teaching can make nominations, and we particularly encourage students to nominate their outstanding graduate student teaching assistants. Self-nominations are also allowed.

Nominations are due by Friday, Feb. 17. More information, including the nomination packet, is available online. Questions? Contact Puriie Conley, (530) 752-8761 or paconley@ucdavis.edu.

•••

Dec. 20, 2011: Nominations sought for Academic Federation Award for Excellence In Teaching
From Jay Grossi, chair, Academic Federation Committee for Excellence in Teaching

The Academic Federation announced its 22nd annual call for nominations for the federation’s award for Excellence in Teaching. All members of the university community (students, faculty, staff and alumni) are invited to nominate a member of the Academic Federation for the award. Students especially are encouraged to submit nominations.

The recipient of the award will be honored at an awards reception on Wednesday, May 2, 2012.

The official call for nominations is available here. Nominations must be received electronically by the Academic Senate Office by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, and should be directed to Debbie Stacionis, dstacionis@ucdavis.edu. For more information, contact Stacionis e-mail or phone, (530) 754-4791.

•••

Dec. 20, 2011: Nominations sought for Academic Federation Award for Excellence In Research
From Zeljka McBride, chair, Academic Federation Committee on Research

The Academic Federation announced its 13th annual call for nominations for the federation’s award for Excellence in Research. The federation created the award to recognize the vital role that federation researchers play in developing the growing reputation for research at UC Davis. All members of the university community (students, faculty, staff and alumni) are invited to nominate a member of the Academic Federation for this award.

The recipient of the award will be honored at an awards reception on Wednesday, May 2.

The official call for nominations is available here. Nominations must be received electronically by the Academic Senate Office by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, and should be directed to Debbie Stacionis, dstacionis@ucdavis.edu. For more information, contact Stacionis e-mail or phone, (530) 754-4791.

•••

Nov. 15, 2011: Call for nominations for the Charles P. Nash Prize
From the 2011-12 Nash Prize Selection Committee

The Davis Faculty Association, Davis Division of the Academic Senate and Davis Division of the Academic Federation invite nominations of candidates for the Charles P. Nash Prize.

The Charles P. Nash Prize is designed to reward exceptional achievement and commitment in promoting shared governance and advocacy for faculty interests and welfare.

Nominations are sought from any member of the academic community: students, faculty, staff, alumni, departments or units.

The Charles P. Nash Prize is designed to reward exceptional achievement in the spirit of Charlie Nash. Examples of Charlie Nash’s achievements include:

Using the machinery of the faculty governance process, often invoking the mechanisms of Academic Senate committees, to achieve equity for individual faculty members.
Making certain that the machinery of shared governance works well, both structurally and functionally.
Contributing to analysis of shared governance, such as the “Mending the Wall” report.
Working with others to craft the Nash-Goldman Report, which made recommendations for changes in the personnel policy for Academic Federation employees.
Supporting legislation that allows faculty to assign their own texts and protect their intellectual property rights. The Charles Nash page on the Davis Faculty Association website includes a PDF link to Nash's article on the aforementioned legislation.
Mentoring and advising faculty to guide them in “finding their way through the merit and promotion briar patch,” as well as assisting them with their personnel cases within their departments and with the Academic Senate Committee on Academic Personnel
Serving for many years on faculty committees to advocate for faculty interests, including chair of the Davis Faculty Association board, vice president of External Affairs on the Council of University of California Faculty Associations board and chair of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate (two terms).

The annual prize will be awarded in a public ceremony and will include a $1,000 honorarium. There is no restriction on the prize recipient with regard to the use of the prize.

Nominations should be addressed to the Nash Prize Selection Committee. Letters of nomination accompanied by a one-page list of relevant accomplishments must be submitted electronically.

Send your nomination materials to the committee chair, Aliki Dragona, at apdragona@ucdavis.edu.

Deadline: All nominations must be received electronically by 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3. Questions may be addressed to the chair, apdragona@ucdavis.edu.

The committee will rely upon material presented to it; therefore, it is important that the letter and list make the best case possible within the space limitation.

Sincerely,

2011-12 Nash Prize Selection Committee
Aliki Dragona, chair
Robert Rucker
Ian Kennedy
Krishnan Nambiar

•••

Nov. 7, 2011: Senate calls for teaching award nominations
From John Harada, chair, Academic Senate Committee on Distinguished Teaching Awards

The Davis Division of the Academic Senate invites nominations of candidates for the 2011-12 Distinguished Teaching Awards. Please note there are two categories:

Undergraduate Teaching
Graduate and Professional Teaching

Nominations must clearly designate the appropriate category and are sought from any member of the academic community: students, faculty, staff, alumni, departments or units. Successful nominations provide the perspective of both students and faculty.

