Hundreds of UC Davis employees and students have signed up to serve as volunteer campus ambassadors in the university's centennial pavilion at the state fair, and more are still needed.

As of July 25, the count stood at 172, not including dozens who have signed up through seven campus units that have "adopted" entire days in the pavilion, said Mabel Salon, a member of the centennial planning team.

Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef put out the call for sign-ups on July 11. The pavilion, he wrote in a directive, "gives UC Davis a unique opportunity to celebrate our centennial and build awareness among the fair's nearly 1 million visitors during its 18-day run."

The educational exhibit requires staffing in three- or four-hour volunteer shifts, with training to be provided. Departmental release time for volunteer shifts is appropriate with supervisory approval and supervisory approval of overtime, according to the chancellor's directive.

The state fair is set to open Friday, Aug. 15, and run through Labor Day, Sept. 1, at Cal Expo in Sacramento.

Every staff volunteer will receive free admission to the fair, plus a UC Davis T-shirt to wear during his or her shift and a centennial lapel pin. A limited number of parking passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

People are invited to sign up as individuals or in connection with any unit that has adopted a day, or, in the case of the Cal Aggie Alumni Association, three days. The units and their days are as follows:

-- Cal Aggie Alumni Association -- Opening weekend, Friday-Sunday, Aug, 15-17

-- UC Davis Health System -- Monday, Aug. 18

-- College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences -- Wednesday, Aug. 20

-- Office of Administration -- Thursday, Aug. 21

-- Government and Community Relations -- Friday, Aug. 22

-- University Relations -- Wednesday, Aug. 27

-- College of Letters and Science -- Thursday, Aug. 28

People interested in volunteering are invited to check in with the centennial contacts in any of the units listed above, or sign up as an individual via the centennial Web site.

Salon advised that some units with adopted days already have filled all volunteer shifts.

But plenty of other opportunities are available, especially during the fair's closing weekend, Friday-Monday, Aug. 29-Sept. 1.

Salon said she knows of people in several other units who are volunteering together: Athletics; Special Collections Department, Shields Library; Department of Math; Alpha Phi Omega; Graduate School of Management; and the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital's canine blood bank.

"We are grateful for the enthusiastic response, absolutely thrilled that so many people are eager to represent the university and help us celebrate our centennial," Salon said.

Want to know more about volunteering at the fair, like whether the centennial pavilion is air-conditioned? Check out these frequently asked questions. (P.S. Yes, the pavilion is air-conditioned.)

For more information, contact Salon at (530) 754-2008 or masalon@ucdavis.edu.