Chancellor’s Fall Welcome: A World of Opportunity at UC Davis
To the UC Davis community:
Welcome, Aggies, to the first day of the 2025-26 academic year! Whether it’s the beginning of your journey on campus or you’ve been with us for years, I am thrilled to welcome you to a year filled with opportunity.
Our commitment to our mission to teach, serve the public good and share transformative research with California and the world is both an incredible responsibility and a powerful opportunity to make a significant difference.
As we begin a new year together, I want to share some of the opportunities for students on our campus and set the foundation for a successful journey ahead.
Research opportunities from nutrition to national security
From first-year undergraduates to doctoral students, everyone has the chance to work with top-tier faculty and engage in hands-on research that has a tangible impact. As the most comprehensive university in the UC system, our wide range of majors, schools and our geographic reach offers unparalleled opportunities for discovery and collaboration.
From research stations at Lake Tahoe and Bodega Bay to our Davis campus and our innovation ecosystem at Aggie Square in Sacramento, our students have a unique opportunity to become researchers who tackle the world’s greatest challenges and answer its most complex questions.
Even as I enter my ninth year leading UC Davis, I remain impressed by the scope and scale of our work. It affects every area of life, including some you might not guess. From the depths of the oceans to the vastness of space, UC Davis students and researchers unlock discoveries every day.
Some of those students and researchers are feeding the world. This summer, a team announced the development of wheat plants that can generate their own fertilizer, potentially saving farmers billions of dollars and increasing food security worldwide.
On another corner of campus, UC Davis researchers just completed a clinical trial for a drug that controls previously untreatable cancer in cats — research they say will likely be effective for humans as well.
Our student researchers are defining new fields of study like primate archaeologyby documenting capuchin monkeys’ use of stone tools in real time. Graduate student Meredith Carlson’s team captures videos of monkeys cracking nuts, crabs and coconuts, then tracks how these behaviors leave behind archaeological traces.
We’re also continuing a long tradition of helping to fortify national security. U.S. Space Command visited the UC Davis Center for Space Exploration Research this spring to discuss new technologies. One of the most fascinating elements of our research is the development of a space ambulance that could save the lives of astronauts who need to return to Earth for care.
Our students are at the heart of these incredible discoveries. Half of our undergraduates are actively involved in hands-on research and other creative projects outside the classroom.
With the opening of the Maria Manetti Shrem Art District, our students and faculty will have an expanded opportunity to blend the humanities with science and technology. At the California Studio, her support will fund artist residencies, including Sacramento fiber artist Josh Faught, who will share his expertise with students this fall and present an artist talk on Oct. 1.
Whether you want to unlock the secrets of how we think or understand why history unfolded the way it did, there’s a place at UC Davis for you to develop and contribute to research.
The opportunity to speak and listen
A cornerstone of our mission as an institution of higher education is protecting and promoting free expression. Whether in calm or tumultuous times, free speech allows us to share our views, counter disinformation, learn new perspectives and offer new ideas.
UC Davis, in coordination with the UC Office of the President, provides the campus community with information and resources regarding rights, responsibilities and university policies around protected speech and expression.
Our Free Speech website offers tips, training opportunities and guidance about the many ways campus community members can make their voices heard while still complying with university policy. The Campus Climate webpage outlines policies and codes of conduct governing free speech activities, consequences for violations of law or policy, the processes for resolving complaints and campus plans for responding to disruptive events. The site also includes information on fostering healthy discourse, mental health and trauma support, as well as our nondiscrimination policy.
We strive to host a free and open exchange of ideas and live by our Principles of Community, aspirational goals crafted collectively 36 years ago to give voice to our culture of mutual respect and embracing different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. One key phrase in these principles is: “We affirm the dignity inherent in all of us.”
As we consider what makes our community special, I’ve always believed that, as important as speech is, it comes with an equally powerful opportunity: to listen.
When we embrace the power of authentically listening with compassion to lived experiences and beliefs different from our own, we enrich our lives and become better members of the communities we share.
We must also stand united against all forms of violence aimed to silence speech. These corrosive forces tear at the fabric of our community. They are antithetical to the respectful dialogue and discussion that must be at the center of the conversations across our campus and country. In increasingly polarized times, this commitment is more important than ever.
Our culture — respect for difference, care for others and belief in the power of dialogue — is at the heart of everything we do at UC Davis.
Health and safety resources
We also know that health and well-being are key to taking full advantage of the rich opportunities at UC Davis, and we offer many valuable resources in this area.
Our Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center provides students with a wide array of services, ranging from support with mental health, housing and finances to assistance with food security needs. The UC Davis Fire Department’s Health 34program is a free service providing field visits and phone calls to assist students in moments of stress and difficulty, from test anxiety and substance abuse to roommate challenges. Other mental health resources are available on our Aggie Mental Health site.
Through our Safe Ride program, Aggie Host personnel provide free escorts on foot or in security vehicles, seven nights a week, until 3 a.m.
UC Davis is committed to addressing any incidents of sexual harassment or sexual violence. The Center for Advocacy, Resources & Education, or CARE, provides confidential support to those who have experienced any form of sexual misconduct. Please take some time to learn more about sexual violence prevention and the resources available to you.
Any harassing or threatening behavior in our working and learning environments, or anywhere on campus, is prohibited by UC and UC Davis policy.
Building connection
Finally, for those new to campus, let me offer some advice: One of the most powerful ways to succeed is by connecting with the community around you. While you’re meeting new friends and navigating new classes, make sure to build a network of support.
There are so many opportunities to build these connections. I encourage you to find one of the more than 800 campus clubs, ranging from the Aggie Baking Club to the Zero Waste and Sustainability Club. Be sure to visit one of our free museums, catch a show at the Mondavi Center, cheer on your fellow students at a sporting event or performance, or join one of the many opportunities on campus to volunteer.
If you can imagine something, it probably exists on our campus.
Another powerful connection you can forge is with professors and researchers who can be your mentors. They will unlock research opportunities, provide sounding boards when you need advice and help you navigate any challenges you might face. I have always believed in the power of mentorship. Working with a mentor is proven to increase students’ academic success and well-being, particularly for first-generation students.
One final opportunity I’d like to mention is the Leadership Job Shadow Program. Applications open today for this chance for students to shadow a campus leader for a day while learning about their career path. Hundreds of students have participated in the program, and many have gone on to mentor other students.
As we kick off this new year, I extend my personal gratitude that you’ve chosen to join our Aggie community. You’re a part of a legacy of students and scholars whose passion and curiosity make the world a better place, one individual and community at a time.
Seize these opportunities, and there’s no limit to what you will achieve this year!