The nominators should identify excellence in a broad range of teaching activities, including mentoring. The letters should provide a reasonably comprehensive account of the special qualities and accomplishments that warrant the candidate's consideration as a distinguished teacher, and may draw upon a wide range of comments. Previous Committees on Distinguished Teaching Awards have found the following characteristics to be important (nominators should view this as a suggestive, rather than exhaustive, list):

The objectives, philosophy, and principles associated with the selection of course content.
The organization, clarity of lectures-presentations and integration of lectures with classwork.
Significant contributions to improved and innovative teaching.
The command of subject matter and the ability to relate the subject to current developments, to historical precedents and to future research.
The ability to stimulate thought and involvement in the educational process, and the ability to teach students how to learn so that they can develop an independent program of sustained learning.
The use of innovative evaluation methods.
Responsiveness and concern for the education and welfare of students.
Advising and mentoring in terms of the academic activities, career objectives, and personal welfare of students.
The ability to inspire students to important career decisions.
Accomplishments as measured by the success of students in subsequent academic and career activities.

Eligibility extends to all members of the Academic Senate, including lecturers (100 percent) with security of employment; assistant, associate and full professors; and emeriti who have not previously won the award. Previous nominees who have not received the award may be renominated. Normally a candidate must have taught at UC Davis for at least four years to be considered. Awardees receive cash awards that may be used in any manner to improve teaching on the Davis campus.

The nomination form and the complete call for nominations (including information on the required contents of nomination packets) are available online.

Each nomination must be transmitted electronically in a single packet as an e-mail attachment, for receipt in the Academic Senate office by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13.

Nominations should be addressed to the Committee on Distinguished Teaching Awards, Academic Senate Office, 402 Mrak Hall, and sent to Nancy Kilpatrick, nlkilpatrick@ucdavis.edu.

The committee is normally composed of five faculty representatives, two undergraduate students and one graduate student.

Questions? Contact Kilpatrick at the Academic Senate office, (530) 752-2220 or nlkilpatrick@ucdavis.edu.

•••

Nov. 7, 2011: Call for nominations for the Bradford-Rominger award
From the Agricultural Sustainability Institute

The Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis is calling for nominations for the 2012 Eric Bradford and Charlie Rominger Agricultural Sustainability Leadership Award.

The award recognizes and honors individuals who have exhibited the leadership, work ethic and integrity epitomized by the late Eric Bradford, a livestock geneticist who gave 50 years of service to UC Davis, and the late Charlie Rominger, a fifth-generation Yolo County farmer and land preservationist.

Nominations are welcome for UC farm advisers and Cooperative Extension specialists as well as UC Davis graduate students, faculty members, and, in special cases, alumni, for their work toward agricultural sustainability.

Award recipients receive a cash prize and may be invited to give a lecture hosted by the institute.

Nominations are due by Jan. 2. To nominate a leader in agricultural sustainability click here.

The Bradford-Rominger award recipient will be announced in the spring.

Selection criteria

The award recognizes leaders who have a broad understanding of agricultural systems and the environment, takes the long view and aims high to make a difference in the world.
Nominees’ work in agriculture and sustainability should be both science-based and grounded in agricultural reality.
Nominees should posses the courage to step outside of conventional thinking, value an interdisciplinary approach to problems and seek collaboration. They should lead by listening to others and bring disparate groups to consensus.
This award honors those with high standards of integrity, service and respect for all. It also affirms the selflessness of the recipient, who is focused on achieving a good outcome, not personal credit.

•••

Nov. 1, 2011: WCHAS calls for applications for seed grants
From Frank Mitloehner, director of research, Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety

UC's Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety seeks to encourage research, intervention/prevention, translational, and outreach/education projects relating to agricultural health and safety through its NIOSH-funded Agricultural Health and Safety Projects Program for Graduate Students and Faculty, including Cooperative Extension, post-graduate researchers and post-doctoral fellows. Projects may be either inter- or intradepartmental. Preference will be given to proposals describing innovative projects, and those addressing topical and important issues, such as farmworker injury prevention, immigration and work force, infectious diseases, and others. Projects with matching funds or possible future funding are also encouraged. Graduate students are especially invited to apply; a letter of support from the major professor is required.

Funding period: Jan. 2-Sept. 30, 2012 (possibly renewable).

Deadline: 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 18.

Award range: $5,000-$20,000 each.

Eligibility: All members of the Academic Senate and eligible individuals, UC Cooperative Extension, post-graduate researchers, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students.

Submission procedure: Guidelines and submittal documents are availabline online.

More information: agcenter@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-5253.

