A new year on campus is signaled by falling leaves, not new buds. But UC Davis does have a group of fresh faces to herald the start of fall quarter. Dateline welcomes 114 new Academic Senate and Cooperative Extension hires in an insert this issue.

Academic Senate hires include faculty in the professorial series (tenure-track positions), the clinical professor series, and the professor-in-residence series.

"This group of new faculty members is extremely impressive with tremendous academic records from first-rate institutions," said Bruce White, interim vice provost for academic personnel. "It is truly rewarding to talk to them and hear that Davis was their first choice and they feel lucky to be here."

White noted that Davis continues to do well in competing for highly sought after underrepresented research faculty with outstanding academic records. This year, approximately 40 percent of the new hires are women and 22 percent are faculty of color.

While new faculty members have a host of reasons — personal and professional — for choosing to work at UC Davis, there are several recurring motives: The high quality of research and creative pursuits in a collaborative, interdisciplinary setting; a friendly campus; and the proximity to wine country, skiing, hiking and the ocean.

In addition, these new faculty cite the campus's commitment to a balance between work and family. The campus continues to be a leader among national universities with its Work Life Balance program for maternity/adoption leaves and modified duties (and acknowledged by an Alfred P. Sloan Award). White said the outstanding record of the Partner Opportunities Program, or POP, also sets UC Davis apart.

The program offers assistance for a partner or spouse of a recruit who is looking for employment either on campus as faculty or staff or in the greater Sacramento region. In the past year, White says, more than 30 percent of new hires have benefited from POP. Of those, five couples were hired into Academic Senate ladder rank faculty positions.

Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef says this year's new faculty hires especially demonstrated the importance of POP.

"I've had occasion to talk with most of the couples, and invariably the opportunity to be employed in the same location was a major factor in their decision to come to UC Davis," Vanderhoef said. "The program is such an important tool in our being able to continue to employ the best of the best."

Trina Wood is a freelance writer who writes regularly for university publications.