Editor’s Note: Ask Katehi is a weekly column where students get a chance to ask the UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi questions.
What plans do you have to continue UC Davis’ upward trajectory, both programmatically/administratively as well as in terms of capital (construction) projects?
This is a great question. It goes to the heart of our recently-announced 2020 Initiative, which is our framework to sustain and enhance excellence at UC Davis going forward.
In the past four years, our funding from the state has been reduced by more than 40 percent, and will likely continue to decline. So, it is time for us to take control of our own destiny.
UC Davis is unique among the nine other campuses in the UC System. We have the largest physical footprint – more than 6,000 acres and 17 million square feet of maintainable space. This fortunate circumstance, combined with the major investments we have made in physical infrastructure, will allow us to maximize our use of our facilities and operations. Thus, over the next five years, we plan to thoughtfully grow our university by adding 5,000 more qualified undergraduates – a mix of in-state, out-of-state and international students – and 300 new tenure-track faculty. This will allow us to grow our research enterprise, increase our international diversity, boost regional economic development and create new jobs while stabilizing our financial situation.
As for construction, the recently-opened UC Davis West Village is an excellent example of our campus’ smart approach to growth. The nation’s largest planned zero net energy community is a model for future communities and the result of an innovative public-private partnership.
UC Davis West Village also will be home to our first uHub – a cluster of several of the campus’s energy research centers. This uHub will serve as a living and learning laboratory and enhance interactions with the private sector in the area of energy research and efficiency.
As we strive to implement the 2020 Initiative, I encourage the UC Davis community to become part of the process. Comments on the 2020 Initiative can be sent to: future@ucdavis.edu.
Have a question for the Chancellor? E-mail campus@theaggie.org.