•••

Oct. 26, 2011: Chancellor seeks nominations for faculty athletics representative

Dear Colleagues,

I write to invite nominations and applications for the position of faculty athletics representative (FAR) for the Davis campus. Once selected, the individual would serve as FAR for the balance of the academic year and until June 30, 2014.

The FAR serves as UC Davis’ representative to the Big West Conference and as UC Davis’ appointed delegate to the conventions and other activities of the NCAA. The FAR certifies eligibility for all student-athletes for conference and NCAA competition, practice, and financial aid, among other responsibilities. A copy of the formal position description is attached to this e-mail.

Article 6.1.3 of the NCAA Bylaws states that the faculty athletics representative shall be “… a member of the institution’s faculty or an administrator who holds faculty rank and shall not hold an administrative or coaching position in the athletics department.” Also, the Faculty Athletics Representative Handbook states that “… it is recommended that those who hold this position have permanent tenure.” The handbook also states that the FAR “… should be involved in the assurance of academic integrity of the athletics program and in the maintenance of the welfare of the student-athlete” and “... ensure academic integrity, facilitate institutional control of intercollegiate athletics and enhance the student-athlete experience.”

For additional information, the Faculty Athletics Representative Handbook is available online. Please note that experience as an intercollegiate athlete is not a requirement for this position.

The person serving in this important capacity would receive a stipend as well as 25 percent release time to enable her or him to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.

Applications and nominations should be submitted directly to me at the Office of the Chancellor or by e-mail to chancellor@ucdavis.edu by Nov. 28.

Sincerely,

Linda P.B. Katehi
Chancellor

•••

Oct. 19, 2011: Orders due for fall commencement regalia
From Material Management and UC Davis Stores

UC Davis Materiel Management and the bookstore are taking orders for caps, gowns, tassels and hoods for fall commencement.

The Materiel Management unit provides caps, gowns (M.D., Ph.D., Master and Bachelor), tassels and UC doctoral hoods at no charge, with individual departments usually doing the ordering for their faculty members.

Loaner regalia can be picked up at the Central Storehouse. Departments can arrange for delivery at a nominal charge.

Orders can be placed online. Questions? Need a hard-copy order form? Need to arrange for delivery? Call Vern Nickell, (530) 752-9309.

Orders are due at the Central Storehouse by Dec. 2.

The bookstore rents UC hoods for all degrees other than doctorates, and non-UC hoods. The rental fee is $20 for orders placed by Oct. 31, with $10 added on for rush orders after that date. Faculty members and administrators are advised to order through their departments; the online order form is here.

For questions about the bookstore’s rental program, contact
Morgan Liu, commencement coordinator, treliu@ucdavis.edu.

Faculty members and administrators are responsible for returning their commencement regalia to either the bookstore or the storehouse. Staff from both places will be available at the commencement site to collect faculty attire. Please be sure to include original packaging or a separate label so that your department can be properly credited.

•••

Oct. 17, 2011: Nomination of candidates for the Faculty Research Lecture
From the Faculty Research Lecture Committee, Academic Senate

The Faculty Research Lecture Committee invites all Davis Division Academic Senate members to submit nominations for this year’s Faculty Research Lecture Award. The Faculty Research Lecture Award is the highest honor the Davis Division of the Academic Senate accords its members. Each year, the Davis Division of the Academic Senate selects a Faculty Research Lecturer, who will give a public lecture on a topic of their choice.

The recipient is singled out for the distinction of her-his scholarly research, chiefly for efforts carried out while a member of the Davis faculty.

Since a single award is made for the entire Davis faculty, nominees should be outstanding scholars and researchers, recognized as leaders in their respective discipline, both nationally and internationally. Candidates for the award should have been at Davis for at least 10 years. Each faculty member may nominate or endorse only one potential candidate. Please provide the following electronically:

A letter of two to three pages outlining the nominee’s qualifications.
A current curriculum vitae of the nominee.
A bibliography of significant items.
One or two examples of the nominee’s work demonstrating its distinctive quality. (If electronic submission of examples is impossible, please contact Bryan Rodman at 530-752-3920 to discuss alternate arrangements.)

The selection committee may request additional information on nominees.

The nomination letter should present the nominee and his-her work and emphasize the originality and creativity of both. Nominators should write to the fundamental and, if appropriate, practical impacts of the nominee and her-his work, particularly the work carried out at UC Davis. It is important that the letter makes the nominee and his-her contributions stand out from the background of the breadth of UC Davis research and scholarly activity. The question of what makes the nominee’s contributions stand out should be answered. And, just as important, the letter should indicate the interest that a lecture by the nominee would raise on the campus and in the local community.

