UC DAVIS: OFFICE OF THE PROVOST
January 4, 2008
Provost's Update, January 2008
This is a copy of the text (with hyperlinks) of the Provost’s Winter update that was emailed to campus faculty and staff on January 4, 2008
Dear Colleagues:
As we begin the last half of the 2007-08 academic year, I’d like to review some highlights of our efforts toward achieving the goals outlined in the campus Strategic Plan and some challenges that lie ahead (a detailed retrospective on our Strategic Plan progress in 2006-07 is posted at http://strategicplan.ucdavis.edu/progress_reports/2007reports.html). In the update below, I have focused on several events of the recent past – ones that will continue to be in the forefront of our campus discussions as we move forward this academic year. These include:
- The state’s budget challenges and how UC is preparing to respond to a possible budget shortfall
- The campus’s extramural and philanthropic support
- Our approach to long-range enrollment and academic planning
- What we can do together and individually to reduce our energy consumption and create a more sustainable campus
- Our work/life programs for faculty, staff and students
- New teaching programs
- Research projects and individual achievements in the recent news.
UC BUDGET, 2008-09
The 2007-08 budget brought good news for staff and academic salaries and for a number of academic programs. However, the possibility of a looming $14 billion, two-year state budget deficit raises significant concerns about next year’s UC budget. The Governor will submit his proposed budget to the Legislature on January 10. Although this only begins the long process that ultimately results in the state budget (and much can change along the way), the University has begun to consider responses to a budget shortfall:
- Chancellor Vanderhoef is participating on a UC Budget Task Force just formed by Provost Rory Hume to identify options for dealing with the state budget reality while maintaining UC quality.
- The Regents will review the Governor’s Budget and UC’s financial circumstance at their January 15-17 meeting.
- Following the Regents’ meeting, the Chancellor and I will be engaging campus leaders in discussion about the campus budget for 2008-09 and will keep the campus community informed as we consider our next steps.
Budget news (State and UC) is routinely updated at http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/special_reports/budget/.
DISCOVERY
On a more positive note, extramural support for UC Davis research programs continued strong in 2006-07, with federal and state contracts and grants exceeding half a billion dollars for the third consecutive year.
Private support for UC Davis also grew. The campus raised $101.2 million in gifts, pledges, and private grants from more than 44,000 donors during 2006-07, a nearly 25 percent jump in private support compared to the $81.5 million received in 2005-06. Examples of major gifts thus far in 2007-08 include support for Viticulture and Enology from the Louise Rossi estate, the new Graduate School of Management from Maurice and Marcia Gallagher, the Department of Art from the estate of Freemond E. Gadberry, the large synoptic survey telescope from the Keck Foundation, and research on computer-controlled machine tools from the Mori Seiki Co. The $101 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for a new School of Nursing will also be recorded in 2007-08.
Large or small, the philanthropic support that the campus receives from alumni, parents, students, organizations, and other friends reflects personal affection and professional esteem for UC Davis. It is a key element in advancing our mission as a world-class land grant research university.
ENROLLMENT AND ACADEMIC PLANNING
In response to a request from the Office of the President for enrollment plans to 2021, we prepared, in consultation with the Academic Senate, a long-range campus enrollment plan that provides for flexibility and fine-tuning in future years. The plan includes:
- Greater growth in graduate than in undergraduate enrollments.
- Growth in health sciences enrollment, including growth for the Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, a new School of Nursing, and a new School of Public Health.
- Increased emphasis on transfer students. A newly formed Transfer Task Force (composed of representatives from the Academic Senate, deans’ offices, Student Affairs, and the student body) will focus on recruitment and retention of well-prepared transfer students.
In November, I asked the deans to begin working with their departments toward development of a new academic plan for the campus. My November 8 letter to them summarized the reasons for us to begin this process this academic year. The planning period is for 2009-2014, and we are timing our process so that the new Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor and the deans currently under recruitment will have an opportunity to provide their input. After full consultation with academic departments, deans, and the Academic Senate, we anticipate having a new campus academic plan in place by the end of winter quarter 2009.
SUSTAINABLE WORLD, SUSTAINABLE CAMPUS, SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
We have a long tradition of taking our impact on the environment seriously and adjusting our campus operations and individual workplace behavior to create sustainable relationships with the world around us. These efforts have taken on more focus recently as the international community contemplates global warming. Additionally, the dramatic increase in our campus utility bill over the past several years emphasizes the local value of campus efforts to conserve and recycle—every dollar we save on utility costs is a dollar that can be redirected to addressing budget challenges in other critical programs.
What Are We Doing Together? The campus has been working hard on sustainability in its every day operations, and I encourage you to check out the details on the campus sustainability web site. Some highlights include:
- Focus the Nation. Sustainability is at the heart of “Focus the Nation: Global Warming Solutions for America,” a nationwide educational initiative on January 31, 2008. Focus the Nation at UC Davis will examine personal and societal responses that offer commitment, leadership, and solutions to the challenges posed by climate change. Students, faculty, staff, and members of the community will gather to learn, ask questions, and challenge assumptions about climate change solutions. Events are scheduled at the ARC, Freeborn Hall and other campus venues.
