New Chancellor Linda Katehi speaks of a “transformation” at UC Davis, one that moves the institution up into the ranks of the nation’s top five public research universities.

She shared this vision with the campus community at the annual Fall Convocation on Sept. 23. The university’s traditional kickoff for the new school year drew a record crowd of 1,600 people to the Mondavi Center and nearly 600 more watched online. Faculty and staff leaders gave speeches welcoming everyone back to campus, with Katehi emphasizing how opportunities can arise out of obstacles.

UC Davis can take the next step, the chancellor said, by expanding on its strengths in the following areas:

• People and programs. UC Davis can build on its strong interdisciplinary tradition by investing in people and recruiting high-caliber faculty and researchers.
• Innovation. Relatively young as a comprehensive campus, UC Davis has a great opportunity to think in innovative ways that are not constrained by history.
• Multidisciplinary research. By reforming its research enterprises, the university can reach $900 million, or even a billion dollars, in annual research funding.
• Alumni and friends. The campus will announce its first-ever comprehensive and fundraising campaign in a “bold and aggressive way” as it strives to boost its endowment and lessen its dependence on state funding.
• Diversity and internationalization. UC Davis will strengthen its international programs and international visibility and become the “place of choice” for students from the U.S. and around the world.

In her speech, Katehi acknowledged the current budgetary reality while also sounding optimistic about the long term. Financially, she said, the future depends on UC Davis “diversifying and increasing its sources of revenue” while the UC system figures out a better way of funding overall. All of this must be done without compromising the university’s standards for academic quality, she said.

“The UC regents and the (UC) president, despite significant financial challenges, will not compromise quality or access to the University of California,” she said, noting the UC Commission on the Future, which will visit the UC Davis campus soon. “They are deeply committed to finding a long-term sustainable solution so UC is no longer at the mercy of the state’s financial instability.”

‘We need to think anew’

She believes UC Davis can emerge stronger from this crisis if people here “embrace change and innovation” and “think expansively.” After all, she said, history shows that those who see possibilities where others see roadblocks are the ones who reap the rewards of change.

Katehi quoted author Kurt Andersen who wrote that the national mood in the 1970s was despondent, but during this time the seeds were planted for companies like Federal Express, Microsoft and Apple — enterprises that often started slow, small and unsure in someone’s garage.

At UC Davis, Katehi said, a similar spirit of innovation exists at the heart of the teaching and learning process.

“Our ‘garages’ are our laboratories and our classrooms,” she said.

The creativity found in challenging the status quo is like the “disruptive” technologies that drive new markets and new economies, she said.

“In that same sense, we need ’disruptive’ thinking to move ahead in a visible way. Copying others will not make us leaders. We need to think anew,” the chancellor said.

Values, growth, dreams

Katehi’s vision of an ascendant UC Davis was shared by the other speakers, who included Academic Senate Chair Robert Powell and Clare Hasler, executive director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. Kevin Johnson, dean of the UC Davis School of Law, served as master of ceremonies.

Powell said that faculty play a “unique role” in setting the standards for scholarship, dialogue and human relations. “I believe that we can shape our future by emphasizing four essential qualities — civility, community, collaboration and creativity,” he said.

Faculty will chart a course to ensure that UC Davis begins its second century in good shape, Powell said. “The question is, I believe, how can we remain true to the values and qualities that we hold dear.”

Hasler celebrated the growth and history of UC Davis, which has sprouted many new buildings and programs in recent years.

“Our university is transforming the world — every single day — through our education, our research, and our outreach,” she said.

Like Katehi, Hasler said that the new academic year will be “full of life-stretching challenges and changes.” She advised everyone to remember this:

“Your dreams will transform you, and your ability to create a sustainable future will transform all those around you.”

To watch webcasts of each speech, visit dateline.ucdavis.edu, and click on “2009 Fall Convocation” in the Sept. 25 issue of Dateline.

Download the 2009 Fall Convocation Dateline (PDF).