University of California, Davis
Encyclopedia
The University of California, Davis (also referred to as UCD, UC Davis, or Davis) is a public
teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis
, California
, USA
. Spanning over 5300 acres (2,144.8 ha), the campus is the largest within the University of California
system and third largest by enrollment. The Carnegie Foundation
classifies UC Davis as a comprehensive doctoral research university with a medical program, veterinary program, and very high research activity.
UC Davis is ranked as one of the top 10 public universities in the nation, and consistently ranks amongst the best universities in the world. Additionally, Davis is considered to be one of America's Public Ivy
universities, which recognizes top public research universities in the United States. The university has several distinguished graduate programs ranked in the top 10 in their fields by the United States National Research Council
; most notable are its programs in agricultural economics
, entomology
, evolutionary biology, plant biology, and ecology
. Additionally, the NRC placed more than a third of UC Davis graduate programs in the top 25% of their respective fields. UC Davis faculty includes 21 members of the National Academy of Sciences
, 20 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, 14 members of the American Law Institute
, and 9 members of the National Academy of Engineering
. Among other honors, university faculty, alumni, and researchers have won the Nobel Peace Prize
, Presidential Medal of Freedom
, Pulitzer Prize
, National Medal of Science
, and Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering
.
The campus was originally established as the University Farm, the agricultural extension of UC Berkeley and the second campus of the University of California
system. While UC Davis' agricultural heritage remains strong, the campus has expanded over the past century to include graduate and professional programs in medicine
(which includes the UC Davis Medical Center
), law
, veterinary medicine
, education
, nursing
, and business management
, in addition to 90 research programs offered by UC Davis Graduate Studies
. UC Davis' School of Veterinary Medicine is the largest in the United States and ranked second in the nation.
The UC Davis Aggies
compete in the NCAA Division I level primarily in the Big West Conference
as well as Great West Conference, Pacific-12 Conference, and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
. In its first year of full Division I status, 11 UC Davis teams qualified for NCAA post-season.
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In 1905, Governor George Pardee
signed into law an act to establish a university farm school for the University of California (at the time, Berkeley
was the sole campus of the University). It would be more than a year before that commission selected a tiny town, then known as Davisville, as the site. What was to become the third UC Campus opened its doors to 40 degree students (all male) from UC Berkeley in January 1909 as the "University Farm." (The farm had begun accepting non-degree farmers' short courses in October 1908; there were initially around 115 such attendees.) The establishment of the Farm was largely the result of the vision and perseverance of Peter J. Shields
, secretary of the State Agricultural Society, and the Peter J. Shields Library at UC Davis was named in his honor. Shields began to champion the cause of a University Farm to teach agriculture in a more applied fashion after hearing about California students who chose to go to out-of-state universities due to the lack of such programs in the University of California at that time. He later stated:
After two failed bills, a law authorizing the creation of a University Farm was passed on March 18, 1905, and Yolo County
, home to some of California's prime farmland, was chosen as the site. The Farm accepted its first female students in 1914 from Berkeley. Renamed in 1922 the Northern Branch of the College of Agriculture, it continued growing at a breakneck pace: in 1916 the Farm's 314 students occupied the original 778 acres (314.8 ha) campus, but by 1951 it had already expanded to a size of 3000 acres (1,214.1 ha). In 1959, the campus was declared by the Regents of the University of California
as the seventh general campus in the University of California
system.
on seated students. The incident drew international attention and led to further demonstrations, petitions, and calls for Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi
to resign.
The University of California, Davis campus is the largest campus in the UC system, spanning over 5500 acres (2,225.8 ha) across two counties: Yolo and Solano. Located 15 miles (24.1 km) west of Sacramento
in the Sacramento Valley
, part of California's Central Valley, it is adjacent to Interstate Highway 80
. The Davis campus is the only school within the UC system with an airport
, just west of main campus, and is one of two UC schools with its own fire department
; the other being UCSC
. It is also one of only two schools in the University of California system, the other being UC Berkeley, with a nuclear
lab.
Together with the larger community of Davis, UC Davis is one of the few remaining "true" college-towns in America. This is due to the relatively small population of Davis itself, (approximately 60,000) as well as the high percentage of students who live in the city itself. The ratio of students to long term residents has been estimated at 1:4. Also contributing to the college-town environment is the close proximity of downtown Davis to the campus' main quad—a matter of a few blocks, and 5-10 minute walk or bike ride. Davis' 15 minute distance from Sacramento provides it with both the isolation critical to fostering a college-town environment while also providing a lively and large metropolitan area nearby. Though the campus itself is vast, the entire community of Davis is relatively small and is easily traversable on bike utilizing Davis' extensive bicycle trails.
Towards the northeast end of campus is the Quad, a large rectangular field which sits adjacent to Freeborn Hall and the Memorial Union, which houses various establishments such as the UC Davis Bookstore, ASUCD Coffee House, food courts, Post Office, Sky Room, and the MU Games Area. The northeast side of campus holds more of the core buildings that were built earlier in UC Davis's history, such as Wellman Hall, Shields Library, Mrak Hall
, and Hutchison Hall, as well as the North Entry Parking Structure. Also notable in this northeastern corner is the labyrinthine Social Sciences and Humanities building designed by Antoine Predock
, known to students as the "Death Star
" for its angular, metallic design.
The northwest end of campus holds the majority of the Segundo undergraduate housing complex and various alternative non-undergraduate housing such as Orchard Park, Russell Park, and The Colleges at LaRue Apartments. The Activities and Recreation Center, or the ARC, is also located near the Segundo complex. Off-campus to the northwest is the Cuarto undergraduate housing complex, which has two dining commons.
The Tercero undergraduate housing complex is located near the true geographic center of the UC Davis campus, to the north of the Arboretum Waterway, which stretches longitudinally through almost the entirety of the south end of campus. The Davis Arboretum
is a public botanic garden with over 4,000 kinds of trees and plants, including many California native plants
, that stretches for over 100 acres (40.5 ha) along The Waterway.
The majority of Equestrian Center, and Animal Sciences buildings are located near the Arboretum Waterway, away from the core campus; the West Entry Parking Complex, the Silo Union, and the newly constructed Science Lecture Hall and the Science Laboratory Building are located nearer to the Tercero residence halls and the core of campus. The Mondavi Center
, home of the University Symphony Orchestra and other cultural events, is also located near the Tercero complex.
There are five public art statues found around campus, collectively called The Egghead Series, sculpted by former art professor Robert Arneson
who taught at Davis from 1962-1991 before his death in 1992. The egghead statues are considered by many to be among the most recognizable features of UC Davis's campus, and have even inspired a recent blog maintained by University staff. Additional pieces of Arneson's work are part of the Fine Arts Collection maintained by the Richard L. Nelson Gallery located in the Art Building.
"Bookhead" is located at the Shields Library plaza, "Yin & Yang" is located at the Fine Arts Complex, "See No Evil/Hear No Evil" is at the east lawn of King Hall (the main building for UC Davis' School of Law), "Eye on Mrak (Fatal Laff)" is outside Mrak Hall (housing the registrar office and other administrative offices), and "Stargazer" is located between North Hall and Young Hall. The "Yin & Yang" egg heads have been recast and duplicated for installment near the Port of San Francisco Ferry Building in San Francisco.
made UC Davis its own separate census-designated place
for statistical purposes. Most of the campus lies outside the Davis city limit. However, mail to the campus is still addressed, "Davis, CA".
The 2010 United States Census reported that University of California Davis had a population of 5,786. The population density
was 3,966.8 people per square mile (1,531.6/km²). The racial makeup of University of California Davis was 2,443 (42.2%) White, 144 (2.5%) African American, 22 (0.4%) Native American, 2,443 (42.2%) Asian, 7 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 364 (6.3%) from other races
, and 363 (6.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 728 persons (12.6%).
The Census reported that 2,561 people (44.3% of the population) lived in households, 3,225 (55.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 1,096 households, out of which 203 (18.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 292 (26.6%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 59 (5.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 16 (1.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 34 (3.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 5 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 245 households (22.4%) were made up of individuals and 1 (0.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34. There were 367 families
(33.5% of all households); the average family size was 2.75.
The population was spread out with 310 people (5.4%) under the age of 18, 4,298 people (74.3%) aged 18 to 24, 1,124 people (19.4%) aged 25 to 44, 41 people (0.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 13 people (0.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 19.6 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.
There were 1,125 housing units at an average density of 771.3 per square mile (297.8/km²), of which 1 (0.1%) were owner-occupied, and 1,095 (99.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 0.6%. 1 people (0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,560 people (44.2%) lived in rental housing units.
The UC Davis Chancellor is the Chief Executive Officer of an institution with a $3 billion annual budget, a $678 million research enterprise, 5300 acres (2,144.8 ha) central campus, 32,000 students and 28,000 employees. The current and sixth chancellor is Linda Katehi. The Chancellor has overall responsibility for the leadership, management, and administration of the campus and reports "as an equal" to the President of the University of California system, a position currently held by Mark Yudof.
