In track and field, the “staggered start” is a mechanism used to account for the fact that runners in the outer lanes of the track have a longer distance to run than those in the inner lanes. Like the staggered start, affirmative action is intended to account for historical inequities experienced by marginalized communities in higher education and other endeavors. Today, the Supreme Court has decided that this tool is no longer appropriate.

It’s that time of year again. Campus is quiet. There are only a few bicycles on the streets. The halls and classrooms are empty. But it’s a joyous time. The class of 2023 has crossed the commencement stage and is embarking on the next stage of life, which is sure to be successful.

This week saw rain here in Davis. After a week of 90-degree heat, we’d gotten used to summer feeling closer. Seasons seem to last only a few days at a time now. It’s more like winter again, and though campus is on alert because of recent events in our community, I am glad to say that our spring quarter has seen many notable achievements.

We are in the final quarter of this academic year, which started at the beginning of this month. I know we’ve all said it ourselves in our own ways, but it really does amaze me how quickly the time passes. It feels like just a few weeks ago we were welcoming a new year and beginning the winter quarter. Now here we are, and it’s spring already.

This past month has been a great one for our faculty. With recognition from the National Academy of Inventors, the Alfred P.

Winter quarter is rolling right along. In fact, we’re somehow already in the second month of what still feels like an hours-old year. That’s the sign of having been busy. On campus, students are all around us. Our faculty are teaching, publishing and mentoring, and in the Dean’s Office we’ve been hard at work on several notable things.

My final note of last year also started with the weather, but what astonishing weather we’ve had here in Northern California.

Winter doesn’t begin officially until later this month, but there was ice on the cars (and roofs!) this morning. Being from Philadelphia, ice in December isn’t something all that unusual to me, but here in our region of California it’s always a bit of a surprise. With finals behind us, and the end of the year just around the corner, things are slowing down on campus.

November is here and winter is closer. The weather has gotten cooler, and the nights start earlier, but campus is active, and our students are halfway through the fall quarter. Especially after the pandemic years, there’s something revitalizing about having our students on campus. Whether they’re studying for an exam on the couches in the Green Hall lobby or having a discussion section in the courtyard, their presence is always welcome.

Summer never feels quite as long as it looks on the calendar. Those days and weeks pass quickly and, before we know it, we're back on campus. Even so, it's always a great pleasure to see our campus come to life again when students return. They bring such vibrancy to our community. For those in Davis over the summer, there were certainly some high temperatures to weather - 110F+ for several days! - but weather them we did.

The college is very pleased to welcome the newest members of its broad and diverse faculty. With appointments in the Departments of Evolution and Ecology, Plant Biology and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, the new faculty are poised to make an impact on their respective areas of expertise, and on the classroom and laboratory experience of our students across the college.

Assistant Professor
Department of Evolution and Ecology

We often say that our students have weathered not just an unconventional two years but an unconventional college career. And it’s true. The class of 2022 has persevered through a truly unconventional and challenging time, and they’ve come out the other side having completed a remarkable feat.

There are many reasons to take pride in being an Aggie, and perhaps the most significant is when we get to see students who have spent the last four years in the lab, the classroom and the field take their well-deserved bow and cross the graduation stage.

Less than a week ago I was in the University Credit Union Center for the Dean’s Circle Undergraduate Research Conference. In the image above, you can see what a success the event was. Over 200 CBS undergraduates attended the conference and shared their research posters with peers, visitors and CBS faculty. And each student received a certificate in recognition of their hard work. My congratulations to all of them.

April is a month of traditions here at UC Davis. First and foremost, our campus’s longest-running annual event returns this year. That’s right, Picnic Day is now 108 years old. There will be a variety of activities, as there always are, and while some of the details are still in the final stages of planning and preparation, you can find more information on the picnic day website.

There’s always something to celebrate at UC Davis. You’ve now seen stories about our successful return to campus, and the decreasing prevalence of the Omicron variant. We’ve also just seen record numbers of student applications, which speaks to the deep passion of so many young people who want to further their educations at UC Davis.