Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the fall quarter of 2026. I recently heard someone refer to September as “the other January” because it marks a new beginning with the start of school and a return to routine after summer. As you settle into the quarter – whether you are teaching courses, welcoming students back to your lab, or sending your own children off to school – I hope you feel invigorated by the promise of a new academic year.  

There is much to share in this fall message, including:

• Leadership Updates
• Campus Budget
• New Endowed Chair Opportunity
• START Task Force Recommendations 
• Requirements for Traveling Internationally for Research or Teaching
• Academic and Research Visitors to UC Davis
• Mandatory Training Compliance
• Digital Accessibility
• Technology Updates
• uAchieve Degree Audit
• Aggie Compass and ASAP

Leadership Updates

I want to begin with a reference to the message that Chancellor May and I sent to campus on September 3 regarding Rao and Vasu Unnava. Rao stepped down after a decade as dean of the Graduate School of Management (GSM) on June 30 to return to faculty. Many of you know his wife, Vasu, who is an adjunct associate professor in GSM. On August 26, the Unnavas were staying in a hotel in Timure, Nepal, a few kilometers from the border with Tibet, when the flash flood occurred. They have not been located nor heard from, nor has anyone else in their tour group. We will share any updates as we receive them. Please keep their family, friends, and colleagues in your thoughts.

I would like to sincerely thank Tom Smith, dean of the School of Education, for stepping in as GSM’s interim dean on June 30. He will lead the school until a new dean is in place. I also want to extend my gratitude to Michal Kurlaender, who is serving as acting dean of the School of Education during Tom’s interim appointment. 

Frédéric Chédin began his tenure as dean of the College of Biological Sciences on September 1, succeeding Mark Winey. Fred is a professor and renowned genome biology expert who served as the chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology from 2022 to 2026. 

Joanna Regulska, vice provost and dean of Global Affairs, will retire on November 1 following more than a decade of service to UC Davis. She has made a lasting impact on our campus, helping UC Davis become a leader in addressing global challenges while strengthening support for faculty and increasing opportunities for students. Michael Lazzara, associate vice provost of Academic Programs and Partnerships in Global Affairs, will serve as interim vice provost and dean beginning October 1. 

We are delighted to welcome Erika Jackson, director of Institutional Analysis, as interim assistant executive vice chancellor and chief of staff in the Office of the Provost. My prior Chief of Staff, Jason Stewart, began his new role this week as chief of staff to Chancellor May. We will launch a search for a permanent chief of staff for the Office of the Provost in the spring.  

Finally, I’m very pleased to share that three of our outstanding deans were reappointed to five-year terms. Estella Atekwana, dean of the College of Letters and Science, Rich Corsi, dean of the College of Engineering, and Mark Stetter, dean of the Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, each received a unanimous recommendation for reappointment from their respective review committees.

Campus Budget 

Consistent with messages that Chancellor May and I sent to campus last year about our two-year budget plan, we are moving forward with strategic budget reductions totaling $52.8 million for 2026-27. These reductions will help us achieve a balanced core funds budget, a goal that we began pursuing in 2020. While our projected financial outlook may change in response to external factors, including shifts in federal policy, we remain optimistic that these actions will place us on stronger financial footing by the end of this fiscal year. I invite you to visit the Budget Framework website to learn more about the campus budget. 

Please remember that, as individual citizens, you can advocate for UC Davis and our sibling institutions by joining Stand Up for UC. You can also visit the From Labs to Lives website, which showcases how federal funding fuels research at UC Davis.

New Endowed Chair Opportunity

Every five years, UC Davis has the opportunity to make two MacArthur Foundation UC Endowed Chair appointments, thanks to a generous fund established at UC in 1981. Each campus is permitted to determine the focus of the chairs, and we have selected climate solutions and food sustainability as the two areas for this cycle. Each non-renewable appointment carries an award of $65,000 annually for five years. 

The internal search is open until October 30 to all associate and full professors who are members of the Academic Senate or hold appointments in Cooperative Extension. Read more about the MacArthur Foundation UC Endowed Chairs and apply through UC Recruit for the Climate Solutions Chair or Food Sustainability Chair. 

START Task Force Recommendations

The Sustaining Teaching and Research Task Force (START) has completed its work, producing 57 recommendations. We are grateful for the valuable input provided by faculty and staff as well as the Academic Senate, Academic Federation, and Staff Assembly. The Academic Senate expects to complete the RFC process for three remaining recommendations this fall. As we continue to implement the recommendations, we will send campus updates and share our progress on the START website.

Requirements for Traveling Internationally for Research or Teaching

If you are traveling internationally this academic year for research or teaching, remember these important research security requirements:

• Electronic devices, scientific materials, and data may be subject to export control regulations and present security concerns. Avoid travelling with unpublished research data. You may be able to request a clean loaner phone or device from your school or college.
• New federal guidance on “foreign components” prohibits use of certain federal funds in connection with a foreign collaborator without sponsor approval. Review your federal sponsor’s requirements before engaging with a potential co-author in a foreign country.
• International travel sponsored by an outside institution may require disclosure to federal agencies on grant applications. Ensure “Other Support” is accurate and complete on federal grant applications and in Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR). 
• Given the evolving federal rules and interpretations concerning China as a “Country of Concern,” researchers planning travel to China are strongly encouraged to consult with Export Control ahead of their visit.

