Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi has appointed two committees, one to craft an update of the Vision of Excellence and the other an advisory group for a possible new campus in the Sacramento area.

• Vision of Excellence Committee — The chancellor, who introduced the Vision of Excellence in July 2010, has formed this 12-member update committee in response to an idea that arose at a recent retreat of the Council of Deans and Vice Chancellors.

“Many of you shared a number of inspired ideas to help us in building an even stronger university that always puts students first, continues to attract and retain world-class faculty, and provides even greater public service through our outstanding research, programs and initiatives,” she said in a letter to the people whom she invited to serve on the committee.

James Hildreth, dean of the College of Biological Sciences, has agreed to be the chair.

Katehi wrote in her letter: “I anticipate the committee will prepare suggested updates and refinements to our current vision that enable our university to continue its strong upward trajectory."

She asked to receive the committee’s suggestions for updates and refinements to the Vision of Excellence by Feb. 1, 2015. "This will allow us to share these ideas with the broader UC Davis community as part of a comprehensive and inclusive outreach and consultative process," she wrote.

Vision of Excellence Committee:

• James Hildreth, dean, College of Biological Sciences (chair)
• Kimberly Lane, interim director, Public Affairs and Marketing, UC Davis Health System (ex officio)
• Steven C. Currall, dean, Graduate School of Management (he steps down as dean on Oct. 1, and takes up a new post as a chancellor’s adviser on UC Davis’ possible opening of a third campus, and as a catalyst between UC Davis and the Northern California business community)
• Carolyn de la Peña, vice provost, Office of Undergraduate Education
• Helene Dillard, dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
• Julie Freischlag, vice chancellor, Human Health Sciences, and dean, School of Medicine
• Jeffery C. Gibeling, vice provost, Graduate Education, and dean, Graduate Studies
• Michael D. Lairmore, dean, School of Veterinary Medicine
• Luanne Lawrence, associate chancellor, Strategic Communications (ex officio)
• Harris Lewin, vice chancellor, Office of Research
• George R. “Ron” Mangun, dean, Division of Social Sciences, College of Letters and Science
• Heather M. Young, dean, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing

• Sacramento Campus Visioning Committee — Katehi announced on May 20 her intention to form this panel, and on June 27 she gave the names in a charge letter to the 28 people — faculty, staff and students — who will serve with her (she’s the chair).

The committee could grow in number: “I am also in the process of identifying a few additional individuals outside of UC Davis,” for appointment in the coming weeks, Katehi said.

As she has noted previously, the chancellor wrote how UC Davis’ location, history and expertise put the university “in a unique position to be an even greater positive source for California state government and policy than we have been in the past.”

Therefore, “In the interest of exploring this opportunity and further recognizing the profile and distinction of the entire university, we have been reflecting for some time on the idea of developing a third campus somewhere in Sacramento.”

This "hypothesis of a third campus," she said, represents a long-term goal, and she charged the committee with developing a comprehensive plan to generate community feedback and ideas about the viability of such a goal and how its achievement may help strengthen three areas of activity “that we believe are essential to making UC Davis the UC of the 21st century”:

• A policy orientation to help enhance the university’s role and impact in influencing state policy that serves the long-term environmental, economic, scientific and social imperatives for the state of California.

• An emphasis in areas at the nexus of food and health, UC Davis specialities that have the potential to provide the university with a defining and differentiating character among the UCs, and also among the public research universities in the United States and around the world.

• Clinical activities with a public outreach focus to promote healthy living and wellness, described as not only a prevention measure important for the U.S. health care system, but also a condition for social justice and social upward mobility.

Katehi asked the committee “to develop a plan for engaging our campus community and external stakeholders in a discussion about how we might explore the scope, possibility and viability of a third campus in a way that will serve our region and UC Davis overall.”

She said the committee will be divided into four smaller committees, each tasked to formulate a potential engagement and outreach plan for a particular stakeholder group: students, faculty, staff, and alumni and other external constituencies.

“The work of this committee and its subcommittees will represent the very beginning, most initial stage of what is sure to be a multiphased, comprehensive and deliberative process,” Katehi wrote.

She asked for reports from each subcommittee leader, on his or her group’s thoughts and suggestions about engagement and consideration, by Oct. 1, “which would enable us to begin a discussion with the broader campus community early in the new academic year.”

“The concept of a third campus for UC Davis that could bring together policy, education and outreach at the nexus of food and health, if found viable and desirable by our community, would be part of a long-range approach to progress, one that certainly will require the acquisition of new resources and the development of additional partners,” Katehi wrote.

“This is a long-term initiative that will only succeed with continuous engagement and broad support from our campus community, and the counsel and wisdom of this committee is critical to its long-term success.”

Sacramento Campus Visioning Committee (so far):

• Linda P.B. Katehi, chancellor (chair)
• Roger Beachy, director, World Food Center
• Colin Carter, professor, agricultural and resource economics
• Steven C. Currall, dean, Graduate School of Management (he steps down as dean on Oct. 1, and takes up a new post as a chancellor’s adviser on UC Davis’ possible opening of a third campus, and as a catalyst between UC Davis and the Northern California business community)
• Helene Dillard, dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
• Armando Figueroa, president, ASUCD
• Julie Freischlag, vice chancellor, Human Health Sciences, and dean, School of Medicine
• Penelope Herbert, chair, Staff Assembly, Sacramento campus
• Ralph J. Hexter, provost and executive vice chancellor
• James Hildreth, dean, College of Biological Sciences
• Ken Kizer, director, Institute for Population Health
• Richard Kravitz, director, UC Center Sacramento
• Andre Knoesen, vice chair, Academic Senate
• Michael D. Lairmore, dean, School of Veterinary Medicine
• Luanne Lawrence, associate chancellor, Strategic Communications
• Lina Layiktez, chair, Staff Assembly, Davis campus
• Harris Lewin, vice chancellor, Office of Research
• George R. “Ron” Mangun, dean, Division of Social Sciences, College of Letters and Science
• Dennis Pendleton, dean, University Extension
• Robert Powell, professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
• Jon Rossini, chair, Department of Theatre and Dance
• Randolph Siverson, professor emeritus, political science
• Robert Smiley, professor, Graduate School of Management
• Francene Steinberg, chair, Department of Nutrition
• Tom Tomich, director, Agricultural Sustainability Institute
• Louis Warren, professor, history
• Laura Van Winkle, chair, Academic Federation
• Erica Vonasek, vice chair, Graduate Student Association
• Heather M. Young, dean, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing

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