The Offices of the Chancellor and Provost is headed by the Executive Vice-Chancellor and Provost (EVCP). In their capacity as Executive Vice-Chancellor, the EVCP shares with the Chancellor in the overall leadership and management of campus administration and operations, whereas as Provost, the EVCP is UC Davis' chief academic officer.
The Senior Staff provides executive support to the Offices of the Chancellor and Provost. The Council of Deans and Vice-Chancellor consists of the heads of the university's major academic and administrative units.
Students are most likely to interact with or be directly affected by the Office of Student Affairs, which is run by the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, currently Fred Wood, and by a variety of associate and assistant vice-chancellors. This office oversees many campus units including: Admissions, Athletics, Campus Recreation, Campus Unions, Counseling and Psychological Services, Financial Aid, Student Housing and others.
UC Davis is organized into the following schools and colleges:
Undergraduate Schools:
Graduate Schools:
(concerning the scientific study of grape-growing and winemaking) that has been and continues to be responsible for significant advancements in winemaking utilized by many Californian wineries. The campus is noted for its Agricultural and Resource Economics programs, and the large Department of Animal Science through which students can study at the university's own on-campus dairy
, meat-processing plant, equestrian
facility, and experimental farm. Students of Environmental Horticulture and other botanical sciences have many acres of campus farmland and the University of California, Davis, Arboretum
at their disposal. The Department of Applied Science was founded and formerly chaired by physicist Edward Teller
. Dance, music, studio arts, and theatre are studied extensively on the campus, and the Mondavi Center
for the Performing Arts features artists from all over the globe.
UC Davis undergraduate majors are divided into four colleges:
UC Davis has several professional schools:
The university is also host to the largest Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program in California, with more than 120 cadets. With more than sixty years in existence, it currently commissions roughly 30 to 40 graduating seniors as second lieutenants every year.
In terms of Graduate Studies, U.S. News & World Report
placed UC Davis 3rd Nationally in Ecology and Evolution, 2nd in Veterinary Medicine, 19th in American politics, 15th in International Economics, and 23rd in Law in 2012.
The Washington Monthly
ranked UC Davis 6th in its 2010 National College Ranking.
In 2008, UC Davis was ranked 42nd in the world and 34th in the Americas by an annual listing of the Top 500 World Universities published by the Institute of Higher Education in Shanghai, China.
The faculty is "highly cited" for its research according to the Institute for Scientific Information
. Strengths in liberal arts and sciences and research strengths earned it membership in the Association of American Universities
.
UC Davis was awarded an A- from the 2010 College Sustainability Report Card, which grades schools on their level of environmental sustainability across nine categories. In 2010, UC Davis was also ranked 16th in Sierra magazine's national Cool Schools rankings.
Admission to UC Davis is rated as "most selective" by U.S. News and World Report.
Between 2007 and 2008, UC Davis saw the largest increase in freshman applicants out of all UC campuses - from 35,088 to 42,311, a 20.6% increase.
For Fall 2009, with a record high of 39,288 applicants from California high schools, UC Davis admitted 18,146 students, or 46.2%. The average GPA of admitted students increased to a 4.0. Also showing gains were the average scores on admission tests and the percentage from the top 4 percent of their high school class.
31% of admitted students receive federal Pell grant
s.
The UC Davis University Library, which includes the Peter J. Shields Library, the Physical Sciences & Engineering Library, the Carlson Health Sciences Library, and the Medical Center Library in Sacramento
, contains more than 3.5 million volumes and offers a number of special collections and services. The Peter J. Shields Library has three different architectural styles due to various construction and extensions being added; it is the main library where students study on-campus, with a 24-hour reading room, open computer labs, and unique furniture.
, UC Davis spent $456,653,000 on research and development in the fiscal year 2002-2003, ranking it 14th in the nation. Specifically, UC Davis's expenditures nationally ranked first in agricultural research ($25,683,000), seventh in biological research ($118,477,000), and 13th in the life sciences ($336,796,000).
Its faculty includes 18 members of the National Academy of Sciences
, 6 members of the National Academy of Engineering
, 7 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, 2 Pulitzer Prize
winners, 2 MacArthur Fellows and one member of the Royal Society
.
The campus supports a number of research centers, laboratories and centers including:
The Crocker Nuclear Laboratory on campus has had a nuclear accelerator since 1966. The laboratory is used by scientists and engineers from private industry, universities and government to research topics including nuclear physics
, applied solid state physics, radiation
effects, and planetary geology
and cosmogenics
UC Davis is also one of 62 members in the prestigious Association of American Universities
(as of 1996). The Association of American Universities is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. It consists of sixty universities in the United States (both public and private) and two universities in Canada.
Agilent Technologies will also work with the university in establishing a Davis Millimeter Wave Research Center to conduct research on millimeter wave and THz systems.
The undergraduate student government of UC Davis is the Associated Students of UC Davis (ASUCD), and has an annual operating budget of 11.1 million dollars, making it the largest-funded student government in the United States. ASUCD includes an Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branch. Other than representing the student body on campus, the task of ASUCD is to lobby student interests to local and state government. Also under the purview of ASUCD are the student-run Coffee House is an ASUCD unit and Unitrans
, the Davis public bus system. ASUCD employs thousands of students annually across its many units.
Picnic Day
, UC Davis's annual Open House, is the largest student-run event in the United States. It attracts thousands of visitors each year with its many attractions. These include a parade, a magic show performed by the chemistry department, the Doxie Derby (dachshund
races), film screenings, and a Battle of the Bands
between the Band and other college bands including the Cal Band
, the Stanford Band
, and the Humboldt State Marching Band.
Another highlight of UC Davis is its student-run freeform
radio station, KDVS
. The station began operations on February 1, 1964 from the laundry room of the all-male dormitory Beckett Hall. The station soon gained a reputation by airing interviews with Angela Davis
and a live call-in show with then California Governor
Ronald Reagan
in 1969. The station can now be heard on 90.3 FM
and online at its website.
UC Davis has some 400 registered student organizations, ranging from political clubs to professional societies to language clubs. Student clubs are managed through the Student Programs and Activities Center (SPAC).
The academic Graduate Students and management students are represented by the Graduate Student Association (GSA). The Law Students are represented by Law Students Association.
Students are also encouraged to wear Aggie Blue on game days to show their Aggie Pride. If spotted wearing Aggie Blue by the Aggie Pack, students may have UC Davis paraphernalia thrown at them as a reward.
Students also participate in intramural sports such as basketball, ultimate frisbee, soccer and many more. The ARC is one of the, if not, the largest student recreational center amongst schools in the nation. It contains a basketball gym, work out room, rock climbing wall, and other studio rooms for group exercise.
One less-known student tradition occurs during the commencement ceremonies, where students toss tortillas into the air at the beginning of the ceremony. Tortillas are smuggled into the building under graduation gowns and released into the air after all the graduates have taken their seats.
Other student activities
UC Davis is famous for its large number of bicycles and bicyclists. The city of Davis boasts the highest number of bikes per capita of any US city. The city of Davis once held the record for the World's Largest bicycle parade. Bicyclists are ubiquitous around campus as well as the city, and thus a lot of bike-only infrastructure exists, such as bike circles, large bike lanes, and traffic signals exclusively for bikes and the UC Davis cycling team has won several national championship titles. The campus police department also has some of its officers patrol on bicycles and take bicycling under the influence ("BUI") and bicycling without a headlight at night very seriously. All bikes on the UC Davis campus must be registered with a California Bicycle license or they risk being sold at the on campus bike auction.
UC Davis is also well known for its bus service, Unitrans
, and its trademark London double decker buses
. It has been in operation since 1968 and is believed to be the only general purpose (non-sightseeing) transit system in the U.S. to operate vintage double deck buses in daily service. The system is operated and managed entirely by students and offers fixed-route transportation throughout the city. There is also an inter-campus bus service that ferries back and forth between UC Davis and UC Berkeley twice daily, from Monday to Friday.
The central campus is bounded by freeways on two sides (Highway 113 and Interstate 80
). All other UC campuses are either somewhat distant from the closest freeway or are directly adjacent to only one freeway. Two freeway exits are entirely within UCD's boundaries. One, off Highway 113, is signed "UC Davis / Hutchison Drive" and the other, off Interstate 80, is signed exclusively as "UC Davis."
Easy freeway access, coupled with increasing housing costs in the city of Davis, have led to increased numbers of students commuting via automobile. Some students choose to live in the neighboring communities of Sacramento, Dixon or Woodland, and use their own cars or the county-wide Yolobus to get to UC Davis.
, The California Aggie
. The Aggie was first published in 1915 as the Weekly Agricola after its approval by the Associated Student Executive Committee. At this point, UC Davis was considered the University Farm, an extension of UC Berkeley.
Initially, the Weekly Agricola was focused on both student news and farming-related topics. Novelist Jack London
was one of the first readers of the Weekly Agricola. In 1922, it was renamed to match the school's athletic name. Today, the Aggie has the largest print distribution in Yolo County, at around 12,000 copies distributed daily.
There are currently 17 fraternities that are a part of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) in Davis. The IFC representatives attend weekly meetings to guarantee that all UC Davis rules and regulations are followed. The meetings are also used to inform the fraternities about all upcoming activities throughout the week. The 16 fraternities are: Alpha Epsilon Pi
, Alpha Gamma Omega
, Chi Phi
, Delta Chi
, Delta Sigma Phi
, Lambda Chi Alpha
, Lambda Phi Epsilon
, Pi Kappa Alpha
, Phi Kappa Psi
, Sigma Alpha Mu
, Sigma Chi
, Sigma Nu
, Sigma Phi Epsilon
, Tau Kappa Epsilon
, Theta Chi
, and Theta Xi
.
The Panehellenic Council is similar to the Interfraternity Council, but is the governing council for many sororities at UC Davis. They are responsible for organizing recruitment, and overseeing that all regulations are upheld. There are currently 8 sororities that are a part of the Panhellenic Council. The 8 sororities are: Alpha Chi Omega
, Alpha Phi
, Chi Omega
, Delta Delta Delta
, Delta Gamma
, Kappa Alpha Theta
, Kappa Kappa Gamma
, and Pi Beta Phi
.
The Phi Chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho
was locally established May 1 of 1923 at UC Davis making it the first continuously running national fraternity on campus. They started as the Kappa Tau Fraternity, which was the first Agricultural Fraternity on campus. Many campus buildings are named after alumni of Alpha Gamma Rho such as Emil Mrak (Mrak Hall, Registrar's office), Orville Thompson (Thompson Hall, Segundo student housing), and Dean De Carli (the De Carli room, 2nd floor MU), Mel Olson Scoreboard (Aggie Stadium), and many more. The AGR Hall is an event space located inside the Buehler Alumni / Visitor's Center and is commonly rented out as a conference room or banquet hall. There are both national and local fraternities and sororities at UCD with diverse backgrounds and histories.
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The UC Davis Aggies (or Ags) compete in NCAA Division I sports in the Big West Conference
. For football
, the Aggies compete in Division I FCS (formerly known as Division I-AA), and are members of the Great West Conference, granting UC Davis the distinction of being one of only three UC campuses to field a football team (Cal
and UCLA
being the other two). The Aggies are also members of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
in gymnastics and lacrosse, the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association
in rowing
, and an associate member of the Pacific-10 Conference in wrestling.
The UC Davis Men's Crew Club
is one of the more successful clubs both on campus and in the West. In 2008 the JV boat won first in nationals at the ACRA Championships in Tennessee and in 2009 the Varsity boat got second place in nationals at the ACRA Championships. They consistently compete against teams such as Stanford, the University of Washington and UC Berkeley.
The Aggies finished first in NCAA
Division II six times in 2003 and won the NACDA Directors' Cup 4 years in a row from 1999 to 2003. In 1998, the UC Davis men's basketball team won the NCAA Division II national championship despite being one of the few non-scholarship institutions in Division II at that time. They have also won NCAA Division II championships in Softball (2003), Men's Tennis (1992), and Women's Tennis (1990, 1993). These and other achievements motivated a decision (following a year of heavy discussion by campus administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni and the local community) in 2003 for the athletics program to re-classify to Division I.
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The highlight of the recent 4-year transition to Division I occurred on September 17, 2005, when the Aggies defeated the heavily favored Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium
by a score of 20-17 on a TD pass with 8 seconds left in the game. The Aggies also pulled off an upset against Stanford in basketball just months later, beating the Cardinal 64-58 with a late rally at home on December 4, 2005. The win in these two major sports and the addition of the Aggies beating the Cardinal in soccer earlier in 2005 as well as a win in wrestling and two wins in baseball pulled the Aggies' win loss record with Stanford to 5-1 for men's sports the 05-06 year.
The Aggie football team plays Sacramento State
in the annual Causeway Classic
for the Causeway Carriage
. The team also plays Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
in the annual Battle for the Golden Horseshoe
. UC Davis students gather at sporting events to rally as the Aggie Pack
, the largest student-run school spirit organization in the United States. The Aggie Pack cheers on the sports team along with the Spirit Squad to the music of the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh! and its alumni band. Aggie Stadium is the home of the UC Davis football and lacrosse teams.
UC Davis also had a noteworthy wrestling program, which competed in the Pac-10 at the Division I level. In 2007, UC Davis wrestler Derek Moore gained All-American status, as well as won the NCAA Division I Championships for his weight class. Moore also received the "Most Outstanding Wrestler" award of the NCAA tournament. In doing so, Derek Moore became the first UC Davis student-athlete to become a NCAA champion at the Division I level. That same year, UC Davis finished within the top 25 for Division I collegiate wrestling programs in the country.
Wrestling was cut from the athletic department in April 2010. Other cuts included men's swimming, men's indoor track, and women's rowing. The athletic's department had to cut $1.79 million out of the budget. 14 women's teams and 9 men's teams were funded for the 2010-2011 school year.
The official school colors are blue and gold. The blue is due to the UC's early connection to Yale and as a result is often referred to as "Yale Blue
" (e.g., see and ), although UCD's official blue, usually called "Aggie Blue", Pantone 295 differs from Yale Blue (approximately Pantone 289).
The official school mascot is the mustang
. Students at UC Davis are referred to as Aggies in honor of the school's agricultural heritage. Unlike most colleges, there is a distinction between the name for students and the mascot. There was a movement to change the school's mascot from the mustang to the cow
, but despite student support this was turned down after opposition from alumni. Many people will call the mustang mascot of UC Davis an Aggie
, but this is not its proper name; the mustang mascot is named Gunrock. The name dates to 1921 when the US Army brought a horse named Gun Rock
to UC Davis to supply high-quality stock for cavalry horses. The mustang mascot was selected to honor that cavalry horse.
-certified buildings operated by the university — the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, which is the first brewery, winery or food-processing facilities in the world to achieve Platinum-level certification, and the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences at Lake Tahoe
, one of only five laboratories in the world to achieve Platinum-level certification. Plans call for additional campus buildings to meet standards equivalent to LEED Silver, and for the development of UC Davis West Village as a "zero net energy" community.
The university was given two Best Practice Awards at the 2009 annual Sustainability Conference, held by the University of California, California State University and the California Community Colleges, for the campus's lighting retrofit project and sustainable design in new construction.
UC Davis has used the olives from the old trees on campus to produce olive oil and table olives, and the school uses drought-tolerant landscaping on and around campus. The campus also operates its own landfill, where it converts landfill (methane) gas to energy.
For its efforts in campus sustainability, UC Davis earned an A- on the 2010 College Sustainability Report Card, one of 27 schools to achieve the highest grade awarded.
UC Davis is also home to the Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI), which is part of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). ASI provides leadership for research, teaching, outreach, and extension efforts in agricultural and food systems sustainability at the Davis campus and throughout the UC system.
UC Davis, introduced by Arnold Schwarzenegger as the "environmental capital of the world", hosted Governors' Global Climate Summit 3 (GGCS3) which is an international climate forum for the top leaders of local, regional, national and international entities, as well as those from academia, business and nonprofit. The summit featured talks that promised to broaden national partnerships through an increased understanding of unique environmental and economic challenges in the continuation to grow a clean, green economy. The summit included more than 1,500 attendees from more than 80 countries.
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis
Davis, California
Davis is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Spanning over 5300 acres (2,144.8 ha), the campus is the largest within the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
system and third largest by enrollment. The Carnegie Foundation
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center, whose primary activities of research and writing have resulted in published reports on every level...
classifies UC Davis as a comprehensive doctoral research university with a medical program, veterinary program, and very high research activity.
UC Davis is ranked as one of the top 10 public universities in the nation, and consistently ranks amongst the best universities in the world. Additionally, Davis is considered to be one of America's Public Ivy
Public Ivy
Public Ivy is a term coined by Richard Moll in his 1985 book Public Ivies: A Guide to America's best public undergraduate colleges and universities to refer to universities which "provide an Ivy League collegiate experience at a public school price." Public Ivies are considered, according to the...
universities, which recognizes top public research universities in the United States. The university has several distinguished graduate programs ranked in the top 10 in their fields by the United States National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
; most notable are its programs in agricultural economics
Agricultural economics
Agricultural economics originally applied the principles of economics to the production of crops and livestock — a discipline known as agronomics. Agronomics was a branch of economics that specifically dealt with land usage. It focused on maximizing the crop yield while maintaining a good soil...
, entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, evolutionary biology, plant biology, and ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
. Additionally, the NRC placed more than a third of UC Davis graduate programs in the top 25% of their respective fields. UC Davis faculty includes 21 members of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, 20 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, 14 members of the American Law Institute
American Law Institute
The American Law Institute was established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of American common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. The ALI drafts, approves, and publishes Restatements of the Law, Principles of the Law, model codes, and other proposals for law...
, and 9 members of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
. Among other honors, university faculty, alumni, and researchers have won the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
, Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
, Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
, National Medal of Science
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...
, and Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering
PECASE
The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. The White House, following recommendations from participating agencies,...
.
The campus was originally established as the University Farm, the agricultural extension of UC Berkeley and the second campus of the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
system. While UC Davis' agricultural heritage remains strong, the campus has expanded over the past century to include graduate and professional programs in medicine
UC Davis School of Medicine
The University of California Davis School of Medicine is one of five University of California medical schools in the state of California, associated with UC Davis.-History:...
(which includes the UC Davis Medical Center
UC Davis Medical Center
UC Davis Medical Center is a private, major academic health center located in Sacramento, California.The 645-bed hospital serves as key referral center for a area that includes 33 counties and 6 million residents...
), law
UC Davis School of Law
The University of California Davis School of Law , referred to as UC Davis School of Law and commonly known as King Hall and UC Davis Law, is an American Bar Association approved law school located in Davis, California on the campus of the University of California, Davis. The school received ABA...
, veterinary medicine
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
The University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, is the largest veterinary school in the United States. Established in 1948, the school is the primary health resource for California's various animal populations. The school is ranked 2nd for veterinary schools in the country...
, education
UC Davis School of Education
The , is one of 10 schools and colleges at the University of California, Davis. The school offers Ph.D., Ed.D, and M.A., degrees in education, as well as single and multiple subject teaching credentials...
, nursing
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing
The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis was established in March 2009, UC Davis' first major initiative to address society's most pressing health-care problems in its second century of service. The school was launched through a $100 million commitment from the...
, and business management
UC Davis Graduate School of Management
The UC Davis Graduate School of Management is a graduate business school at the University of California, Davis.Established in 1981, the school has a number of programs...
, in addition to 90 research programs offered by UC Davis Graduate Studies
UC Davis Graduate Studies
UC Davis Graduate Studies offers over 90 graduate programs and includes a student body of over 4,000 students from around the world.-History:Graduate divisions have a long history in the University of California system, particularly at the Berkeley, Davis, and San Francisco campuses. For over 80...
. UC Davis' School of Veterinary Medicine is the largest in the United States and ranked second in the nation.
The UC Davis Aggies
UC Davis Aggies
The UC Davis Aggies compete in NCAA Division I sports in the Big West Conference. For football, the Aggies compete in Division I FCS , and are members of the Great West Conference, granting UC Davis the distinction of being one of only three UC campuses to field a football team...
compete in the NCAA Division I level primarily in the Big West Conference
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
as well as Great West Conference, Pacific-12 Conference, and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation is a college athletic conference whose member teams are located in the western United States. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I level.-History:...
. In its first year of full Division I status, 11 UC Davis teams qualified for NCAA post-season.
History
George Pardee
George Cooper Pardee was an American doctor of medicine and politician. The 21st Governor of California, holding office from January 7, 1903, to January 9, 1907, Pardee was the second native-born Californian to assume the governorship, after Romualdo Pacheco, and the first governor born in...
signed into law an act to establish a university farm school for the University of California (at the time, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
was the sole campus of the University). It would be more than a year before that commission selected a tiny town, then known as Davisville, as the site. What was to become the third UC Campus opened its doors to 40 degree students (all male) from UC Berkeley in January 1909 as the "University Farm." (The farm had begun accepting non-degree farmers' short courses in October 1908; there were initially around 115 such attendees.) The establishment of the Farm was largely the result of the vision and perseverance of Peter J. Shields
Peter J. Shields
Peter J. Shields is best known for his contributions leading to the establishment of the University of California, Davis, beginning in 1908 as the University Farm. The main library of UC Davis, Shields Library, is named in honor of Peter J. Shields.-External links:**...
, secretary of the State Agricultural Society, and the Peter J. Shields Library at UC Davis was named in his honor. Shields began to champion the cause of a University Farm to teach agriculture in a more applied fashion after hearing about California students who chose to go to out-of-state universities due to the lack of such programs in the University of California at that time. He later stated:
There was a College of Agriculture at Berkeley in connection with the University of California, but it was purely academic. It was largely confined to the study of botany and chemistry; it had no farm and little prestige; it was apt to be thought of as a snap curriculum, attracting students who wanted to go to college but wanted to avoid its more difficult work.
After two failed bills, a law authorizing the creation of a University Farm was passed on March 18, 1905, and Yolo County
Yolo County, California
Yolo County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California, bordered by the other counties of Sacramento, Solano, Napa, Lake, Colusa, and Sutter. The city of Woodland is its county seat, though Davis is its largest city....
, home to some of California's prime farmland, was chosen as the site. The Farm accepted its first female students in 1914 from Berkeley. Renamed in 1922 the Northern Branch of the College of Agriculture, it continued growing at a breakneck pace: in 1916 the Farm's 314 students occupied the original 778 acres (314.8 ha) campus, but by 1951 it had already expanded to a size of 3000 acres (1,214.1 ha). In 1959, the campus was declared by the Regents of the University of California
Regents of the University of California
The Regents of the University of California make up the governing board of the University of California. The Board has 26 full members:* The majority are appointed by the Governor of California for 12-year terms....
as the seventh general campus in the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
system.
Occupy UC Davis
During a November 18, 2011 protest against increasing tuition hikes, campus police Lieutenant John Pike used pepper sprayPepper spray
Pepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...
on seated students. The incident drew international attention and led to further demonstrations, petitions, and calls for Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi
Linda P.B. Katehi
Pisti Basile "Linda" Katehi-Tseregounis is a Greek-American engineer and university administrator. Since 2009, she has served as the sixth chancellor of the University of California, Davis.-Early life and education:...
to resign.
Campus
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
in the Sacramento Valley
Sacramento Valley
The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses all or parts of ten counties.-Geography:...
, part of California's Central Valley, it is adjacent to Interstate Highway 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
. The Davis campus is the only school within the UC system with an airport
University Airport
University Airport is a public-use airport located two nautical miles west of the central business district of Davis, a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is owned by the University of California. and operated by Transportation and Parking Services of the University of California,...
, just west of main campus, and is one of two UC schools with its own fire department
University of California, Davis Fire Department
The UC Davis Fire Department provides fire and emergency services to the UC Davis campus and Davis community. The department was started in 1917 when the need was recognized by the Dean of the College of Agriculture....
; the other being UCSC
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
. It is also one of only two schools in the University of California system, the other being UC Berkeley, with a nuclear
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
lab.
Together with the larger community of Davis, UC Davis is one of the few remaining "true" college-towns in America. This is due to the relatively small population of Davis itself, (approximately 60,000) as well as the high percentage of students who live in the city itself. The ratio of students to long term residents has been estimated at 1:4. Also contributing to the college-town environment is the close proximity of downtown Davis to the campus' main quad—a matter of a few blocks, and 5-10 minute walk or bike ride. Davis' 15 minute distance from Sacramento provides it with both the isolation critical to fostering a college-town environment while also providing a lively and large metropolitan area nearby. Though the campus itself is vast, the entire community of Davis is relatively small and is easily traversable on bike utilizing Davis' extensive bicycle trails.
Towards the northeast end of campus is the Quad, a large rectangular field which sits adjacent to Freeborn Hall and the Memorial Union, which houses various establishments such as the UC Davis Bookstore, ASUCD Coffee House, food courts, Post Office, Sky Room, and the MU Games Area. The northeast side of campus holds more of the core buildings that were built earlier in UC Davis's history, such as Wellman Hall, Shields Library, Mrak Hall
Emil M. Mrak
Emil Marcel Mrak was an American food scientist, microbiologist, and former chancellor of the University of California, Davis. He was recognized internationally for his work in food preservation and as a world authority on the biology of yeasts.-Early years:Mrak was born in San Francisco,...
, and Hutchison Hall, as well as the North Entry Parking Structure. Also notable in this northeastern corner is the labyrinthine Social Sciences and Humanities building designed by Antoine Predock
Antoine Predock
Antoine Predock is an American architect based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Antoine Predock is the Principal of Antoine Predock Architect PC. The studio was established in 1967...
, known to students as the "Death Star
Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
" for its angular, metallic design.
The northwest end of campus holds the majority of the Segundo undergraduate housing complex and various alternative non-undergraduate housing such as Orchard Park, Russell Park, and The Colleges at LaRue Apartments. The Activities and Recreation Center, or the ARC, is also located near the Segundo complex. Off-campus to the northwest is the Cuarto undergraduate housing complex, which has two dining commons.
The Tercero undergraduate housing complex is located near the true geographic center of the UC Davis campus, to the north of the Arboretum Waterway, which stretches longitudinally through almost the entirety of the south end of campus. The Davis Arboretum
University of California, Davis, Arboretum
The University of California, Davis, Arboretum is an approximately or .40 square km arboretum along the banks of Putah Creek, at the south side of the University of California, Davis campus in Davis, California, USA...
is a public botanic garden with over 4,000 kinds of trees and plants, including many California native plants
California native plants
California native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century...
, that stretches for over 100 acres (40.5 ha) along The Waterway.
The majority of Equestrian Center, and Animal Sciences buildings are located near the Arboretum Waterway, away from the core campus; the West Entry Parking Complex, the Silo Union, and the newly constructed Science Lecture Hall and the Science Laboratory Building are located nearer to the Tercero residence halls and the core of campus. The Mondavi Center
Mondavi Center
The Mondavi Center, or Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, is a performing arts venue located on the UC Davis campus in Davis, California...
, home of the University Symphony Orchestra and other cultural events, is also located near the Tercero complex.
There are five public art statues found around campus, collectively called The Egghead Series, sculpted by former art professor Robert Arneson
Robert Arneson
Robert Carston Arneson was an American sculptor and professor of ceramics in the Art department at UC Davis for four decades.- Career :...
who taught at Davis from 1962-1991 before his death in 1992. The egghead statues are considered by many to be among the most recognizable features of UC Davis's campus, and have even inspired a recent blog maintained by University staff. Additional pieces of Arneson's work are part of the Fine Arts Collection maintained by the Richard L. Nelson Gallery located in the Art Building.
"Bookhead" is located at the Shields Library plaza, "Yin & Yang" is located at the Fine Arts Complex, "See No Evil/Hear No Evil" is at the east lawn of King Hall (the main building for UC Davis' School of Law), "Eye on Mrak (Fatal Laff)" is outside Mrak Hall (housing the registrar office and other administrative offices), and "Stargazer" is located between North Hall and Young Hall. The "Yin & Yang" egg heads have been recast and duplicated for installment near the Port of San Francisco Ferry Building in San Francisco.
Demographics
In 2010, the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
made UC Davis its own separate census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
for statistical purposes. Most of the campus lies outside the Davis city limit. However, mail to the campus is still addressed, "Davis, CA".
The 2010 United States Census reported that University of California Davis had a population of 5,786. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,966.8 people per square mile (1,531.6/km²). The racial makeup of University of California Davis was 2,443 (42.2%) White, 144 (2.5%) African American, 22 (0.4%) Native American, 2,443 (42.2%) Asian, 7 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 364 (6.3%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 363 (6.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 728 persons (12.6%).
The Census reported that 2,561 people (44.3% of the population) lived in households, 3,225 (55.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 1,096 households, out of which 203 (18.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 292 (26.6%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 59 (5.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 16 (1.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 34 (3.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 5 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 245 households (22.4%) were made up of individuals and 1 (0.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34. There were 367 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(33.5% of all households); the average family size was 2.75.
The population was spread out with 310 people (5.4%) under the age of 18, 4,298 people (74.3%) aged 18 to 24, 1,124 people (19.4%) aged 25 to 44, 41 people (0.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 13 people (0.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 19.6 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.
There were 1,125 housing units at an average density of 771.3 per square mile (297.8/km²), of which 1 (0.1%) were owner-occupied, and 1,095 (99.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 0.6%. 1 people (0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,560 people (44.2%) lived in rental housing units.
Organization and administration
The entire University of California system is governed by The Regents, a 26-member board, as established under Article IX, Section 9 of the California Constitution. The board appoints the University's principal officers including the system-wide president and UC Davis Chancellor."The UC Davis Chancellor is the Chief Executive Officer of an institution with a $3 billion annual budget, a $678 million research enterprise, 5300 acres (2,144.8 ha) central campus, 32,000 students and 28,000 employees. The current and sixth chancellor is Linda Katehi. The Chancellor has overall responsibility for the leadership, management, and administration of the campus and reports "as an equal" to the President of the University of California system, a position currently held by Mark Yudof.
The Offices of the Chancellor and Provost is headed by the Executive Vice-Chancellor and Provost (EVCP). In their capacity as Executive Vice-Chancellor, the EVCP shares with the Chancellor in the overall leadership and management of campus administration and operations, whereas as Provost, the EVCP is UC Davis' chief academic officer.
The Senior Staff provides executive support to the Offices of the Chancellor and Provost. The Council of Deans and Vice-Chancellor consists of the heads of the university's major academic and administrative units.
Students are most likely to interact with or be directly affected by the Office of Student Affairs, which is run by the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, currently Fred Wood, and by a variety of associate and assistant vice-chancellors. This office oversees many campus units including: Admissions, Athletics, Campus Recreation, Campus Unions, Counseling and Psychological Services, Financial Aid, Student Housing and others.
UC Davis is organized into the following schools and colleges:
- UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesUC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesThe University of California, Davis, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences was established in 1922 and is one of nine colleges on the campus of the University of California, Davis. It offers undergraduate degrees in forty different majors and graduate degrees in thirty...
- UC Davis College of Biological SciencesUC Davis College of Biological SciencesThe University of California, Davis College of Biological Sciences was established in 2005 and is one of four colleges and five schools on the campus of the University of California, Davis. The CBS offers nine undergraduate degrees and nine graduate degrees. Since 2006, the college dean has been...
- UC Davis College of EngineeringUC Davis College of EngineeringThe UC Davis College of Engineering is one of nine colleges on the campus of the University of California, Davis. One of the largest engineering programs in the U.S., the UC Davis College of Engineering has the most ABET-accredited undergraduate engineering majors in the University of California...
- UC Davis College of Letters and ScienceUC Davis College of Letters and ScienceThe College of Letters and Science is a school within the University of California, Davis specializing in education in the fundamental liberal arts, mathematics, and sciences...
Graduate Schools:
- Betty Irene Moore School of NursingBetty Irene Moore School of NursingThe Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis was established in March 2009, UC Davis' first major initiative to address society's most pressing health-care problems in its second century of service. The school was launched through a $100 million commitment from the...
- UC Davis Graduate School of ManagementUC Davis Graduate School of ManagementThe UC Davis Graduate School of Management is a graduate business school at the University of California, Davis.Established in 1981, the school has a number of programs...
- UC Davis School of EducationUC Davis School of EducationThe , is one of 10 schools and colleges at the University of California, Davis. The school offers Ph.D., Ed.D, and M.A., degrees in education, as well as single and multiple subject teaching credentials...
- UC Davis School of LawUC Davis School of LawThe University of California Davis School of Law , referred to as UC Davis School of Law and commonly known as King Hall and UC Davis Law, is an American Bar Association approved law school located in Davis, California on the campus of the University of California, Davis. The school received ABA...
- UC Davis School of MedicineUC Davis School of MedicineThe University of California Davis School of Medicine is one of five University of California medical schools in the state of California, associated with UC Davis.-History:...
- UC Davis School of Veterinary MedicineUC Davis School of Veterinary MedicineThe University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, is the largest veterinary school in the United States. Established in 1948, the school is the primary health resource for California's various animal populations. The school is ranked 2nd for veterinary schools in the country...
Academics
The university has 102 undergraduate majors and 87 graduate programs. It has a Department of Viticulture and EnologyUC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology
The Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis, located in Davis, California, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the areas of grape growing and wine making. Located just 45 minutes from Napa Wine Country the department has strong connections with wine...
(concerning the scientific study of grape-growing and winemaking) that has been and continues to be responsible for significant advancements in winemaking utilized by many Californian wineries. The campus is noted for its Agricultural and Resource Economics programs, and the large Department of Animal Science through which students can study at the university's own on-campus dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
, meat-processing plant, equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
facility, and experimental farm. Students of Environmental Horticulture and other botanical sciences have many acres of campus farmland and the University of California, Davis, Arboretum
University of California, Davis, Arboretum
The University of California, Davis, Arboretum is an approximately or .40 square km arboretum along the banks of Putah Creek, at the south side of the University of California, Davis campus in Davis, California, USA...
at their disposal. The Department of Applied Science was founded and formerly chaired by physicist Edward Teller
Edward Teller
Edward Teller was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist, known colloquially as "the father of the hydrogen bomb," even though he did not care for the title. Teller made numerous contributions to nuclear and molecular physics, spectroscopy , and surface physics...
. Dance, music, studio arts, and theatre are studied extensively on the campus, and the Mondavi Center
Mondavi Center
The Mondavi Center, or Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, is a performing arts venue located on the UC Davis campus in Davis, California...
for the Performing Arts features artists from all over the globe.
UC Davis undergraduate majors are divided into four colleges:
- College of Letters and Science
- College of Biological Science
- College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
- College of Engineering.
UC Davis has several professional schools:
- UC Davis Graduate StudiesUC Davis Graduate StudiesUC Davis Graduate Studies offers over 90 graduate programs and includes a student body of over 4,000 students from around the world.-History:Graduate divisions have a long history in the University of California system, particularly at the Berkeley, Davis, and San Francisco campuses. For over 80...
- Graduate School of ManagementUC Davis Graduate School of ManagementThe UC Davis Graduate School of Management is a graduate business school at the University of California, Davis.Established in 1981, the school has a number of programs...
- School of EducationUC Davis School of EducationThe , is one of 10 schools and colleges at the University of California, Davis. The school offers Ph.D., Ed.D, and M.A., degrees in education, as well as single and multiple subject teaching credentials...
- School of LawUC Davis School of LawThe University of California Davis School of Law , referred to as UC Davis School of Law and commonly known as King Hall and UC Davis Law, is an American Bar Association approved law school located in Davis, California on the campus of the University of California, Davis. The school received ABA...
- School of MedicineUC Davis School of MedicineThe University of California Davis School of Medicine is one of five University of California medical schools in the state of California, associated with UC Davis.-History:...
- School of Veterinary MedicineUC Davis School of Veterinary MedicineThe University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, is the largest veterinary school in the United States. Established in 1948, the school is the primary health resource for California's various animal populations. The school is ranked 2nd for veterinary schools in the country...
- School of NursingBetty Irene Moore School of NursingThe Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis was established in March 2009, UC Davis' first major initiative to address society's most pressing health-care problems in its second century of service. The school was launched through a $100 million commitment from the...
.
The university is also host to the largest Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program in California, with more than 120 cadets. With more than sixty years in existence, it currently commissions roughly 30 to 40 graduating seniors as second lieutenants every year.
Rankings
In 2012, U.S. News and World Report ranked UC Davis as the 9th best public university in the United States, and the 4th best of the UC schools, after UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD. UC Davis is also ranked 38th overall nationwide. In 2012, Forbes Magazine ranked UC Davis as the 7th best public school in the nation, 39th among national research universities, and the 3rd best of the UC schools, after UC Berkeley and UCLA.In terms of Graduate Studies, U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
placed UC Davis 3rd Nationally in Ecology and Evolution, 2nd in Veterinary Medicine, 19th in American politics, 15th in International Economics, and 23rd in Law in 2012.
The Washington Monthly
The Washington Monthly
The Washington Monthly is a bimonthly nonprofit magazine of United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C.The magazine's founder is Charles Peters, who started the magazine in 1969 and continues to write the "Tilting at Windmills" column in each issue. Paul Glastris, former...
ranked UC Davis 6th in its 2010 National College Ranking.
In 2008, UC Davis was ranked 42nd in the world and 34th in the Americas by an annual listing of the Top 500 World Universities published by the Institute of Higher Education in Shanghai, China.
The faculty is "highly cited" for its research according to the Institute for Scientific Information
Institute for Scientific Information
The Institute for Scientific Information was founded by Eugene Garfield in 1960. It was acquired by Thomson Scientific & Healthcare in 1992, became known as Thomson ISI and now is part of the Healthcare & Science business of the multi-billion dollar Thomson Reuters Corporation.ISI offered...
. Strengths in liberal arts and sciences and research strengths earned it membership in the Association of American Universities
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education...
.
UC Davis was awarded an A- from the 2010 College Sustainability Report Card, which grades schools on their level of environmental sustainability across nine categories. In 2010, UC Davis was also ranked 16th in Sierra magazine's national Cool Schools rankings.
Admissions
| Ethnic enrollment, 2009 |
Under- graduates |
Graduates |
Professional |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African American | 723 (3%) | 76 (2%) | 72 (2%) | 871 (2.7%) |
| Native American | 171 (1%) | 33 (1%) | 16 (0%) | 220 (0.7%) |
| Asian American Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,... and Pacific Islander |
9,743 (40%) | 498 (12%) | 858 (26%) | 11,099 (34.5%) |
| Hispanic and Latino American Hispanic and Latino Americans Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins... |
3,337 (14%) | 231 (5%) | 234 (7%) | 3,802 (11.8%) |
| White White American White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa... |
8,693 (35%) | 1,972 (47%) | 1,514 (46%) | 12,179 (37.9%) |
| International, Other | 1,988 (8%) | 1,405 (34%) | 589 (18%) | 3982 (12.4%) |
| Total | 24,655 (76.7%) | 4,215 (13.1%) | 3,283 (10.2%) | 32,153 (100%) |
Admission to UC Davis is rated as "most selective" by U.S. News and World Report.
Between 2007 and 2008, UC Davis saw the largest increase in freshman applicants out of all UC campuses - from 35,088 to 42,311, a 20.6% increase.
For Fall 2009, with a record high of 39,288 applicants from California high schools, UC Davis admitted 18,146 students, or 46.2%. The average GPA of admitted students increased to a 4.0. Also showing gains were the average scores on admission tests and the percentage from the top 4 percent of their high school class.
31% of admitted students receive federal Pell grant
Pell Grant
A Pell Grant is money the federal government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Federal Pell Grants are limited to students with financial need, who have not earned their first bachelor's degree or who are not enrolled in certain post-baccalaureate programs, through participating...
s.
Library
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, contains more than 3.5 million volumes and offers a number of special collections and services. The Peter J. Shields Library has three different architectural styles due to various construction and extensions being added; it is the main library where students study on-campus, with a 24-hour reading room, open computer labs, and unique furniture.
Faculty and research
According to the National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, UC Davis spent $456,653,000 on research and development in the fiscal year 2002-2003, ranking it 14th in the nation. Specifically, UC Davis's expenditures nationally ranked first in agricultural research ($25,683,000), seventh in biological research ($118,477,000), and 13th in the life sciences ($336,796,000).
Its faculty includes 18 members of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, 6 members of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
, 7 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, 2 Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winners, 2 MacArthur Fellows and one member of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
.
The campus supports a number of research centers, laboratories and centers including:
- Information Center for the Environment
- Center for Health and the Environment
- Center for Visual SciencesCenter for Visual SciencesThe Center for Visual Sciences is a virtual central resource at the University of California at Davis, United States, focused on boosting collaboration in and funding of research in the visual sciences. The center serves in part as a bridge between vision researchers at the Center for Neuroscience...
, - Advanced Highway Maintenance Construction Technology Research Laboratory
- MIND InstituteMIND InstituteThe UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute research and treatment center affiliated with the University of California, Davis, with facilities located on the UC Davis Medical Center campus in Sacramento, California...
- University of California Pavement Research Center
- Energy Efficiency Center (the very first university run Energy Efficiency Center in the Nation).
- Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences
- Bodega Bay Marine Laboratory
- California Raptor Center
- California National Primate Research Center
- Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas
The Crocker Nuclear Laboratory on campus has had a nuclear accelerator since 1966. The laboratory is used by scientists and engineers from private industry, universities and government to research topics including nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
, applied solid state physics, radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
effects, and planetary geology
Planetary geology
Planetary geology, alternatively known as astrogeology or exogeology, is a planetary science discipline concerned with the geology of the celestial bodies such as the planets and their moons, asteroids, comets, and meteorites...
and cosmogenics
UC Davis is also one of 62 members in the prestigious Association of American Universities
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education...
(as of 1996). The Association of American Universities is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. It consists of sixty universities in the United States (both public and private) and two universities in Canada.
Agilent Technologies will also work with the university in establishing a Davis Millimeter Wave Research Center to conduct research on millimeter wave and THz systems.
Student life
The undergraduate student government of UC Davis is the Associated Students of UC Davis (ASUCD), and has an annual operating budget of 11.1 million dollars, making it the largest-funded student government in the United States. ASUCD includes an Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branch. Other than representing the student body on campus, the task of ASUCD is to lobby student interests to local and state government. Also under the purview of ASUCD are the student-run Coffee House is an ASUCD unit and Unitrans
Unitrans
Unitrans is the name for the transit system which operates in Davis, California. It takes its name from an abbreviation of the words "University Transport". Excepting several managerial and maintenance positions, Unitrans is managed and operated entirely by students of the University of...
, the Davis public bus system. ASUCD employs thousands of students annually across its many units.
Picnic Day (UC Davis)
Picnic Day is an annual open house event held in April at the University of California, Davis. Picnic Day was first held on May 22, 1909. It has grown to be what is believed to be the largest student-run event in the United States, typically drawing more than 50,000 visitors. In 2009, around...
, UC Davis's annual Open House, is the largest student-run event in the United States. It attracts thousands of visitors each year with its many attractions. These include a parade, a magic show performed by the chemistry department, the Doxie Derby (dachshund
Dachshund
The dachshund is a short-legged, long-bodied dog breed belonging to the hound family. The standard size dachshund was bred to scent, chase, and flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals, while the miniature dachshund was developed to hunt smaller prey such as rabbits...
races), film screenings, and a Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bands
Battle of Bands is a contest in which two or more bands compete for the title of "best band". The winner is determined by a panel of judges, the general response of the audience, or a combination. The winning band usually receives a prize in addition to bragging rights. Traditionally, battles of...
between the Band and other college bands including the Cal Band
Cal Band
The University of California Marching Band, usually shortened to Cal Band, is the marching band for the University of California, Berkeley. While the Cal Band is student-run, it is administered under the auspices of the university and represents Cal at sporting events and social gatherings...
, the Stanford Band
Stanford Band
The Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band is the student marching band of Stanford University. Billing itself as "The World's Largest Rock and Roll Band", the Stanford Band performs at sporting events, student activities, and other functions...
, and the Humboldt State Marching Band.
Another highlight of UC Davis is its student-run freeform
Freeform (radio format)
Freeform, or freeform radio, is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations, in which DJs have little or no...
radio station, KDVS
KDVS
KDVS is an American student and community radio station based in Davis, California. Featuring a freeform programming format, the station is owned by Regents of the University of California...
. The station began operations on February 1, 1964 from the laundry room of the all-male dormitory Beckett Hall. The station soon gained a reputation by airing interviews with Angela Davis
Angela Davis
Angela Davis is an American political activist, scholar, and author. Davis was most politically active during the late 1960s through the 1970s and was associated with the Communist Party USA, the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Party...
and a live call-in show with then California Governor
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
in 1969. The station can now be heard on 90.3 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
and online at its website.
UC Davis has some 400 registered student organizations, ranging from political clubs to professional societies to language clubs. Student clubs are managed through the Student Programs and Activities Center (SPAC).
The academic Graduate Students and management students are represented by the Graduate Student Association (GSA). The Law Students are represented by Law Students Association.
Students are also encouraged to wear Aggie Blue on game days to show their Aggie Pride. If spotted wearing Aggie Blue by the Aggie Pack, students may have UC Davis paraphernalia thrown at them as a reward.
Students also participate in intramural sports such as basketball, ultimate frisbee, soccer and many more. The ARC is one of the, if not, the largest student recreational center amongst schools in the nation. It contains a basketball gym, work out room, rock climbing wall, and other studio rooms for group exercise.
Other student activities
- UnitransUnitransUnitrans is the name for the transit system which operates in Davis, California. It takes its name from an abbreviation of the words "University Transport". Excepting several managerial and maintenance positions, Unitrans is managed and operated entirely by students of the University of...
, the student run (and driven) bus system. - The Coffee House, also known as the CoHo, is a student run restaurant serving 7000 customers daily.
- The Bike Barn, a bicycle shop that sells and rents bicycles and cycling equipment, also operating a repair shop.
- KDVSKDVSKDVS is an American student and community radio station based in Davis, California. Featuring a freeform programming format, the station is owned by Regents of the University of California...
, student radio. - The Entertainment Council, responsible for bringing famous musicians to campus and organizing student events.
- US Post Office, a completely student-run official United States Postal Service Contract Station.
Transportation
UC Davis is also well known for its bus service, Unitrans
Unitrans
Unitrans is the name for the transit system which operates in Davis, California. It takes its name from an abbreviation of the words "University Transport". Excepting several managerial and maintenance positions, Unitrans is managed and operated entirely by students of the University of...
, and its trademark London double decker buses
Double-decker bus
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...
. It has been in operation since 1968 and is believed to be the only general purpose (non-sightseeing) transit system in the U.S. to operate vintage double deck buses in daily service. The system is operated and managed entirely by students and offers fixed-route transportation throughout the city. There is also an inter-campus bus service that ferries back and forth between UC Davis and UC Berkeley twice daily, from Monday to Friday.
The central campus is bounded by freeways on two sides (Highway 113 and Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
). All other UC campuses are either somewhat distant from the closest freeway or are directly adjacent to only one freeway. Two freeway exits are entirely within UCD's boundaries. One, off Highway 113, is signed "UC Davis / Hutchison Drive" and the other, off Interstate 80, is signed exclusively as "UC Davis."
Easy freeway access, coupled with increasing housing costs in the city of Davis, have led to increased numbers of students commuting via automobile. Some students choose to live in the neighboring communities of Sacramento, Dixon or Woodland, and use their own cars or the county-wide Yolobus to get to UC Davis.
The California Aggie
UC Davis also publishes a daily student newspaperStudent newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
, The California Aggie
The California Aggie
The California Aggie is a daily newspaper distributed in the Davis, California area. It is staffed entirely by UC Davis students and is the official campus newspaper.-History:...
. The Aggie was first published in 1915 as the Weekly Agricola after its approval by the Associated Student Executive Committee. At this point, UC Davis was considered the University Farm, an extension of UC Berkeley.
Initially, the Weekly Agricola was focused on both student news and farming-related topics. Novelist Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
was one of the first readers of the Weekly Agricola. In 1922, it was renamed to match the school's athletic name. Today, the Aggie has the largest print distribution in Yolo County, at around 12,000 copies distributed daily.
Greek life
Social fraternities and sororities have been a part of the University of California at Davis since 1913. Approximately 8% of the university's undergraduate students are involved in the school's fraternities and sororities. One sorority, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi, was featured during the first season of the MTV reality show "Sorority Life."There are currently 17 fraternities that are a part of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) in Davis. The IFC representatives attend weekly meetings to guarantee that all UC Davis rules and regulations are followed. The meetings are also used to inform the fraternities about all upcoming activities throughout the week. The 16 fraternities are: Alpha Epsilon Pi
Alpha Epsilon Pi
Alpha Epsilon Pi , the Global Jewish college fraternity, has 155 active chapters in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Israel with a membership of over 9,000 undergraduates...
, Alpha Gamma Omega
Alpha Gamma Omega
Alpha Gamma Omega is a national, Christ-Centered fraternity. It was founded in 1927 at UCLA, making it one of the oldest national fraternities in the United States that has retained its Christian values. There were 12 original charter members, with E. Harlan Fischer appointed as the first...
, Chi Phi
Chi Phi
The Chi Phi ' Fraternity is an American College Social Fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The oldest active organization that took part in the union was originally founded in 1824 at Princeton...
, Delta Chi
Delta Chi
Delta Chi or D-Chi is an international Greek letter college social fraternity formed on October 13, 1890,at Cornell University, initially as a professional fraternity for law students. On April 29, 1922, Delta Chi became a general membership social fraternity, eliminating the requirement for men...
, Delta Sigma Phi
Delta Sigma Phi
Delta Sigma Phi is a fraternity established at the City College of New York in 1899 and is a charter member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference. The headquarters of the fraternity is the Taggart Mansion located in Indianapolis, Indiana...
, Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
, Lambda Phi Epsilon
Lambda Phi Epsilon
Lambda Phi Epsilon is an internationally-recognized fraternity in the United States and Canada. With a total of 53 chapters, it is the largest Asian-interest fraternity in North America...
, Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha is a Greek social fraternity with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.-History:...
, Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi
Phi Kappa Psi is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1852. There are over a hundred chapters and colonies at accredited four year colleges and universities throughout the United States. More than 112,000 men have been...
, Sigma Alpha Mu
Sigma Alpha Mu
Sigma Alpha Mu , also known as "Sammy", is a college fraternity founded at the City College of New York in 1909. Originally only for Jewish men, Sigma Alpha Mu remained so until 1953, when members from all backgrounds were accepted. Originally headquartered in New York, Sigma Alpha Mu has...
, Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
, Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...
, Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...
, Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...
, Theta Chi
Theta Chi
Theta Chi Fraternity is an international college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 as the Theta Chi Society, at Norwich University, Norwich, Vermont, U.S., and was the 21st of the 71 North-American Interfraternity Conference men's fraternities.-Founding and early years at Norwich:Theta...
, and Theta Xi
Theta Xi
Theta Xi was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York on 29 April 1864. Theta Xi Fraternity was originally founded as an engineering fraternity, the first professional fraternity...
.
The Panehellenic Council is similar to the Interfraternity Council, but is the governing council for many sororities at UC Davis. They are responsible for organizing recruitment, and overseeing that all regulations are upheld. There are currently 8 sororities that are a part of the Panhellenic Council. The 8 sororities are: Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Chi Omega is a women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. Currently, there are 135 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities across the United States and more than 200,000 lifetime members...
, Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity was founded at Syracuse University on September 18, 1872. Alpha Phi currently has 152 active chapters and over 200,000 initiated members. Its celebrated Founders' Day is October 10. It was the third Greek-letter organization founded for women. In Alpha...
, Chi Omega
Chi Omega
Chi Omega is a women's fraternity and the largest member of the National Panhellenic Conference. Chi Omega has 174 active collegiate chapters and over 230 alumnae chapters. Chi Omega's national headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee....
, Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta , also known as Tri Delta, is an international sorority founded on November 27, 1888, the eve of Thanksgiving Day. With over 200,000 initiates, Tri Delta is one of the world's largest NPC sororities.-History:...
, Delta Gamma
Delta Gamma
Delta Gamma is one of the oldest and largest women's fraternities in the United States and Canada, with its Executive Offices based in Columbus, Ohio.-History:...
, Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...
, Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma is a collegiate women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted that October 13, 1870 should be recognized at the official Founders Day, because no...
, and Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and...
.
The Phi Chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho
Alpha Gamma Rho
Alpha Gamma Rho is a social-professional fraternity in the United States, with 75 university chapters including chapter in Mindanao State University, Philippines...
was locally established May 1 of 1923 at UC Davis making it the first continuously running national fraternity on campus. They started as the Kappa Tau Fraternity, which was the first Agricultural Fraternity on campus. Many campus buildings are named after alumni of Alpha Gamma Rho such as Emil Mrak (Mrak Hall, Registrar's office), Orville Thompson (Thompson Hall, Segundo student housing), and Dean De Carli (the De Carli room, 2nd floor MU), Mel Olson Scoreboard (Aggie Stadium), and many more. The AGR Hall is an event space located inside the Buehler Alumni / Visitor's Center and is commonly rented out as a conference room or banquet hall. There are both national and local fraternities and sororities at UCD with diverse backgrounds and histories.
Athletics
- For more information, see UC Davis AggiesUC Davis AggiesThe UC Davis Aggies compete in NCAA Division I sports in the Big West Conference. For football, the Aggies compete in Division I FCS , and are members of the Great West Conference, granting UC Davis the distinction of being one of only three UC campuses to field a football team...
The UC Davis Aggies (or Ags) compete in NCAA Division I sports in the Big West Conference
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
. For football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, the Aggies compete in Division I FCS (formerly known as Division I-AA), and are members of the Great West Conference, granting UC Davis the distinction of being one of only three UC campuses to field a football team (Cal
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
being the other two). The Aggies are also members of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation is a college athletic conference whose member teams are located in the western United States. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I level.-History:...
in gymnastics and lacrosse, the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association
The Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association is an American collegiate conference that only sponsors rowing.-Men's Rowing Members:*Arizona State University*California State University, Humboldt*California State University, Long Beach...
in rowing
Davis Men's Crew Club
The Davis Men's Crew Club is a collegiate sports club representing the University of California, Davis in rowing. As a non-funded team, it is a member of the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association , whose participants are mostly of non-Pac-10 schools on the West Coast...
, and an associate member of the Pacific-10 Conference in wrestling.
The UC Davis Men's Crew Club
Davis Men's Crew Club
The Davis Men's Crew Club is a collegiate sports club representing the University of California, Davis in rowing. As a non-funded team, it is a member of the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association , whose participants are mostly of non-Pac-10 schools on the West Coast...
is one of the more successful clubs both on campus and in the West. In 2008 the JV boat won first in nationals at the ACRA Championships in Tennessee and in 2009 the Varsity boat got second place in nationals at the ACRA Championships. They consistently compete against teams such as Stanford, the University of Washington and UC Berkeley.
The Aggies finished first in NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division II six times in 2003 and won the NACDA Directors' Cup 4 years in a row from 1999 to 2003. In 1998, the UC Davis men's basketball team won the NCAA Division II national championship despite being one of the few non-scholarship institutions in Division II at that time. They have also won NCAA Division II championships in Softball (2003), Men's Tennis (1992), and Women's Tennis (1990, 1993). These and other achievements motivated a decision (following a year of heavy discussion by campus administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni and the local community) in 2003 for the athletics program to re-classify to Division I.
Stanford Stadium
Stanford Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the Stanford University campus, the home of Stanford Cardinal college football team. It originally opened in 1921 as a football and track stadium, an earthen horseshoe with wooden bleacher seating and flooring upon a steel frame...
by a score of 20-17 on a TD pass with 8 seconds left in the game. The Aggies also pulled off an upset against Stanford in basketball just months later, beating the Cardinal 64-58 with a late rally at home on December 4, 2005. The win in these two major sports and the addition of the Aggies beating the Cardinal in soccer earlier in 2005 as well as a win in wrestling and two wins in baseball pulled the Aggies' win loss record with Stanford to 5-1 for men's sports the 05-06 year.
The Aggie football team plays Sacramento State
California State University, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento, popularly known as Sacramento State, is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...
in the annual Causeway Classic
Causeway Classic
The Causeway Classic is the annual College football game between the Sacramento State Hornets and the UC Davis Aggies. In the past, the Causeway Carriage was transported to the winner of the game at the loser's expense...
for the Causeway Carriage
Causeway Carriage
The Causeway Carriage is a Victorian era carriage awarded to each season's winner of Causeway Classic College football game between the University of California, Davis and the California State University, Sacramento ....
. The team also plays Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system....
in the annual Battle for the Golden Horseshoe
Battle for the Golden Horseshoe
The Battle for the Golden Horseshoe is an annual rivalry college football game played between the UC Davis Aggies and the Cal Poly SLO Mustangs. Although the two teams have met on the gridiron since 1939, the rivalry officially began with the 2004 game at Cal Poly SLO. The winner of the game...
. UC Davis students gather at sporting events to rally as the Aggie Pack
Aggie Pack
Students of the University of California at Davis who attend sporting events can join the Aggie Pack, the largest student-run university spirit organization in the United States. The Aggie Pack was started in 1992 as an attempt to increase attendance at games and events, and was successful...
, the largest student-run school spirit organization in the United States. The Aggie Pack cheers on the sports team along with the Spirit Squad to the music of the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh! and its alumni band. Aggie Stadium is the home of the UC Davis football and lacrosse teams.
UC Davis also had a noteworthy wrestling program, which competed in the Pac-10 at the Division I level. In 2007, UC Davis wrestler Derek Moore gained All-American status, as well as won the NCAA Division I Championships for his weight class. Moore also received the "Most Outstanding Wrestler" award of the NCAA tournament. In doing so, Derek Moore became the first UC Davis student-athlete to become a NCAA champion at the Division I level. That same year, UC Davis finished within the top 25 for Division I collegiate wrestling programs in the country.
Wrestling was cut from the athletic department in April 2010. Other cuts included men's swimming, men's indoor track, and women's rowing. The athletic's department had to cut $1.79 million out of the budget. 14 women's teams and 9 men's teams were funded for the 2010-2011 school year.
The official school colors are blue and gold. The blue is due to the UC's early connection to Yale and as a result is often referred to as "Yale Blue
Yale Blue
Yale Blue is the dark blue color used in association with Yale University.University Printer John Gambell, who was asked to standardize the color in 2005, characterized its spirit as "a strong, relatively dark blue, neither purple nor green, though it can be somewhat gray...
" (e.g., see and ), although UCD's official blue, usually called "Aggie Blue", Pantone 295 differs from Yale Blue (approximately Pantone 289).
The official school mascot is the mustang
Mustang (horse)
A Mustang is a free-roaming horse of the North American west that first descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but there is intense debate over terminology...
. Students at UC Davis are referred to as Aggies in honor of the school's agricultural heritage. Unlike most colleges, there is a distinction between the name for students and the mascot. There was a movement to change the school's mascot from the mustang to the cow
Dairy cattle
Dairy cattle are cattle cows bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cows generally are of the species Bos taurus....
, but despite student support this was turned down after opposition from alumni. Many people will call the mustang mascot of UC Davis an Aggie
Aggie
-People:Aggie may be a diminutive form of the given names Agne, Agnatha, Agamemnon, Agata/Agatha, Agnija, or Agnes. It may also be a diminutive form of a family name that begins with 'Ag-'.People who are known as 'Aggie' include:* Christopher J.C...
, but this is not its proper name; the mustang mascot is named Gunrock. The name dates to 1921 when the US Army brought a horse named Gun Rock
Gun Rock
Gunrock is the official mascot of the UC Davis Aggies. He is named after Gun Rock, who was born in 1914 and was the offspring of English Triple Crown winner Rock Sand and race mare Gunfire. His bloodlines are similar to those of the legendary racehorse Man O' War. In 1921, he was brought by the U.S...
to UC Davis to supply high-quality stock for cavalry horses. The mustang mascot was selected to honor that cavalry horse.
Sustainability
UC Davis has implemented many environmentally sustainable features on campus. In the Fall of 2010, UCD opened a renovated Dining Commons in the Cuarto living area. The dining hall prides itself on its sustainability and use of local produce. Currently there are two LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
-certified buildings operated by the university — the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, which is the first brewery, winery or food-processing facilities in the world to achieve Platinum-level certification, and the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences at Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
, one of only five laboratories in the world to achieve Platinum-level certification. Plans call for additional campus buildings to meet standards equivalent to LEED Silver, and for the development of UC Davis West Village as a "zero net energy" community.
The university was given two Best Practice Awards at the 2009 annual Sustainability Conference, held by the University of California, California State University and the California Community Colleges, for the campus's lighting retrofit project and sustainable design in new construction.
UC Davis has used the olives from the old trees on campus to produce olive oil and table olives, and the school uses drought-tolerant landscaping on and around campus. The campus also operates its own landfill, where it converts landfill (methane) gas to energy.
For its efforts in campus sustainability, UC Davis earned an A- on the 2010 College Sustainability Report Card, one of 27 schools to achieve the highest grade awarded.
UC Davis is also home to the Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI), which is part of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). ASI provides leadership for research, teaching, outreach, and extension efforts in agricultural and food systems sustainability at the Davis campus and throughout the UC system.
UC Davis, introduced by Arnold Schwarzenegger as the "environmental capital of the world", hosted Governors' Global Climate Summit 3 (GGCS3) which is an international climate forum for the top leaders of local, regional, national and international entities, as well as those from academia, business and nonprofit. The summit featured talks that promised to broaden national partnerships through an increased understanding of unique environmental and economic challenges in the continuation to grow a clean, green economy. The summit included more than 1,500 attendees from more than 80 countries.
People
See also
- University of CaliforniaUniversity of CaliforniaThe University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
- Mondavi CenterMondavi CenterThe Mondavi Center, or Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, is a performing arts venue located on the UC Davis campus in Davis, California...
- UC Davis PavilionUC Davis PavilionThe Pavilion at ARC, formerly known as Recreation Hall and best known as The Pavilion, is an 8,000-seat, indoor multi-purpose stadium on the campus of the University of California, Davis in Davis, California.-History and renovations:...
- Aggie Stadium
- UC Davis Medical CenterUC Davis Medical CenterUC Davis Medical Center is a private, major academic health center located in Sacramento, California.The 645-bed hospital serves as key referral center for a area that includes 33 counties and 6 million residents...
External links
- Official Website
- Official Athletics Website
- Davis Wiki - Wiki for the community of Davis