The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. Nominations must be submitted electronically to Bryan Rodman at bdrodman@ucdavis.edu. A subject line that reads as follows would be appreciated.

FRL 2012 Nomination: (name of nominator) nominates (name of nominee)

The recipient of the 2012 Faculty Research Lecture Award will be honored at a combined Academic Senate and Academic Federation awards reception the evening of Wednesday, May 2, 2012.

Questions? Send them by e-mail to Rodman at the Academic Senate office.

This call is also available online.

Sincerely,

Randy A. Dahlgren
Chair
Faculty Research Lecture Committee

•••

Oct. 14, 2011: Nomination of candidates for the 2011-12 Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award
From the Committee on Public Service, Academic Senate

The Davis Division of the Academic Senate invites nominations of candidates for the2011-12 Award for Distinguished Scholarly Public Service. Up to four awards are made annually. All tenured members of the Academic Senate (including professors in residence and professors of clinical (specialty) at the level of associate professor or higher, and lecturers with security of employment), provided they have not previously won the award, are eligible for nomination by other members of the Academic Senate.

Description: The award, which includes an honorarium, is presented by the Davis Division of the Academic Senate in recognition of significant contributions to the world, nation, state and-or local community through distinguished public service. The Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award is based on our confidence in the university's tradition of excellence and demonstrates the commitment of the Davis campus to public service.

Definition: Scholarly public service is an organized activity that extends a faculty member's expertise in teaching, research or professional competence beyond the university campus into local, statewide, national or international public arenas. For purposes of this award, distinguished scholarly public service is the unpaid, focused and sustained direct extension of a faculty member's disciplinary or technical expertise to the public and nonprofit sector. Service resulting in significant monetary gain (private consulting) is not considered public service for this purpose, nor is service performed as a private citizen (membership in local service clubs) or as an elected public official (city council). The candidate's public service while employed elsewhere will be considered, but the extent of public service while a faculty member at UC Davis will be the primary factor in the evaluation. Typically, public service comprises activities such as these:

Testifying before international, federal, state or local legislative, executive or judicial hearings, meetings, boards or commissions.
Consultations, advice and recommendations to government boards, commissions or agencies.
Membership on boards, commissions or special committees of international, federal, state or local bodies.
Research for or collaboration with public agencies, boards, commissions, task forces or committees.
Service to community groups, nonprofit organizations and the general public in meetings, workshops and conferences, including presentations to these, or through the media.
Development and dissemination of information of state, national and-or international importance through the production of nonprofit documentary videos or film.

The departmental management service officer-administrative assistant or chairperson can usually supply information related to a candidate's public service record.

Nominations: Nominations should be in the form of a letter (not to exceed two single-spaced, typewritten pages) providing a comprehensive summary of the qualities and accomplishments that would warrant the candidate to be considered for the award. The letter should focus on the scope and impact of the public service efforts and should detail the special characteristics that extend the nominee's expertise and sets him-her apart from other faculty, such as his-her philosophy, objectives or impact. If service did result in gain, please describe. The committee considers nominations with long-term as well as short-term distinguished scholarly public service. The nominator should insure that documentary evidence is available; however, supporting material should not be attached to the nomination.

Finalists: The Academic Senate Committee on Public Service will review the nominations and select finalist candidates for further consideration. If selected as a finalist, the committee will request a more complete dossier to be submitted electronically by Friday, Jan. 13, 2012.

Recipient(s): The recipient(s) of the 2012 Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award will be honored at a combined Academic Senate and Academic Federation awards reception the evening of Wednesday, May 2, 2012.

Deadline: All nomination letters must be received electronically by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011. Nominations should be addressed to the Committee on Public Service, Academic Senate Office, and sent electronically to Bryan Rodman at bdrodman@ucdavis.edu. The subject line should read as follows:

DSPSA 2012 Nomination: (name of nominator) nominates (name of nominee].

Questions? Send them by e-mail to Rodman at the Academic Senate office.

This call is also available online.

Sincerely,

Marc Schenker
Chair
Committee on Public Service, Academic Senate

•••

Oct. 14, 2011: Call for nominations for Distinguished Emeritus/a Award
From the Emeriti Association

Dear Colleagues,

Please consider nominating an outstanding emeritus/a for the 2011-12 UC Davis Distinguished Emeritus/a Award. This annual award honors outstanding scholarly work or service (e.g., service in professional, university, Academic Senate, emeriti/ae, departmental, or editorial posts or committees) performed by a UC Davis emeritus or emerita since retirement. The award is given by the UC Davis Emeriti Association (UCDEA), and candidates are reviewed by the UCDEA Awards and Recognition Committee. Deans, department chairs, the provost and UCDEA members may nominate individuals for the award. The 2011-12 award will be announced in January 2012. The award will include recognition at the Chancellor’s Emeriti Luncheon, a memento and monetary recognition.

