Provost's Fall Welcome and Updates
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the fall quarter and, to those who were away over the summer, welcome back. I hope that everyone had a chance to relax and recharge. With a new academic year comes a sense of excitement and opportunity and, even though we face many challenges, I remain confident in our ability to work together and help steer UC Davis through what lies ahead.
In this letter, you will read about:
Welcome to the fall quarter and, to those who were away over the summer, welcome back. I hope that everyone had a chance to relax and recharge. With a new academic year comes a sense of excitement and opportunity and, even though we face many challenges, I remain confident in our ability to work together and help steer UC Davis through what lies ahead.
In this letter, you will read about:
- Leadership Updates
- Campus Budget Updates
- Research Office Hours
- START Task Force Recommendations and Upcoming Town Halls
- Summer Session Online Undergraduate Course Development Support
- Advising Executive Workgroup Updates
While this message is long, it includes important campus updates, along with detailed information in the links provided.
Leadership Updates
Ashley Stokes started on July 1 as Dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, succeeding Helene Dillard. She joins us from the University of Tennessee, where she was a Professor of Veterinary Large Animal Clinical Sciences and served as Dean of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s UT Extension.
I announced in July that Mark Winey, Dean of the College of Biological Sciences, and H. Rao Unnava, Dean of the Graduate School of Management, will step down from their leadership roles and return to faculty at the end of June 2026. When they leave their positions, both deans will have served admirably for 10 years. I am deeply grateful to Rao and Mark for leading transformative initiatives and for their sincere dedication to academic excellence at UC Davis. We have launched national searches for both positions. We hope to have new deans in place by July 1, 2026.
Campus Budget
In the spring, Chancellor May and I sent several messages to campus regarding the budget outlook for the 2025-26 fiscal year. We outlined the challenges that the University of California, alongside other higher education institutions nationwide, are facing: substantial reductions in federal research funding, ongoing uncertainty of future support for research and infrastructure, and operating costs that continue to rise.
As we embark on the 2025-26 fiscal year, we are taking a conservative approach to budget allocations and have asked units to make reductions. With a focus on maintaining the quality of our academic programs and research excellence, campus units will implement strategic budget reductions totaling $41.5 million in 2025-26 and $52.8 million in 2026-27. The reductions will be challenging, but they are critical and necessary to protect the long-term stability and quality of our programs and university.
We live in difficult times, and decisions have a real impact. Please know that we do not take these decisions, nor their implications, lightly.
Visit the Budget Framework website to learn more about the campus budget. You can get involved in advocacy for UC Davis and our sibling institutions by joining Stand Up for UC and read the latest UC legislative updates. Also be sure to check out From Labs to Lives, which highlights how federal funding fuels research at UC Davis.
Research Updates
The Office of Research will resume its “Office Hours” this fall with a new session from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Monday, October 6. Chancellor May is scheduled to join Vice Chancellor for Research Simon Atkinson and other campus leaders to provide updates and answer questions on federal actions related to research. You can register online and submit questions in advance or during the event.
START: The Sustaining Teaching and Research Task Force
I am so proud and appreciative of the more than 160 faculty, staff, and students who have participated in the Sustaining Teaching and Research Task Force, committees, and working groups. They have accomplished an enormous amount over the last two years, producing 23 recommendations that were sent for Academic Senate and campus review last academic year. A new batch of 16 START recommendations are now posted and were sent for Academic Senate review last week. Questions, comments, and feedback can be submitted through the START feedback form or by emailing starttaskforce@ucdavis.edu.
More than 200 people joined us for a town hall last week to watch a presentation by the “Increasing Our Research Excellence Committee” Co-Chairs Simon Atkinson and Rick Grosberg. Vice Chancellor Atkinson and Professor Grosberg discussed their committee’s current and emerging recommendations and answered questions from faculty and staff. START committees will host four more town halls this fall, and links to register for the Zoom-based events were sent to campus via email on September 19.
As START winds down its work this fall and we continue the implementation phase of the recommendations, I want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone involved in START, including the extensive and helpful reviews conducted by the Academic Senate. I challenged START’s members to think beyond what exists at UC Davis – as if we were developing this university from scratch, and what we would do differently. I am very pleased with their collaboration, creativity, and endurance.
Online Courses and Programs
I would like to thank faculty for stepping up and creating new Summer Session online undergraduate courses, including 26 new courses this past summer. New online courses – especially those that are required and in high demand – broaden educational access and allow students to progress more quickly toward their undergraduate degree. I am pleased to share that Dean Julie Greenwood and the Division of Continuing and Professional Education will offer their expertise and support in instructional design to expand future course offerings. In the coming weeks, I will send a letter to faculty outlining opportunities to create new Summer Session online undergraduate courses, as well as new online academic master’s degrees and new Self-Supporting Graduate Professional Degree Programs with the support of central funding, the guidance of Undergraduate Education and Graduate Studies, and the expertise of CPE.
Advising Executive Workgroup
The Advising Executive Workgroup, or AEW, is tasked with enhancing and improving undergraduate student advising and ensuring that all students receive outstanding advising services, regardless of their major. This fall, AEW – in partnership with a planning committee of undergraduate advising stakeholders in the colleges, student services, and student support – will host a series of discussion sessions for the advising community. These sessions aim to build shared understanding and support informed decision-making around key themes identified in the NACADA Undergraduate Advising Campus Review. The themes include clarifying the role of advising, developing a campus-level advising curriculum, standardizing training, and creating reliable sources for advising resources on campus.
