Chem 194 has a new name: Peter A. Rock Hall. The name might seem more appropriate for a geology classroom, but make no mistake, this 415-seat lecture hall is still all about chemistry.

Rock

Rock was, after all, a chemistry professor, a member of the UC Davis faculty his entire career, for 42 years until his death in 2006. He was 66.

He was the founding dean of the Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, serving from 1995 to 2003.

Chemistry professor and chair Jacquelyn Gervay-Hague proposed the name change to Winston Ko, who succeeded Rock as dean and continues in that post today.

Ko brought the proposal to the Board for Naming of UC Davis Properties, Programs and Facilities. The board recommended approval, and Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi said “yes.”

Rock “defined what we are today,” Ko said upon Rock’s death. “As we mourn his loss, at the same time we remember his great contributions to the campus."

Then-Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef said: “This campus has lost one of its most dedicated and effective citizens. He thought long and hard about major university issues, came to principled decisions, then tenaciously pursued and defended his beliefs. He was, as a result, very influential in the evolution of the campus. We will miss him so very much.”

As dean, Rock strengthened and enlarged research and teaching programs in the division and initiated several facility improvement projects, including renovations of the Chemistry Annex building and the former Physics-Geology Building, as well as the new $22 million Mathematical Sciences Building, which opened in March 2006. Rock spoke at the building’s dedication, just a few months before his death.

One of his lasting achievements was the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty at all levels to the division and to UC Davis, including members of the National Academy of Sciences and winners of prestigious fellowships and awards. An advocate of research that cuts across disciplines, Rock developed protocols to make it easier to recruit professors with appointments in two, three or even four departments.

The name change has already taken effect in the class schedule for the fall quarter, and a new sign is in the works. A ceremony is tentatively scheduled during the week of the Fall Convocation.

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