Nominations should include a letter outlining the candidate's distinctive scholarly work and/or educational service since retirement and a copy of the nominee’s curriculum vitae. Nominations must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18. Please submit materials electronically to Marjorie Ahl at the Retiree Center (mahl@ucdavis.edu) for forwarding to the UCDEA Awards and Recognition Committee.

The Awards and Recognition Committee will select one or more of the nominated individuals as finalist(s) and present the finalist(s) for review and endorsement by the full Emeriti Association executive board.

More information is available online.

Sincerely,

Al Harrison
Chair
Awards and Recognition Committee

Bill Rains
President
Emeriti Association

•••

Oct. 6, 2011: Call for nominations for Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity and Community
From the chancellor’s and provost’s office, and Rahim Reed, the Office of Campus Community Relations

To deans, directors, department chairs, and administrative officers:

Nominations are being requested to help identify individuals deserving special recognition through a campuswide award program. The Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity and Community were established to honor achievements that contribute in substantial ways to the development and well being of our diverse and evolving community. UC Davis faculty, staff, students and local community members are eligible for an award in any of the following categories:

Exemplary service that embodies the Principles of Community through outstanding leadership in areas of social and-or cultural understanding, local or regional community involvement, and-or collaborations leading to increased knowledge or expertise in areas of special interest to the campus.
Outstanding efforts toward achieving and-or advancing a diverse and principled academic community, including exemplary service in the areas of student, staff, and faculty recruitment and development.
Exemplary scholarship having a major impact on community and diversity.
Exemplary contributions to the success of campus-based outreach efforts.
Exemplary service to the campus and/or community through active leadership, involvement in precollege partnership initiatives, etc.

Selection factors will include, but not be limited to relative impact of each nominee's contribution to diversity and community for the campus and-or community as a whole; relative merit of contribution to a critical area of diversity and-or community; length-duration of contribution; and potential of award to model exemplary service for others (for example, increasing the pool of diverse applicants among student, staff, and faculty ranks; increasing understanding of the role of diversity in education; service and commitment toward building campus-local community relationships; or introducing diversity and community-related curricula in subject areas where such material is not normally featured).

Six awards are available, one to a member of each of the following constituencies: Academic Senate, Academic Federation, staff, graduate students, undergraduate students and members of the local community.

The award process will consist of a nomination component, a selection component, and a special awards reception at the Chancellor's Residence will take place in winter quarter. A monetary prize will accompany receipt of the award.

The nomination form, coupled with this announcement, is available online (click on “Nominations for the 2011-2012 Chancellor's Achievement Awards For Diversity And Community” under Quick Links).

Completed nomination forms and any optional supporting documents should be submitted to Vickie Gomez, Program Coordinator, Office of Campus Community Relations, 412 Mrak Hall, no later than Nov. 7.

•••

Sept. 23, 2011: Updated policies for graduate student academic appointments
From the Office of Graduate Studies

The Office of Graduate Studies has announced changes to policies in order to streamline and clarify the graduate student academic appointment process. These changes provide hiring departments with a clear set of guidelines for student appointments while also providing blanket exceptions to some eligibility requirements, thereby minimizing the number of appointments requiring submission of a Petition for Exception to Policy (PEP) to Graduate Studies. The revised policies and blanket exceptions also give programs greater flexibility with regard to academic appointments. At the same time, no additional exceptions will be granted in most of the situations identified in these policies. These changes will be reflected in UC Davis APM 410 Appendix II-B in the near future.

Summary of Policy Changes and Blanket Exceptions to Policy

The following policies and exceptions refer to the regular academic year and do not apply to summer appointments:

1. Policy change — The 9/12 quarter rule limiting quarters of appointment prior to advancing to candidacy is eliminated.

2. Previous policy change — Appointments for students on Filing Fee are limited to one quarter; no appointments are permitted while on Planned Educational Leave Program (PELP) status.

3. Blanket exception — The 15-quarter limit on appointments is retained, but a blanket exception up to 18 quarters for teaching titles (per UC policy limits) and 21 quarters for research titles is granted to programs; no extensions are permitted thereafter.

4. Blanket exception — Academic appointments may be for up to 75 percent time during academic quarters, although international students require approval from Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) for appointments greater than 50 percent time. No exceptions will be granted for appointments (single or in combination) greater than 75 percent time.

The following policies and exceptions refer to the regular academic year and to summer appointments:

5. Policy change — Appointment of an Associate In_ for an upper division course continues to require Committee on Courses of Instruction approval but no longer requires approval by Graduate Studies.

