UC Davis 2008-2010 General Catalog - General Catalog - UC Davis

14 Introduction
INTRODUCTION
W
elcome to UC Davis. Founded as the University Farm amid
the fertile fields of the state's Central Valley, UC Davis initially
emerged as an acknowledged international leader in
agricultural, biological, biotechnological and environmental sciences
and has now gained similar recognition for excellence in the
arts, humanities, social sciences, engineering, education, health
sciences, law and management. U.S. News & World Report ranks
UC Davis 11th among public universities nationally and the campus
is among a select group admitted into the prestigious Association
of American Universities. Membership in this group of 62
institutions of higher learning is by invitation only.
The campus owes much of its strength to its deep traditional roots
in agriculture and the impressive diversity of academic programs
that emerged from this foundation. A distinguished faculty of
scholars and scientists, a treasured sense of community and a dedication
to the land-grant values of creative, responsive and innovative
teaching, research and public service are hallmarks of
UC Davis, as is interdisciplinary collaboration; many faculty hold
cross-departmental appointments and students are challenged to
explore the relationships between fields of study
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
UC Davis is one of 10 campuses of the University of California,
which was chartered as a land grant college in 1868 and has
become the country's premier system of public higher education.
Together, the campuses have an enrollment of more than 200,000
students, with more than 1.4 million alumni living and working
around the world. Some 150 laboratories, extension centers,
research and field stations strengthen teaching and research while
providing public service to California and the nation. The collections
of the more than 100 UC campus libraries are surpassed in
size in the United States only by that of the Library of Congress.
A Place for Learning
Providing a rich and challenging learning experience for undergraduate
and graduate students is critical to UC Davis’ mission
and is a cherished commitment of the campus. Several programs
support this aim, including a $35,000 prize awarded to a faculty
member each year by the UC Davis Foundation in recognition of
outstanding undergraduate teaching and scholarly achievement
and a campuswide Davis Honors Challenge program through
which students elect special courses and have closer contact with
faculty.
UC Davis offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and 86-plus
graduate programs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, the College of Biological Sciences, the College of
Engineering and the College of Letters and Science. UC Davis’ five
professional schools—the School of Education, the School of Law,
the Graduate School of Management, the School of Medicine and
the School of Veterinary Medicine—are a combination unique
within the University of California system.
A Place for Discovery
Research is an integral part of teaching at UC Davis. Faculty members
share their research findings in the classroom and students
learn firsthand about discovery while working with professors in
the laboratory and field. A number of undergraduate research programs
offer students the opportunity to work on a research project
in a faculty laboratory, in some cases as early as their freshman
year.
Research at UC Davis supports California's economic, intellectual
and social development. The campus's varied research programs
explore and seek solutions to today's critical issues in areas such as
agriculture, resource management, the environment, health, medicine,
engineering, business, the economy and public policy.
UC Davis scholars also explore the intellectual frontiers of the
physical, biological and social sciences, the humanities and the
arts.
The campus's reputation has attracted a distinguished faculty of
scholars and scientists in all fields. UC Davis ranks 10th in
research funding among public universities in the United States,
receiving more than $532 million in 2006-2007.
Life in Davis
Life at UC Davis is as diverse as the members of our university
community. Students enjoy sports, community internships, public
service, outdoor activities, concerts and clubs. And, through running
several key campus services and sharing their opinions with
leadership, they are integral players in the life of the institution
In 2007, UC Davis made the transition to Division I of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association. UC Davis sponsors 14
varsity sports for women and 12 for men. Thirty-six club sports,
organized by students, compete against other area colleges and
amateur clubs are recreational and focus on skill development and
social interaction. Intramural sports annually draw some 14,500
students who participate in 57 different men's, women's and coed
activities.
Some 70 percent of UC Davis students interested in gaining work
experiences participate in internships locally, nationally and globally
through the campus's Internship and Career Center, among
the largest campuswide academic internship programs in the
country. UC Davis is known for its student-run facilities; the Coffee
House, the radio station KDVS and the Unitrans bus service
provide paid employment and real-world experience to hundreds
of students each year.
A cultural center in the region, the Robert and Margrit Mondavi
Center for the Performing Arts features internationally known artists
and speakers and showcases offerings of the university's music
and theatre and dance departments. Museums and galleries—all
10 of them—house valuable teaching, research and general interest
collections that range from the Bohart Museum of Entomology's
insects to contemporary Native American art at the C.N.
Gorman Museum.