In Gratitude
Finally, I want to share my heartfelt thanks to you for being part of UC Davis and for your enduring commitment to our mission, our students, and one another. It feels like the right time to remind ourselves that higher education has served as an engine of social mobility and progress in the United States, and the University of California has additionally served as the hallmark of free speech and academic freedom. At UC Davis, we prepare students for successful careers and meaningful lives, develop solutions through innovation and research, provide lifesaving care for humans and animals, create and connect through the profound power of the arts, and advance society in immeasurable ways. Even in the most difficult times, I remember that I chose this career path because of our mission and my desire to serve others. I am grateful that you chose this path too, and that together we will continue to make a positive difference in the world. Thank you for all that you do.
All the best,
Mary
Mary Croughan
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Leadership Updates
Ashley Stokes started on July 1 as Dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, succeeding Helene Dillard. She joins us from the University of Tennessee, where she was a Professor of Veterinary Large Animal Clinical Sciences and served as Dean of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s UT Extension.
I announced in July that Mark Winey, Dean of the College of Biological Sciences, and H. Rao Unnava, Dean of the Graduate School of Management, will step down from their leadership roles and return to faculty at the end of June 2026. When they leave their positions, both deans will have served admirably for 10 years. I am deeply grateful to Rao and Mark for leading transformative initiatives and for their sincere dedication to academic excellence at UC Davis. We have launched national searches for both positions. We hope to have new deans in place by July 1, 2026.
Campus Budget
In the spring, Chancellor May and I sent several messages to campus regarding the budget outlook for the 2025-26 fiscal year. We outlined the challenges that the University of California, alongside other higher education institutions nationwide, are facing: substantial reductions in federal research funding, ongoing uncertainty of future support for research and infrastructure, and operating costs that continue to rise.
As we embark on the 2025-26 fiscal year, we are taking a conservative approach to budget allocations and have asked units to make reductions. With a focus on maintaining the quality of our academic programs and research excellence, campus units will implement strategic budget reductions totaling $41.5 million in 2025-26 and $52.8 million in 2026-27. The reductions will be challenging, but they are critical and necessary to protect the long-term stability and quality of our programs and university.
We live in difficult times, and decisions have a real impact. Please know that we do not take these decisions, nor their implications, lightly.
Visit the Budget Framework website to learn more about the campus budget. You can get involved in advocacy for UC Davis and our sibling institutions by joining Stand Up for UC and read the latest UC legislative updates. Also be sure to check out From Labs to Lives, which highlights how federal funding fuels research at UC Davis.
Research Updates
The Office of Research will resume its “Office Hours” this fall with a new session from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Monday, October 6. Chancellor May is scheduled to join Vice Chancellor for Research Simon Atkinson and other campus leaders to provide updates and answer questions on federal actions related to research. You can register online and submit questions in advance or during the event.
START: The Sustaining Teaching and Research Task Force
I am so proud and appreciative of the more than 160 faculty, staff, and students who have participated in the Sustaining Teaching and Research Task Force, committees, and working groups. They have accomplished an enormous amount over the last two years, producing 23 recommendations that were sent for Academic Senate and campus review last academic year. A new batch of 16 START recommendations are now posted and were sent for Academic Senate review last week. Questions, comments, and feedback can be submitted through the START feedback form or by emailing starttaskforce@ucdavis.edu.
More than 200 people joined us for a town hall last week to watch a presentation by the “Increasing Our Research Excellence Committee” Co-Chairs Simon Atkinson and Rick Grosberg. Vice Chancellor Atkinson and Professor Grosberg discussed their committee’s current and emerging recommendations and answered questions from faculty and staff. START committees will host four more town halls this fall, and links to register for the Zoom-based events were sent to campus via email on September 19.
As START winds down its work this fall and we continue the implementation phase of the recommendations, I want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone involved in START, including the extensive and helpful reviews conducted by the Academic Senate. I challenged START’s members to think beyond what exists at UC Davis – as if we were developing this university from scratch, and what we would do differently. I am very pleased with their collaboration, creativity, and endurance.
Online Courses and Programs
I would like to thank faculty for stepping up and creating new Summer Session online undergraduate courses, including 26 new courses this past summer. New online courses – especially those that are required and in high demand – broaden educational access and allow students to progress more quickly toward their undergraduate degree. I am pleased to share that Dean Julie Greenwood and the Division of Continuing and Professional Education will offer their expertise and support in instructional design to expand future course offerings. In the coming weeks, I will send a letter to faculty outlining opportunities to create new Summer Session online undergraduate courses, as well as new online academic master’s degrees and new Self-Supporting Graduate Professional Degree Programs with the support of central funding, the guidance of Undergraduate Education and Graduate Studies, and the expertise of CPE.
Advising Executive Workgroup
The Advising Executive Workgroup, or AEW, is tasked with enhancing and improving undergraduate student advising and ensuring that all students receive outstanding advising services, regardless of their major. This fall, AEW – in partnership with a planning committee of undergraduate advising stakeholders in the colleges, student services, and student support – will host a series of discussion sessions for the advising community. These sessions aim to build shared understanding and support informed decision-making around key themes identified in the NACADA Undergraduate Advising Campus Review. The themes include clarifying the role of advising, developing a campus-level advising curriculum, standardizing training, and creating reliable sources for advising resources on campus.
In Gratitude
Finally, I want to share my heartfelt thanks to you for being part of UC Davis and for your enduring commitment to our mission, our students, and one another. It feels like the right time to remind ourselves that higher education has served as an engine of social mobility and progress in the United States, and the University of California has additionally served as the hallmark of free speech and academic freedom. At UC Davis, we prepare students for successful careers and meaningful lives, develop solutions through innovation and research, provide lifesaving care for humans and animals, create and connect through the profound power of the arts, and advance society in immeasurable ways. Even in the most difficult times, I remember that I chose this career path because of our mission and my desire to serve others. I am grateful that you chose this path too, and that together we will continue to make a positive difference in the world. Thank you for all that you do.
All the best,
Mary
Mary Croughan
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor