United Way kicks off 'What Matters' campaign

"What Matters" is the theme for the 2004 UC Davis United Way campaign. The annual campaign runs Nov. 1-15 on campus and at the medical center.

Last year employees designated more than $27,000 in donations to 37 agencies in the greater Sacramento area, including nine at the UC Davis Medical Center and more than 13 in Yolo County. About 86.5 cents of every dollar goes directly to community agencies.

Programs benefiting include the M.I.N.D. Institute, the UC Davis Children's Hospital and the Cancer Center.

Donations can be made using United eWay Online Pledging. The eWay site collects employee donations using a firewall and encryption that has earned VeriSign Secure Site certification. Employees also can make contributions during the campaign by completing a paper form.

For more information, contact (530) 752-9795 or governmentandcommunityrelations@ucdavis.edu.

Campus's International Education Week celebrates 'Gateway to Peace'

The theme "International Education: Gateway to Peace" will be celebrated Nov. 15-19 as International Education Week takes place on campus. The week is designated annually by the U.S. departments of Education and State as a time to promote understanding between Americans and people of other nations.

Activities of the "week" continue through Nov. 21 and include a full calendar of lectures, forums, dance, music, theater and film.

Events include the Nov. 10 Chancellor's Forum during which he will relay experiences from his recent international trips to Iran and South America. He also will outline his vision for the role of international education in building mutual understanding and good will.

And on Nov. 16 a distinguished lawyer and writer from Iran, Mehrangiz Kar, will speak at the University Club. Posted at Harvard University, Kar is a member of the Scholars at Risk Network.

The International Education Week schedule is updated online at http://uoip.ucdavis.edu/iew/.

Playwright takes ‘Twilight’ on stage at Mondavi Center

Anna Deavere Smith will speak about her book, Twilight: Los Angeles 1992, at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, in Mondavi Center.

In the aftermath of the Rodney King trial and subsequent riots, Deavere Smith took to the streets of Los Angeles looking for some answers. She interviewed hundreds of people in crafting Twilight, an award-winning book she describes as "documentary theatre."

In her Mondavi Center lecture, Smith will discuss Twilight and its central issues and will perform some of the characters in the book. Twilight gives voice to scores of real-life people, from Police Chief Daryl Gates to a gang member, from Korean store owners to a white juror. Also an actress, Smith has appeared in many films and TV shows, including NBC's "The West Wing."

Her book was selected as the 2004 Campus Community Book Project. Visit http://occr.ucdavis.edu/ccbp for more details about the book project.

For ticket information, visit www.mondaviarts.org or call (530) 754-2787 or (866)-754-2787.

Work on Pavilion expansion to hospital to begin

Subcontractors for the new Surgical and Emergency Services Pavilion at the medical center are beginning to assemble at the site of the new facility. Initial work will consist of the removal of some exterior, precast concrete panels on the Davis Tower. That process will be followed by major excavation activity. Work on the foundation and steel frame will begin in early 2005.

The Pavilion will have three stories above grade and one below, and encompass 470,000 square feet. It will wrap around the eastern and southern sides of the Davis Tower and provide the hospital with a new main entrance. Among other features, the Pavilion will include a new emergency room, new operating rooms, and a new cafeteria, kitchen and other facilities of Food and Nutrition Services.

For more information on the Pavilion and other construction projects upcoming or under way at UC Davis Medical Center, go to the Web at http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/construction.

Med center Staff Assembly gathering set

A "Health System Update" will be presented at the annual fall meeting of UC Davis Health System's Staff Assembly, set for Wednesday, Nov. 10, from 3-4:30 p.m. in the UC Davis Cancer Center auditorium.

Presentations will include: a "State of the Health System" address offered by Bob Chason, CEO of the medical center; a "Strategic Plan" overview by Claire Pomeroy, executive associate dean for the medical school; and a "Facilities Update" by Michael Boyd, associate director for Facilities Planning, Design and Construction.

For details, call (916) 734-8671, (916) 734-3228, (916) 734-9515 or (916) 734-7288.