Visit the Office of Research website for more information about international travel, research, and collaborations. Contact Export Control at [email protected] with questions about international research collaborations.

Academic and Research Visitors to UC Davis

Services for International Students and Scholars, part of Global Affairs, manages the Visiting Academic Collaborators program for eligible domestic and international visitors coming to UC Davis for more than 10 days. Visiting Academic Collaborators will usually have a visa sponsored by another U.S. institution, a B-1 business visitor visa, or be granted U.S. entry as a business visitor under the Visa Waiver Program. The Visiting Academic Collaborators designation includes domestic and international visitors not sponsored for a visa by UC Davis. Visiting Academic Collaborators do not include those who should be sponsored for J-1 visa status. 
If you are sponsoring a visitor, please work with your department’s SISS contact to submit the required information at least 90 days before an international visitor’s arrival or 15 days before a domestic visitor’s arrival. Learn more about the requirements, reporting process, and review frequently asked questions on the Visiting Academic Collaborators program webpage.

Training Compliance 

Beginning July 1, 2026, employees on the Davis campus who have not completed the UC Cyber Security Awareness Fundamentals training course by their individual deadlines will temporarily lose access to certain core campus digital services until they complete their training. Faculty and staff can learn more about the training compliance program through the Academic Affairs webpage and Human Resources webpage.

Digital Accessibility

University of California policy, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act require all digital content to comply with new accessibility requirements. 

This fall, consistent with guidance from the University of California Office of the President, we are focusing on improving accessibility in high-volume gateway courses, where changes benefit the greatest number of students. For all other courses, we ask that faculty continue to make good-faith progress on their materials by addressing the highest-impact barriers first: document structure, image descriptions, and video captions. The Digital Accessibility Program website offers several checklists, including one for course materials, to support this work. Additionally, Ally, a new accessibility tool, is integrated into all UC Davis Canvas courses, giving instructors feedback on the accessibility of their course materials. 

Technology Updates

In addition to Ally, UC Davis offers a wide range of technology services to support your academic, research, administrative, and clinical work. The campus technology service catalog now includes eLearning Studio for video recording and a growing number of foundational artificial intelligence (AI) tools and services.

During the summer, the AI Steering Committee, led jointly by former Academic Senate Chair Katheryn Russ and Chief Information and Digital Strategy Executive Aisha Jackson, submitted its Implementation Plan, Governance Framework, and Recommendations to Chancellor May. The report proposes:

• A new Artificial Intelligence Oversight Committee (AIOC) to serve as the standing governance body for evaluating, approving, and overseeing AI tools.
• An AI Risk Classification Framework, under which unit heads can self-attest to lower-risk tools, such as Tier 1 data classified at a minimal or low protection level. Tools involving more sensitive data or higher-impact decisions require full AIOC review, including Tier 2 data that requires a moderate or high protection level.
• A public campus inventory of approved AI tools.
• A proposed AI Use Policy that sets baseline expectations for anyone using AI at UC Davis.

More technology updates are available in the Fall 2026 Technology Guides for Faculty, Staff, and Students. 

uAchieve Degree Audit Supports Student Success

The uAchieve Degree Audit, launched in August, allows undergraduate students to view their credits by examination, transfer, registered, and completed courses, as well as track progress toward their degree. This is an incredibly valuable tool for students that supports the efforts of advising units across the campus. Learn more about the uAchieve Degree Audit on the Enrollment Management website.

Aggie Compass and ASAP 

Many of our campus services help students overcome barriers outside of the classroom and lab so that they can focus on learning. As you engage with students this fall, you may discover that they are facing significant needs or challenges. Aggie Compass connects students with resources related to mental health, housing, food, and finances. Please keep aggiecompass.ucdavis.edu in mind and share it with your students at the start of each quarter. 

I also want to remind you of the Academic and Staff Assistance Program, which provides free and confidential counseling to employees. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need support. 

Closing Thoughts

In July, we announced that UC Davis had a record-setting year in fundraising in 2025-26, raising more than twice the amount of our previous record. The generosity of donors allows us to nourish creativity and the arts, drive life-changing research and technological advancements, enhance clinical care for animals and humans, encourage novel scholarly work, and offer exceptional learning experiences to our students. I find it deeply humbling and heartening that donors, alumni, and friends, as well as our own faculty and staff, believe so strongly in our mission and invest in our success. I am very proud of all that you do every day at UC Davis, and I hope you are proud, too. 

Thank you for being part of this extraordinary university, and I wish you a fantastic new academic year. 

All the best,
Mary

Mary Croughan
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor