UC DAVIS: OFFICE OF THE PROVOST
June 22, 2006
Provost's Update, Summer 2007
Dear Colleagues:
I will be bidding a fond farewell to UC Davis shortly to serve as chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I want to provide one last update and also to thank all of you for the opportunity to serve as provost and executive vice chancellor here. I have had the privilege of seeing the many impressive contributions of our faculty, staff and students each and every day since I arrived in 2001. UC Davis has so many attributes but right at the top of my list is our partnering ability, both internally and externally, - that approach is truly how we address the needs of society and provide new advances for the public good - UC Davis does that so very well. I thank you for those contributions, both as a university colleague and as a citizen, and I have truly enjoyed working in an excellent, diverse and supportive campus community. I also thank our many friends who support this university because they recognize, respect and highly value the contributions our campus makes. This university will always have a very special place in my heart and mind, so I plan to stay connected and enjoy having UH Manoa as a partnering university with UC Davis. Thank you/mahalo - and I look forward to our paths crossing on many occasions - UC Davis is great! Aloha nui loa - Virginia
OUR CENTENNIAL
Excitement is building for the celebration of the UC Davis Centennial, planned to begin in the fall of 2008. The academic year 2008-09 commemorates 100 years since UC students first began attending classes in Davis. The Centennial is an opportunity to shine a light on the remarkable accomplishments of UC Davis, to celebrate the diversity of our programs and people, and to point the way towards our bright future. Hold the dates for the Centennial Fall Festival, from October 9-12, 2008. There is much to celebrate!
LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT
There are many exciting examples of UC Davis' novel approaches to learning being featured on and beyond the campus; a great example is the Art-Science Fusion project led by Diane Ullman and Donna Billick (http://www.dateline.ucdavis.edu/dl_detail.lasso?id=9587) and producing a beautiful ceramic display currently on view at the Botanic Gardens in Washington, D.C. - a creation of many members of our campus and our community. Also, keep an eye on the GATEWAYS project (http://www.dateline.ucdavis.edu/dl_detail.lasso?id=9441) and (http://www.dateline.ucdavis.edu/dl_detail.lasso?id=9534) (the Gardens, Arts and the Environment) which will provide a "welcome mat" for the broader community through the Arboretum so many people will experience UC Davis as their university.
OPERATING BUDGET
The past six years have been marked by many important investments, but we have also faced major financial challenges as a result of the state budget crisis and rising costs for utilities and construction. Looking ahead, I am hopeful, because the University continues to receive strong support from the State. For 2007-08, the Compact with the Governor provides funding for faculty and staff salary and benefit cost increases and enrollment growth. The budget also includes targeted allocations for graduate student support and student mental health that will benefit the campus. We are also hopeful that funding for our academic preparation programs will be restored.
The campus, however, continues to face a significant budget challenge related to rising utility costs. Resolution requires each of us to focus on conservation and the campus budget plan will include substantial base augmentations for utilities which will unfortunately limit flexibility to fund other important needs.
Budget information is routinely updated on the web at the following: (1) Budget News at http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/special_reports/budget/; and (2) ORMP at http:/www.ormp.ucdavis.edu.
CAPITAL BUDGET
The campus has in recent years made many key investments in facilities and infrastructure systems to support enrollment growth, sustain and expand research activity, and enhance our mission of public service to our shared community. Examples of such facilities include Geidt Hall, the Mathematical Sciences Building, the Genome and Biomedical Engineering Building, Veterinary Medicine 3A, the refurbished Technocultural Studies Building, the Athletics and Recreation Center and Multi-use Stadium. We are expanding the capacity of our wastewater treatment facilities, upgrading electrical capacity and distribution systems, and improving the energy efficiency of our steam and chilled water systems.
I am also excited that the Robert Mondavi Institute is appearing before our eyes and that the Regents recently approved our proposal to build a new Graduate School of Management and conference center. These important new facilities in the south campus will further our goal of creating a unique identity and regional "connector" to our campus.
Looking ahead, our aspirations for new construction will be tempered by the need to focus on building and infrastructure renewal. The campus has many aging buildings and systems that require substantial investment to maintain their usefulness to our mission. The campus is considering a variety of strategies to effectively manage building renovations and wisely deploy scarce capital resources.
Up-to-date information on capital projects is available at http://www.ae.ucdavis.edu/Projweb/ProjectStatus.nsf/MasterProject?OpenView.
UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT FOR FALL 2007
The data indicate that UC Davis freshmen and transfer enrollment numbers for Fall 2007 (http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8203) will come very close to the planning targets we established in consultation with the campus schools/colleges. Based on statements of intent to register (SIRs), we expect to see approximately 4,900 new freshmen next fall. By design, this is a smaller number than last fall's total of 5,500 new freshmen which was an historic high number and not sustainable in the long-term. In addition, the size of next fall's admitted transfer class is very similar to last year's, and we anticipate that we will register about 1,800 new transfer students. I am pleased to say that we have made gains in SIRs from underrepresented freshmen. SIRs from underrepresented students stand at 18.6 percent of total domestic freshmen, compared to 17.5 percent last year. Many thanks to folks in various campus offices whose coordinated, sustained efforts to contact freshmen admits have made this outcome possible! Total enrollment for fall 2007 is projected to be 30,360 which is almost identical to total campus enrollment last year and fall 2003. Information about student enrollment at UC Davis is available from Campus Facts at http://facts.ucdavis.edu/student_population_headcount_fall.lasso.
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
During the past several years, the research activity across the campus has grown and matured to a level that firmly establishes UC Davis in the top 15 to 20 research universities in the country (http://facts.ucdavis.edu/research_awards_by_source.lasso). During 2005-06, research awards increased by seven percent to $544M, an all-time high for the campus and representing significant growth from $298M in 2000-01 - our campus researchers have truly excelled. The UC Davis reputation for quality research and expertise is impressive and has generated many recent awards, such as California's Energy Efficiency Center, the Chevron research agreement, the NIH Clinical Translational Science Award, large federal and state contracts for research on food safety, and many more. All of us do share the concern that the federal research budget will continue to decline, so there may well be a leveling off of awards for universities, including our own. I would keep in mind though that UC Davis is highly competitive and I am confident this campus will continue being among the very top generators of research support and new advances.
Virginia S. Hinshaw
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
University of California, Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616-8558
530/752-4964; Fax 530/752-2400
vshinshaw@ucdavis.edu