What is the relationship between you and other chief UC Davis administrators and the UC Office of the President?
As chancellor, I serve as the chief executive officer for UC Davis, an institution with a $3 billion annual budget, a $678 million research enterprise, 5,300-acre central campus, 32,000 students and 28,000 employees. Managing this complex organization – larger than some large companies and many cities – requires a host of talent, from the faculty who teach and study society’s most pressing needs to the chefs who feed students in the dining halls. To say this is a collaborative endeavor – with students, staff and faculty – would be an understatement.
I report to UC President Mark Yudof. We talk often and I meet monthly with my fellow UC chancellors and attend regents meetings. Our senior administrators here work hand in hand with their colleagues at the Office of the President and at other campuses.
Indeed, UC Davis – together with the president’s office and the nine other campuses – plays an integral role in making UC the best public university system in the world.
For example, last February, the president, chancellors and leaders of the Academic Senate united to confront acts of hate on our campuses. And with Project You Can, the campuses are raising a combined $1 billion in student support over four years – double the amount raised during the previous five years.
On March 1, hundreds of alumni, students and friends are expected to come together for UC Day at the state capitol. We will meet with lawmakers and their staffs to make the strongest possible case for our university. We cannot and will not permit the educational opportunities we offer our students to be compromised. Working together, we will inform the governor and the Legislature about the true value and contributions of UC Davis and our entire world-class UC system to the state, the nation and the world.
Got a question for the chancellor? Send it campus@theaggie.org.