6. Policy change — Appointment of an undergraduate student or a nonstudent as a teaching assistant continues to require Committee on Courses of Instruction approval but no longer requires approval by Graduate Studies.

7. Policy change — Appointment of a student from a professional degree program to a teaching or research title outside his-her program requires approval by Graduate Studies.

8. Policy change — Students enrolled in self-supporting master’s programs may be appointed in a graduate teaching or research title that is funded by extramural or self-supporting degree program funds. Appointment of a student from a self-supporting degree program to a teaching title in a state-funded program requires approval by Graduate Studies.

The complete policy with additional details on the above points and other information is available online.

It replaces previous policies described in Directives 90-153 and 92-122 as well as the memo of Sept. 25, 1992, from Executive Associate Dean Curry, clarifying the latter directive.

The revised Petition for Exception to Policy form is available here.

•••

Sept. 12, 2011: Request for Seed Grant proposals
From William B. Lacy, vice provost, University Outreach and International Programs

To deans, directors, department chairs and administrative officers (Davis campus only):

The Seed Grants for Outreach and International Activities Program began in 2001 to give life to bold new ideas in outreach and international programs. So far we have awarded more than $1 million to 118 diverse programs across the UC Davis campus.

University Outreach and International Programs requests proposals that will foster new programs and initiatives related to:

International research, educational, and academic outreach activities and programs
Continuing, distance and lifelong learning, and academic engagement with the broader society

UC Davis faculty members are eligible to apply. Funding amounts will range from $5,000 to $15,000 per proposal. Proposals are due Monday, Oct. 17.

Further information regarding the 2011 proposal requirements and frequently asked questions can be found online.

Please share this opportunity with appropriate faculty. For further queries concerning the request for seed grant proposals, contact:

Jennie Konsella-Norene
International funding analyst
(530) 754-9403
jknorene@ucdavis.edu

Linxia Liang
Director
Asian Alumni, International Programs and Development
(530) 754-8945
lxliang@ucdavis.edu

•••

July 13, 2011: Reminder on increased contribution rates for the UC Retirement Plan
From the UC Office of the President

Colleagues,

This is a reminder that you may see a change in your next paycheck as both you and UC start contributing more to the UC Retirement Plan.

The higher contribution rates start with July earnings and will be reflected in paychecks issued between July 20 and Aug. 8, depending on whether you are paid biweekly, monthly or on a different cycle.

Contributions for most faculty and staff increased 1.5 percentage points, going from roughly 2 percent of pay through June 30 to 3.5 percent of pay starting with July earnings. UC also increased its contribution, from 4 percent to 7 percent.

In July 2012, employee contributions will rise to 5 percent and UC will contribute 10 percent.

Every year, the plan incurs costs that are equivalent to about 17 percent of annual pay.

The increased contributions are part of UC’s strategy to ensure the long-term viability of the plan and to address a $14 billion unfunded liability.

The UC Board of Regents approved the contribution increases in September 2010 as part of a larger effort to put UC’s retirement benefits on financially sustainable footing.

The increased contribution rates apply to active members of the retirement plan, and are subject to collective bargaining for unionized employees.

Learn more about UCRP contributions, retiree health benefits and future changes to the UCRP for new employees (hired July 1, 2013, or later), on the Future of UC Retirement Benefits website.

Black Family Week comes early

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

2011-12 SCHEDULE

Native American Cultural Days
November
Black Family Week
Sunday-Friday, Feb. 12-17
Powwow
Saturday, April 7
Danzantes del Alma Annual Show
Saturday, April 14
Asian Pacific Culture Week
Monday-Friday, April 23-27
Asian Pacific Culture Night
Friday, April 27
La Raza Cultural Week
Monday-Friday, April 30-May 4
La Gran Tardeada
Saturday, May 5
Mixed Heritage Week
Monday-Friday, May 7-11
Black Family Day
Saturday, May 19

If you thought Native American Culture Days came early this academic year, you’re right. Black Family Week is coming early, too — next week, in fact.

These celebrations and others previously took place in April and May each year. The Cross Cultural Center, which sponsors the celebrations, adjusted the 2011-12 calendar, in part, because "having 10 significant weeklong events in one quarter was not a very sustainable practice for a department as small as ours,” said Andrea Gaytan, the center’s assistant director.

She said the center’s staff can more effectively support the students who run the celebrations — if they are spread throughout the year.

In addition, holding Native American Culture Days in November fit in with November’s status as Native American Cultural Month.

Similarly, Black Family Week is taking place in Black History Month. This year’s celebration, with the theme Resilience: Supporting One Another to Exceed Expectations, is scheduled from Sunday through Friday, Feb. 12 to 17. (Black Family Day will continue to be held in May.)

With Native American Cultural Days as the only cultural celebration in November and Black Family Week as the only one in February, the organizers and their collaborators can spread out their events, “instead of cramming everything into one week,” Gaytan said.

For example, a Black History Month Book Display is running through Feb. 29 at the Women’s Resources and Research Center, and Black History Month Trivia is scheduled every Thursday night in February.

Other activities outside of Black Family Week include films and book events, discussions and presentations. (One of those films, Domino: Interracial People and the Search for Identity, is being presented tonight; see details below.)

Gaytan also pointed out that, with the opening of the new Student Community Center, home of the Cross Cultural Center, students have access to more space for cultural programs — as evidenced by the schedules below.

Black Family Week
Resilience: Supporting One Another to Exceed Expectations

• Gospel Extravaganza — A dinner event, with African and African American art and performances. 5-8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, Activities and Recreation Center Ballroom.

• Black Cultural Show — A showcase displaying various experiences of the African Disapora community. 7-9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, multipurpose room (second floor) Student Community Center.

• Black Graduate Students Poster Research Presentation — Noon-2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, Meeting Room D (second floor), Student Community Center.

• “HERstory” of Feminism and Race — Workshop: the racialized “HERstory” of feminism. 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, Meeting Room D (second floor), Student Community Center.

• Soul Speaks — Sounds and poetry that stir the soul. 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, multipurpose room (second floor) Student Community Center.

• Interracial Relationships — Workshop and panel: cross-cultural dialogue and discussion. 5-7 p.m., Meeting Room E (second floor), Student Community Center.

• Civil Rights: Bridging the Gap — Hear from an original member of the Black Panther Party and learn about his experiences in the civil rights movement. 6-8 p.m., DeCarli Room (second floor), Memorial Union.

Black History Month

• Black History Month Book Display — Through Feb. 29, Joy Fergoda Library, Women’s Resources and Research Center, South Hall.

• Black History Month Trivia — 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 16 and 23, Silo (upstairs).

• Domino: Interracial People and the Search for Identity — Film screening and community discussion, exploring such issues as the cultural isolation and the search for community. 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, 1130 Hart Hall.

• ACE Housing Day — Sponsored by the African Diaspora Cultivating Education (ACE). Wednesday, Feb. 15, starting at 10 a.m., Silo.

• Legacy — A documentary film about a family's finding the strength and courage to transform their lives. 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, Meeting Room D (second floor), Student Community Center.

• Joan Myers Brown & the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina — Book reading with the author, Brenda Dixon Gottschild, professor emerita of dance studies, Temple University; and Halifu Osumare, associate professor, African and African American studies, UC Davis. 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, 3201 Hart Hall.

• Being Black Abroad — 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, Meeting Room D (second floor), Student Community Center.

• Beauty and Professionalism: Empowering Women of Color — 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, 2 Wellman Hall.

• Imperial Japanese Antiracism and Philo-Semitism — Presention by Ben Karp, doctoral candidate in the departments of African American studies and history, Yale University. 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, Meeting Room D (second floor), Student Community Center.

• My Culture Is Not a Comedy: A Picture Campaign — 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, Griffin Lounge, MU.

• Walk-Thru — Annual history exhibition by the residents of Student Housing's African American- and African-themed residence hall floor. 7-9 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, Feb. 28-29, second floor, Campbell Hall, Tercero.

• Black Fathers and Family Symposium — Panel discussion and book signing with four of the contributors to the book Black Fathers: An Invisible Presence in America. The participants: editors Michael E. Connor and Joseph L. White; author Bedford Palmer, coordinator of services to students of African descent, Student Health and Counseling Services, UC Davis; and author Valata Jenkins-Monroe, Alliant International University. 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29, Meeting Room D (second floor), Student Community Center.

Yudof comments on Middle Class Scholarship proposal

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

UC President Mark G. Yudof made the following statement today (Feb. 8) after Assembly Speaker John Perez announced his Middle Class Scholarship Program proposal:

“Like Assembly Speaker Perez, we are deeply concerned about ensuring affordability for middle-class students who don’t qualify for financial aid.

"That said, the University of California has made it a priority to make a high-quality education accessible to a wide range of students from families with low or moderate income. Roughly half of UC students pay no tuition because of robust financial aid reinforced by an ongoing institutional commitment.

"As we work with the governor and legislators on fiscal and policy issues that would affect the affordability of a UC education, we welcome constructive efforts such as the speaker’s proposal to provide middle-class tuition relief.”

THE OUTDOORS: Walk With Warren on Wednesday

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Walk With Warren — With Warren Roberts, arboretum superintendent emeritus. Noon Wednesday, Feb. 8, gazebo.