- Energy-efficient Design. Campus buildings are being designed to reduce energy consumption. Examples of such buildings that meet or exceed industry standards for energy efficiency and sustainability include: Tahoe Regional Center for the Environment; Gladys Valley Hall (Veterinary Medicine classroom building); Robert Mondavi Institute (completion date in 2008); Gallagher Hall (new home of the Graduate School of Management); a new 600-bed residence hall; and a renovation project for the Oxford Circle Dining Commons. The latter three projects are scheduled for completion dates in 2009/10.
- Recycling. Dining Services is diverting approximately 93 percent of dining waste from the landfill through its post-consumer compost and recycling programs, and Aggie Stadium is the first sports complex in the nation to take a leadership role in sustainable practices by adopting a zero waste policy. To further raise awareness of the importance of recycling, students in Professor Ann Savageau’s Design 127 course designed posters for four campus buildings identified by recent waste audits conducted by the campus R4 Recycling Program. These posters now adorn walls of those buildings, and additional projects are being planned.
- Research—Spotlight on “Energy for the Future. ”This research initiative continues to provide a focal point for UC faculty and researchers to provide leadership for a more sustainable future — see http://www.ucdavis.edu/spotlight/1107/energy.html for more information about its activities.
What Can We Do As Individuals? If everyone on campus reduced their energy consumption by just a few nickels a day, we could cut our purchased utilities bill by $2-3 million, and these savings could be redirected to core campus programs and needs. What does it take? A few simple actions include:
- Flip the switch. Turn off lights and electronic equipment when not needed or not in use; shut down or place your computer on standby when you leave for the day.
- Unplug it. If equipment will not be used for an extended period of time, unplug it if possible. Many electronic devices use electricity even when the power switch is off.
- Adjust thermostats (where possible); use curtains and window shades to minimize energy use in heating and cooling.
- In labs, close fume hoods when they are not in use.
- Take reusable containers to campus food establishments when purchasing your next cup of coffee.
- Help achieve the campus goal of 50 percent waste reduction by June 30, 2008. The UC Davis policy on Waste Prevention and Recycling (Policy and Procedure Manual Section 350-05) provides guidelines for getting it done. For example, departments can:
- Purchase energy star equipment, when possible.
- Use forms that can be distributed and completed online.
- Set all copiers to default to dual-sided printing.
- Use paper with recycled content (at least 30 percent recycled content is recommended).
- Electronically publish course materials and departmental communications.
- Recycle—develop a departmental system of collecting recyclables, provide recycling receptacles in departmental public areas.
In essence, treat your workplace as if you were paying the utility bill.
WORK/LIFE PROGRAMS
UC Davis has several long-standing work/life programs for faculty, staff, and students. These include resources for child care and elder care (construction of a new campus child care center was recently completed—look for coming information about its opening), Staff Development and Professional Services, flexible work hour policies, health and wellness resources, and lunch hour brown bag sessions that cover topics of current interest.
Last year, UC Davis and UC Berkeley received a Faculty Career Flexibility Award from the Sloan Foundation. We are using the award to pursue a comprehensive educational campaign, including classes, workshops, and the establishment of a faculty advisor program. The latter, which was initiated at the beginning of fall quarter, enables faculty interested in our work/life programs to obtain information or advice from faculty peers, many of whom have used the programs. Faculty advisors are available in almost every school and college.
LEARNING AND DISCOVERY
Fall 2007 saw students enrolling for the first time in the new Agricultural & Environmental Science Education major (a collaborative effort of the School of Education and the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences), a teaching credential program in Spanish as a foreign language (School of Education), and an MA program for practicing teachers (School of Education). Additionally, the School of Medicine is recruiting prospective students committed to practicing in rural, underserved areas. These students will be trained to utilize telemedicine to connect with specialists at locations such as UC Davis Medical Center. Campus faculty have also been funded by NSF for an Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program to train graduate students in areas where plant sciences, biotechnology and engineering overlap.
Examples of UC Davis research projects in the recent news include stem cells as potential treatment for leukemia; transcription, coding, and indexing Native American languages from California and neighboring states; development of effective interventions that reduce or eliminate the debilitating effects of fragile-X related disorders; development of efficient photoactive materials for solar cells; use of nanoparticles to detect biotoxins in food; effects of environmental and genetic factors on child health; and the driver of the Industrial Revolution.
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENTS
It is a reflection of the strength of this campus that we hear so frequently of individual members of our community being honored for outstanding research, teaching, or service, including this year, a piece of the Nobel Peace Prize. Members of the campus community can stay informed about honors, awards, and recognitions by tapping into our News Service website; by using the RSS system to select information of particular interest; by subscribing to The Buzz and to UC Davis in the News; and by reading Dateline and The California Aggie.
These recognitions notwithstanding, one need only look at what our faculty and staff contribute on a daily basis to appreciate the impact that they are having on our students, our community, and beyond.
Barbara A. Horwitz
Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor