UC Davis General Catalog, 2006-2008 - 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 14th 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 208,000
students, with more than 1.3 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 $30,000 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 problems in 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 12th in
research funding among universities in the United States, receiving
more than $500 million in 2004-2005.
Life on Campus
Teaching and research provide students with the academic side of
their education and campus life balances the books. Students
enjoy a wide range of offerings, including sports, internships, outdoor
activities, student government, clubs and creative arts programs.
UC Davis is currently making the transition from Division II 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, radio station KDVS and Unitrans provide paid employment
and real-world experience to hundreds of students each year.
The Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts features internationally
known artists and speakers on tour and showcases offerings of
the campus’s music, theatre and dance departments in its 1,800-
seat performance hall and 250-seat studio theatre.
Life in Davis
Davis’ proximity to Sacramento, the state capital and the San Francisco
Bay Area makes it easy to take advantage of big-city attractions
while enjoying the security and friendliness of a university
town. The Davis community combines the right blend of safe
neighborhoods, convenient retail and service establishments, cultural
amenities for a variety of tastes and plentiful recreational
activities. There are 31 parks included in the 453 acres of parks,
greenbelts and open space areas owned and maintained by the city.
Known as environmentally aware and socially innovative, Davis
has a strong history of bicycle use and planning. The city boasts
more than 50 miles of bike paths and more bicycles per capita than
any other city in the country. Davis residents are active—in local,
national and international political causes, in sports, in the arts
and in community organizations. Quality of life is a high priority
in this community of more than 64,400 residents. Many citizen
committees advise the city council on issues such as quality of
child care and natural resources conservation. With students constituting
about half the city’s population, Davis is one of California’s
few remaining college towns.