Folk Music Jam Session — Pull out your fiddles, guitars, mandolins, penny whistles, pipes, flutes, squeezeboxes — you name it! — and join your fellow musicians during the lunch hour for a little bluegrass, old-time, blues, Celtic, klezmer and other world music. All skill levels welcome. Listeners, too! Noon-1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, Wyatt Deck.

Guided Tour: Nature’s Gallery Court — Check out this project — construction still in progress — that will be the home of the Nature's Gallery mosaic mural, made at UC Davis in 2007 and which debuted in a summerlong exhibition that year at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. Now the mural is getting a permanent home in the arboretum. 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, Arboretum Teaching Nursery.

Workshop: Native Californian Elderberry Flute-Making — In this free, two-hour program led by Antonio Flores, East Bay Regional Parks docent, you will learn how to make a Native Californian elderberry flute. Flores also will talk about the culture of flute making and teach people how to play their flutes. All materials will be supplied; please bring sharpened pocketknives. All ages are invited; adults must supervise their young children. 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, 146 Environmental Horticulture.

All programs are free and open to the public. More information: (530) 752-4880 or arboretum.ucdavis.edu (for directions, click on “Plan Your Visit”).

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Tuskegee airman to speak on campus next week

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

You can see actors playing Tuskegee airmen in the new movie Red Tails, or you can see and hear the real thing on campus next week, when George W. Porter pays a visit to Associate Professor Halifu Osumare’s African American and African Studies 100.

The 90-year-old Porter is scheduled to visit on Tuesday (Feb. 7). Osumare said members of the campus community are welcome to sit in, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Student Community Center.

The Cross Cultural Center, located in the new community center, is co-sponsoring Porter’s visit, which comes during Black History Month.

Town hall here Feb. 10 on systemwide police policies and procedures

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

The UC Office of the President is inviting students, staff and faculty at UC Davis to a town hall on campus next Friday, Feb. 10, to share their opinions and experiences related to existing policies and identify best practices in connection with protests at all 10 UC campuses.

The town hall is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Conference Center Ballroom, adjacent to the Vanderhoef Quad at the campus’s south entry.

Last November, President Mark G. Yudof appointed UC General Counsel Charles Robinson and UC Berkeley School of Law Dean Christopher Edley Jr. to lead a systemwide examination of police protocols and policies as they apply to protests at all UC campuses.

As part of their effort, Robinson and Edley are on a listening tour. They hosted their first town hall Jan. 31 at UC Berkeley. Following the Feb. 10 event here, the final town hall is scheduled for Feb. 28 at UC Irvine.

The comments that Robinson, Edley and their review team gather at the town hall meetings will help inform a broad examination of the best practices that universities across the country have implemented to balance campus safety and security with the rights to assemble, demonstrate and engage in civil disobedience.

Safety Spotlight: February edition focuses on tools, electrical safety

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Though we’re not always conscious of it, every day on campus presents with hundreds of opportunities to minimize — or ignore — our exposure to danger.

Researchers, students and support staff work with potentially hazardous chemicals, animals, biological materials, equipment and power tools. But no one is exempt from day-to-day risks that can affect anyone, such as improper lifting and reaching, overloading a power strip, or not washing hands before eating.

To help people throughout the campus understand risks and learn how to avoid them, Safety Services created a monthly online publication, Safety Spotlight, which debuted in October 2009.

“Our goal was and is a simple one: help keep people safe and healthy while safeguarding University resources,” Associate Vice Chancellor Jill Blackwelder Parker said.

Safety Spotlight features different safety and health topics every month, with input from subject matter experts in all parts of the UC system. With lively graphics and original articles, it presents information and links that are directly helpful for readers in all areas of campus operations.

“Managing your personal risk is not always front and center during a busy workday. But it’s something that can be learned and practiced,” Parker said. “The newsletter is designed to provide simple reminders about familiar safety procedures and to expand knowledge of other safety measures. We encourage readers to share it with their family, since accidents actually happen more often at home than on the job.”

UC Davis leadership in safety communications

Soon after the launch of Safety Spotlight, other UC campuses began linking to it or borrowing content for their own safety programs. Recognizing Safety Spotlight’s growing appeal, UC's Environment, Health and Safety Leadership Council decided to make Safety Spotlight available systemwide — to the 10 campuses and the medical centers — beginning in June 2011.

Now, Friday Update will provide a link to each month's Safety Spotlight.

“We’re pleased that our newsletter is now building safety awareness across all UC facilities,” Parker said. “Through this new collaboration, we are practicing the ‘Power of Ten’ concept by sharing a valuable resource at minimal cost.”

February's Safety Spotlight is available here (click on the image of the front page).