A Message from the Dean - April 2026
April has been a whirlwind of activity this month! We kicked off spring quarter with Aggie Day, where we welcomed thousands of admitted first years, transfers, families and supporters to campus. It is always so exciting to welcome our newly admitted students, learn about their interests, connect them with our faculty, staff and students, and encourage them to say yes to UC Davis – and our #1 ranked college! I also celebrated my first Picnic Day and was so inspired by all the hard work and dynamic presentations from our departments! It truly was a campus showcase, and we enjoyed sharing the day with alumni and friends at our Donuts with the Dean event. Having roughly 75,000 visitors, students and colleagues here to explore and learn about the amazing expertise and work of our campus was phenomenal!
This past week, the college hosted its third annual College Symposium. This year’s theme was Food, People, Planet—Advancing Healthy Communities. The day kicked off with an engaging poster session featuring the work of our outstanding students across multiple disciplines, a Making Connections networking lunch with current issues as table topics, and expert panels with faculty and partners focused on key themes for advancing healthy communities. I truly enjoyed hearing about all the impactful ways we are serving California and beyond. I was inspired seeing our commitment to the land grant mission in action. Thank you to everyone who played a role in making the day a success!
This month’s Highlights tells stories of research spanning the college’s mission of advancing our understanding of agriculture, the environment and human and social sciences. One team of scientists found that California has one of the highest rates of wildfire-driven deforestation in the world. We traveled with student researchers throughout Sacramento County as they recorded grassland songbirds to better understand bird activity, breeding and habitat use. The processing tomato industry is using in-field cleaning and sanitation guidelines developed by our researchers to prevent the spread of a parasitic weed, and other experts developed a variety of durum wheat that is resistant to the stripe rust pathogen. On the homefront, researchers found that a basic income program in Yolo County lifted unhoused families above the California poverty line, helping families spend less time worrying about money and more on family. The UC Davis Olive Center also released “Friends Blend” a new olive oil made in partnership with local producers.
Last week we sent a delegation of faculty and staff to Ag Day at the Capitol, where we met with local leaders, connected with campus partners and alums, made new friends and celebrated all things agriculture. The intersections across agricultural and environmental sciences plus our human and social sciences fields were evident throughout the day. Our connection to this work is so important, and we are incredibly fortunate that our campus is in the backyard of the impactful work being done on behalf of California.
UC Davis plays such a critical role across California and around the globe through our Cooperative Extension impact, innovative research and excellence in teaching. It has been another incredible month where I’m constantly reminded of all the amazing people in our state who bring their dedication and effort to food, community and the environment every single day.