UC DAVIS: OFFICE OF THE PROVOST
October 21, 2004
Provost's Update, Fall Quarter
Here is a brief update highlighting some examples of the many campus activities and advances. A phrase we are hearing a lot with regard to UC Davis is "On the rise" - people do increasingly recognize the great contributions UC Davis makes to the region, state, nation and the world. Thank you!
STRATEGIC PLAN: 12-Month Progress Reports
It has been a full 12 months since the UC Davis Strategic Plan began serving as a guiding document for planning, actions, and decisions throughout the campus. A critically important part of the Plan involves assessing progress on a regular and ongoing basis. Please review the 12-month progress reports on each of the Plan's 14 strategies at http://strategicplan.ucdavis.edu/progress_reports/2004reports.html. We would also very much appreciate your feedback on the proposed plans-you can share your thoughts by email to strategicplan@ucdavis.edu.
FRAMEWORK FOR SUCCESS
BUDGET UPDATE. The Governor's "compact" with the University of California is scheduled to bring some improvements to our fiscal outlook beginning next fiscal year. For this reason, preliminary planning is underway for the development of next year's budget that becomes effective July 1, 2005. The compact does include funding for faculty and staff salary increases of approximately 3%.
Two issues should be kept in mind regarding the compact. First, it does not restore budget cuts; however, it does allow for some growth to reflect inflation and cost increases. Second, the state continues to have some serious fiscal challenges that may compromise its ability to provide needed public services.
As planning for next year's budget advances and has a complete schedule, we will again post updates to our budget website: http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/budget/.
ENROLLMENT TRENDS. The campus has experienced an extraordinary level of enrollment growth in recent years. Over the last five years, we have averaged a 7.7% annual increase in students. In addition, UC Davis has had the largest fall freshman class in the UC system for the last five years. The current budget circumstance is giving us a chance to catch our breath a bit as overall enrollment for this year is projected to be relatively flat when compared to last year.
CAMPUS DATA ANYONE? Many of us are often in search of data that describe some of our most basic attributes as a campus. Two new initiatives are designed to reduce workload by making information more readily available. The first resource, InfoRM (Information for Resource Management), provides data that addresses many of the most frequently asked questions regarding enrollment, instruction, faculty, staff and other topics. These data are currently available at http://www.ormp.ucdavis.edu/inform/.
A second resource will be available this December. This new resource will be an enhanced "campus facts" section (previously referred to as a data digest) to be added to our campuswide web page. This project is a collaboration between the offices of Resource Management and Planning and University Communications. Stay tuned for this new resource.
GENOME AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE FACILITY OPENS. We celebrated the completion of the UC Davis Genome and Biomedical Science Facility on October 13 (http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=7066). The programs housed in this $95 million, 225,000 square foot facility bring together biologists, physicians, statisticians, and engineers to tackle major multidisciplinary research agendas in genomics, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, and pharmacology.
GRADUATE STUDENT SUPPORT. Campus investment in graduate student support increased dramatically this last academic year to provide more support to graduate programs and to help offset increases in graduate student fees and non-resident tuition. This investment and the new non-resident tuition remission policy will assist the campus in recruiting and supporting great graduate students. (http://www.dateline.ucdavis.edu/dl_detail.lasso?id=7952)
WELCOME, REGENTS SCHOLARS! This year the campus successfully recruited 107 outstanding freshman and transfer applicants through our Regents Scholarships, the most prestigious undergraduate scholarships offered by the campus (http://why.ucdavis.edu/finances/regents.cfm). This represents almost a doubling of Regents Scholars selecting UC Davis during the last three years. Congratulations!
LEARNING
UNIVERSITY WRITING PROGRAM TO BE LAUNCHED. Based on the recommendations of the Undergraduate Council of the Academic Senate, the campus is establishing a University Writing Program as an independent academic program in the Division of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (http://www.dateline.ucdavis.edu/dl_detail.lasso?id=7982). This program will be led by five Senate faculty members. It will oversee and improve existing composition courses, add a series of discipline-specific courses to satisfy the upper-division writing requirement, and provide graduate students opportunities for research in the field of composition.
DISCOVERY
WESTERN INSTITUTE FOR FOOD SAFETY AND SECURITY RECEIVES A $4.7 MILLION TRAINING GRANT. The UC Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (WIFSS) recently received a two-year, $4.7 million federal grant to develop training programs that will help food processing personnel prevent, recognize, and deal with intentional and accidental contamination of the nation's food supply. (http://www.dateline.ucdavis.edu/dl_detail.lasso?id=7927).
UC DAVIS NEWSWATCH HIGHLIGHTS RESEARCH IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES. Carolyn de la Peña, an assistant professor in American studies and an expert in marketing, teaches students how companies create consumer demand for food products. Packaging and promotion helps instill the belief that consumers can ingest a superior technology from such "superfoods." Rand Conger, a professor in Human and Community Development, has co-edited a new book in which scholars review long-term studies of families. This research challenges a number of long-held views about our closest relationships. (http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/multimedia/default.lasso)
ENGAGEMENT
2004 CHANCELLOR'S FALL CONFERENCE CHALLENGES CAMPUS LEADERS TO BUILD BRIDGES. Titled "Making a Difference: UC Davis' Impact on the Region and State," this year's conference drew some 140 faculty, students, staff, alumni and partners together to discuss the campus's role as a powerful engine for economic vitality, cultural enrichment and societal change (http://chancellor.ucdavis.edu/fallconference.html). "As an academy, we're nowhere near ready for the challenges the 21st century will bring," Arizona State University President Michael Crow told attendees. "But universities are critically important to the future of the U.S. and the planet. We have to get it right."
ALUMNI HONORED FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE. The Cal Aggie Alumni Association recently honored UC Davis alumni for outstanding service to the campus, the region, and the world: Dr. Robert Steven Tharratt (2001); Christina V. Kirk Kazhe (1993); Richard N. Cirami (1963, 1968); Meg and Tom Stallard (1968); Joseph W. Lin (1975); and Carol J. Sconyers (1952). (http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=7143).
Best regards,
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