UC Davis has so much going for it, as the University of the 21st Century, that a congresswoman says she thinks maybe she should have gone to Davis instead of Berkeley.

Rep. Doris Matsui of Sacramento made the comment to great applause at Fall Convocation, held Sept. 22 in Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

ucdavismusic on Instagram: Music majors Ian Marci and Victor Nava playing the marimba at Fall Convocation (video).

@ucdavisnews on Twitter: “UC Davis plans presence in Sacramento to contribute to policy, public health. @lindakatehi #UCDavisConvocation”

@ucdavisnews on Twitter: “VC Research Harris Lewin: UC Davis greatest strength is how our faculty collaborate to solve problems. #UCDavisConvocation”

@Jfreischlag on Twitter: “Inclusion excellence is top priority for @UCDavisHealth. Proud to support @lindakatehi #UCDavis vision for diversity.”

@ucdavis on Twitter: “We agree, Rep. Matsui,” in response to her comment, “Gee, instead of going to @UCBerkeley, maybe I should have gone to Davis.”

@sharoncknox on Twitter: “#UCDavisConvocation in beautiful Jackson Hall always makes me proud to be a part of this university.“ (photo)

@trendinaliaSMF on Twitter: “On Tuesday 22, #UCDavisConvocation was Trending Topic in Sacramento for 6 hours.”

She was the second person to speak, after Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, who said “no university is as well positioned as UC Davis” to find solutions to some of the most complex and pressing challenges of our time, among them: feeding and nourishing the world’s growing population, ensuring sufficient supplies of water and energy, and securing greater social and economic justice for everyone.

Other university leaders joined the chancellor in addressing the convocation’s theme, “Building Our Future” — a future that is bright, the chancellor said.

The convocation drew about 1,100 people — faculty, staff, students, alumni and others — plus an online audience for a live webcast. It's been archived for viewing here.

The program began with a slideshow of the university’s physical development over the last 110 years.

Master of ceremonies Ralph J. Hexter, provost and executive vice chancellor, said: “This history of construction at UC Davis is a fascinating story, but it’s a better story when one realizes that the physical growth of the campus is really only the outward manifestation and foundation of an even more important type of building, of academic excellence, of programs and teaching and research and of positive impacts on the world.”

The chancellor elaborated: “We have been developing the necessary expertise for a long time. Now, with the right framework and vision, we can make even greater contributions to the search for answers to these big challenges."

That framework and vision will be presented to the UC Board of Regents in the spring, Katehi said. She described the plan as “bold and forward-thinking, charting a course to carry the university forward not just for the next five years, but for the next 20, 30 or 40 years from now and beyond.”

Among the elements of “UC Davis: The University of the 21st Century”:

• New and progressive learning paradigms that place the student at the core of the institution — Including stronger advising; clear pathways to graduation in four years (“That is why we are calling the incoming class the Class of 2019”); and a unit called Davis-X, a school without walls or boundaries, a place of learning innovations.

• Centers of innovation in education, research, scholarship and administration — Including the previously announced $400 million chemistry discovery complex, to be developed over the next seven years; the World Food Center; and continued emphasis on turning discoveries into commercial applications.

• Financial Sustainability Action Plan — “Built on greater efficiencies, growth in research, fundraising and better investment strategies and practices, this plan in 10 years can generate up to $250 million a year for investing in the university’s core academic mission.”

• Long-Range Development Plan — It will call for a minimum of $2 billion in capital projects over the next decade, and incorporate a strategy to address the campus’s $1.3 billion in deferred maintenance.

• Diversity and inclusion — “This year again we have a new record number of underrepresented freshmen on our campus, at 29 percent,” said the chancellor, who also highlighted success in boosting diversity in the faculty ranks, with 45 percent female and 14 percent underrepresented minority hires over the last three years.

“As UC Davis continues to pursue excellence, we must renew our commitment to ensure that we build a future that allows UC Davis to always be a university that is open and respectful to all the different people who work and study here,” Katehi said.

Strong presence in Sacramento

UC Davis: The University of the 21st Century also includes “a strong presence and visibility in Sacramento and the state capital.” This will involve a new campus “where we can more fully engage state leaders and the community in a common search for innovation and discovery,” the chancellor said.

Rep. Matsui voiced her support for this enhanced presence. The UC Berkeley graduate (Bachelor of Arts, 1966) called UC Davis a treasure in the Sacramento region, as well as an economic driver and intellectual leader, but admitted: “For far too long, those of us in Sacramento have taken it a little bit for granted that one of the best academic research universities in the world sits right here on this side of the Yolo Causeway.”

UC Davis is doing research on everything from creating drought-resilient crops to pushing the limits of stem cell therapy, said Matsui, declaring: “Those of us in Sacramento must embrace and support what goes on here.”

By the same token, she added, “I don’t believe UC Davis embraced the major metropolitan area that is Sacramento and the state capital … just a few miles away. Now, thankfully, I know it is changing.”

Students receive a call to action

Vice Chancellor Harris Lewin, who leads the Office of Research, described UC Davis as “a research powerhouse,” bringing in a record $780 million in sponsored research, filing 231 records of invention and 188 patent applications, issuing 57 licenses for UC Davis technology, and helping to establish 13 startups — all in a single year.

“I’m telling you this not for the bragging rights … but rather as a call to action for our new students. Your arrival at our university, a top-tier research university, means that you will have a unique chance to participate in research with some of the greatest minds in the world today.”

‘Teaching and research go together’

Andre Knoesen, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and chair of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate, said “research and teaching are not either-or scenarios” for faculty.

“They go together, and together they form the foundation of the strong scholarship that has given UC Davis a global reputation for excellence that attracts students from all over California and the world to our campus.”

Animals, people and the environment

Dean Michael Lairmore outlined the School of Veterinary Medicine’s biggest vision for the future: “By the year 2026, we will completely transform the school’s physical plant. … The centerpiece for our vision is the veterinary medical center, a state-of-the-art facility focused on the patient, client and student experience.”

More important, he said, “We seek to expand on our efforts to harness the power of the array of disciplines represented on this amazing campus, allowing veterinary clinicians to work side by side with researchers and students from medicine to bioengineering to advance the health of animals, people and the environment.”

Read Chancellor Katehi’s prepared remarks.

View the archived webcast of Fall Convocation.

Follow Dateline UC Davis on Twitter.