Professor Kenneth W. Tate

Kenneth W. Tate, a UC Davis professor and UC Cooperative Extension specialist, died unexpectedly on June 5 while traveling in Oregon. He was 58.

Born in Newark, California, and raised in Norman, Oklahoma, Tate joined the University of California and the Department of Plant Sciences in 1995 after earning a Ph.D. in water resources, a master’s degree in range ecology and management, and a bachelor’s degree in in range ecology and management from Oklahoma State University. He also held an associate’s degree in range management from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Oklahoma.

Over his 30-year career, Tate emerged as a leading figure in rangeland science and management, tackling a wide range of agricultural and environmental challenges across California’s 30-plus million acres of rangelands. He built and led many successful teams to study how management practices affect key ecosystem functions and health, from individual plots to entire ranches and watersheds. He consistently sought ways to enhance conservation outcomes and agricultural benefits, including ranch productivity and profitability.

— Pamela S. Kan-Rice

UC President Emeritus Robert C. Dynes

Robert C. Dynes, University of California president emeritus and former chancellor of UC San Diego, died June 30. He was 82.

Dynes served as UC president from 2003 to 2007 after serving as chancellor of UC San Diego from 1996 to 2003. During his leadership at UC San Diego and the UC system, Dynes was recognized for his great commitment to supporting high-quality teaching and expanding opportunities for students from all backgrounds, as well as driving impactful research to benefit the public, strengthening science-industry connections and ensuring institutional accountability.