Chancellor Gary S. May launched the university’s strategic planning process today at a retreat for administrators, faculty, students and staff. May is calling the effort and the plan To Boldly Go, and it will serve as a 10-year plan. The kick-off is the first of many opportunities for internal and external communities to participate over the next several months.

“UC Davis is a powerful education, research and public service force working to make the world a better place,” May said. “With all of our strengths, however, we remain a sleeping giant. I’m asking the collective community to come together and contribute creative and bold ideas that will propel us to accomplish things we’ve only dreamed of in the past.”

A steering committee chaired by May and Kenneth Burtis, faculty advisor to the chancellor and provost, will establish a calendar of events, including town halls, working group sessions, Facebook Live events and more. The committee anticipates a draft plan by March 2018, with a final plan by July 2018.

“We’re encouraging all who care about UC Davis to get excited about and get involved in helping the university define what we’ll become over the coming decade,” Burtis said. “This will be an effort that will need engagement from our community across the world to succeed.”

Some of the broad themes that May and Burtis asked the community to consider include how to provide better access to California students, how to establish a diverse community that represents the demographics of the state, how to strengthen our research expertise, and how to strengthen our presence in the greater Sacramento area.

“The senate will build the faculty’s relationship with Chancellor May and work with him to plan UC Davis’ trajectory,” Rachael E. Goodhue, chair of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate, said in an email to faculty. “I am confident that upcoming strategic planning will be well-served by faculty who offer fresh ideas and ask tough questions. And in the process, I hope we as a campus build our future on the foundation of shared governance that has supported our past.”

UC Davis has more than 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 23,000 academic and administrative staff, and an annual budget of $4 billion. It contributes more than $8 billion in statewide economic activity.

In addition to in-person and online interactive sessions, faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, and the greater UC Davis community can provide ideas via ToBoldlyGo@ucdavis.edu or this online form, and sign up for weekly updates. More details are available online.

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