Welcome 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 CaliforniaUC 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 LearningProviding 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 DiscoveryResearch 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. 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 DavisLife 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. Through the Campus Community Book Project, faculty, students and staff each year read a book that challenges their own assumptions as a way to create a better sense of community. Cultural days held each spring celebrate Native American, Asian, African American, Hispanic and Latino heritage. Davis offers high-performing K-12 schools, cultural amenities for a variety of tastes and plentiful recreational activities. A twice-weekly farmers market offers a variety of locally grown produce, flowers and fresh-baked goods. Visiting the CampusVisitor Services Office |
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Updated: February 18, 2009 2:51 PM