To the UC Davis community:

Welcome back, Aggies! With winter quarter underway, I hope you’re feeling recharged and ready to pursue your goals.

As a new year begins, we are reminded of the challenges we face as a campus, a nation and a global community. From the scenes in Minneapolis to strife across the globe that weigh on many in our Aggie family, it’s natural to feel apprehension and sorrow. In this moment, I call on our community to support one another, engage in respectful dialogue and remember the power of listening.

Although the past year tested us in profound ways, asking us to adapt and stand together through uncertainty, we never lost sight of our purpose. We continue to remain focused on our mission of research, teaching and public service, laying the foundation for our students’ success.

While headlines often highlight friction and fragility, I look across our campus and see the remedy. I see Aggies actively pursuing the solutions that will define tomorrow. I see a university that is an engine of opportunity for our students and a force for public good.

At UC Davis, we do the work that matters. 

I’m pleased to share some of the most innovative developments on our campus and how they are opening doors for students to shape a better future.

Expanding academic opportunities

Across our campus, we are creating pathways for students at the cutting edge of learning.

Under the leadership of Associate Professor Gözde Göncü-Berk, the Maria Manetti Shrem Institute for Sustainable Design, Fashion and Textiles explores how sustainable design can improve well-being. Made possible by the support of Maria Manetti Shrem, the center serves as a campus hub where artists and innovators working across disciplines combine visionary approaches to redefine the future of fashion and design. Among their most important work is the continued development of smart textiles that monitor health. They are pioneering new ways to detect and treat conditions ranging from anxiety and heart disease to sudden infant death syndrome.

To serve current and future students, we know we must continually evolve our educational approach to meet the needs of a changing world. That commitment to future-proofing a UC Davis education is exemplified by the revamp of our introductory biology curriculum. Years of development led to a new approach centered on discovery-based labs and reframing core concepts through the lens of problem-solving, resulting in greater student engagement and understanding. 

As College of Biological Sciences Dean Mark Winey notes, the new curriculum will empower students to focus on “looking at original literature and interpreting data to get a sense of how a scientist works and thinks.” For thousands of students across all four colleges each year, this new approach will provide a strong foundation for the interdisciplinary and exploratory thinking that underpins successful careers.

Our commitment to nurturing potential extends to the next generation of scholars. In February, we’ll launch NextGen Bio at Aggie Square and on the Davis campus. This partnership will bring educators and students from historically underserved groups to our campus to explore biotechnology, AI and precision manufacturing. This exposure to our research and the collaborative learning environment of our campus will open doors for students to succeed in university classrooms and future careers.

Leading in experiential learning

We are building on our commitment to ensure that every student on our campus engages in hands-on learning, whether through an internship, a research experience or a global connection. In 2022, our Aggie Launch campaign committed to providing every UC Davis graduate with this kind of professional advantage, and we’re well on our way to achieving that goal.

One exciting new internship program is the Environmental Science and Policy Experiential Learning Fund. Initiated by current and former faculty members in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the program bridges the gap for students who want field experience but need financial support. The program will empower students with opportunities for these vital first steps towards careers in fields ranging from marine and coastal ecology to public communication.

When the program distributes its first funding in fall 2026, it will, as Professor Gwen Arnold says, let students “focus on doing educational internships, not how to afford them.” 

At the UC Davis Library, a new program offers undergraduate interns a blend of professional experience, mentorship and collaborative learning as they work alongside librarians and staff to advance key library priorities. The inaugural cohort is engaging in initiatives that will help shape the library’s future, from designing e-learning content to participating in data projects to measure scholarly impact.

One of those library student interns, Rayan Mansoor, will lead a biweekly AI exploration lab this quarter called Human x Machine. It will guide fellow students in exploring AI tools to build an understanding of how these applications work and crafting prompts to encourage research and learning. The third-year computer engineering major notes that as the use of AI is exploding across campuses and industry worldwide, we all must develop literacy in this emerging space to ensure it’s used ethically and effectively. 

And we remain committed to providing students with opportunities to learn while exploring the world. Last year, almost 1,400 students pursued study, internships or research in other countries, while more than 7,600 students engaged in on-campus, local and virtual global and intercultural learning opportunities. 

This summer, Global Affairs is offering four new study abroad programs and four new intern abroad programs. The new programs range from Brewing and Beer in Germany, which will explore food production, safety and marketing, to Agriculture and the Environment in Colombia, which focuses on sustainability, food security and climate solutions through hands-on research and field experiences. 

There are also many exciting global learning opportunities closer to Davis. Applications for the 2026 Global Learning Programs are open now. I encourage you to explore the options available to you and see what the world has to offer.

Moving forward

From its inception, our foundational mission at UC Davis has been to serve the public good while opening doors for students from every background. Those goals are inextricably linked: When we create opportunities for students, we build the potential to solve challenges that seem insurmountable. 

That commitment continues today. We were excited to announce this month that UC Davis enrolled one of its most diverse classes in fall 2025, with record numbers of Latinx and African American students. These numbers represent our continued commitment to build a UC Davis that looks like and serves the people of our state, especially as we celebrate our designation in the inaugural class of Black-Serving Institutions in California.

More than 40% of the enrolled undergraduates will be the first generation in their families to graduate from a four-year college. We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that the powerful investment of a college education is available to every student with the drive to succeed. 

At UC Davis, opportunity is for everyone.

As we move into 2026, let’s resolve to strengthen UC Davis as a driver for global good. Let’s renew our commitment to collaborate on solutions to the world’s most profound challenges, to authentically listen to every voice in our community and to seize the opportunities before us. 

Together, there’s no limit to what we can achieve.

Sincerely,

Gary S. May
Chancellor