The Old Davis Road construction project — between Interstate 80 and visitor kiosk at the campus’s south entry — is underway. The road remains open this week and next, through Friday, July 7.

Then, from July 8 to 30, the road will be closed in both directions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Campus officials are asking all staff and faculty who use the south entry to use Hutchison Drive via Highway 113 instead — so as to avoid exacerbating congestion on Richards Boulevard (into and out of downtown Davis). The roundabout on Old Davis Road at La Rue Road will remain open, so, you can take Hutchison to La Rue to the roundabout, to get to Mrak Hall, the Buehler Alumni Center and other buildings in the vicinity, as well as the Gateway Parking Structure.

Other impacts:

• Davis-Sacramento intercampus shuttle — From July 10 through the end of construction, the shuttle will skip its south entry stop, at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts; two other stops are available: parking Lot 56 (Health Sciences District) and Silo Terminal.
• Visitor kiosk — It closed Monday (June 26), a week earlier than previously announced, and will remain closed during the construction project. If you are accustomed to telling visitors to stop at the kiosk — say, to pick up a parking pass or to ask for directions — you’ll need to make other arrangements. Call Transportation Services (TAPS), 530-752-8277 for more information.

Read more about the project.

UC Davis saves big with bulk deal for computers

UC Davis has launched a bulk purchasing program for five desktop and laptop computer models — all Dell products — telling departments they can save about 34 percent over previous contract prices.

The program — which departments can use whether they are buying one computer or a dozen — could save both the Davis and Sacramento campuses a half-million dollars in its first year, officials said.

The campus IT community and the Financial Sustainability Initiative came together a year ago to explore the possibility of taking advantage of the university’s buying power. The Administrative Computer Bulk Purchase project set standards for administrative computers to help identify the best models for bundled purchases.

Read more on the Facilities. Operations and Administration website.

HVAC systems are taking a holiday, too

With the Davis campus (and country) taking a holiday next Tuesday (July 4), Facilities Management will shut down the heating-ventilation-air-conditioning systems in most administrative, classroom and office spaces.

Spaces reserved for special events, as seen in the Campus Event Services database, will be unaffected. Laboratory and animal spaces also will be unaffected.

Questions should be directed to Sam Cole in the Energy Conservation Office, by email or phone, 530- 574-8039.

Athletics partners with ASUCD for ICA fellowships

Intercollegiate Athletics in partnership with the Associated Students of UC Davis has established five fellowships for recent UC Davis graduates who aspire to work in intercollegiate athletics, and who will spend their one-year fellowships doing just that for UC Davis.

“A key aspect of the university’s mission is to provide opportunities for personal and professional development, and intercollegiate athletics plays a substantial role in furthering that mission,” said Kevin Blue, director of athletics.

Blue said the ICA (Intercollegiate Athletics) and ASUCD Fellowship Program will not result in increased expenditures; instead, he is covering the expense by restructuring his entire work force, allowing ICA to accommodate productive opportunities for students.

“These fellowships will allow members of UC Davis’ newest graduating class to gain valuable skills and experience to aid them in their career endeavors in sports business. Meanwhile, these young alumni will enrich the athletics department as we further build our culture of togetherness. It is truly a ‘win-win’ situation for ICA and ASUCD, and I look forward to welcoming new members to our team.”

ASUCD President Josh Dalavai said student government “is very excited to enter this partnership with athletics in their efforts to provide career experience for UC Davis students.”

The Aggie Stadium and Events Fellowship is one of the new positions, and it has been officially posted. The other four are due to be posted soon: two in communications, one in development (fundraising) and the one in marketing.

All five posts will appear on the UC Davis jobs website (search in the “Sports and Recreation” category). Information on each position also will be available here on the ICA website.

Wildfire training exercises underway

After holding off last week because of extremely hot weather, firefighters on Monday (June 26) began a series of wildfire training exercises on UC Davis’ Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility west of Highway 113.

The UC Davis Fire Department is a participant with its firefighting partners in the West Valley Regional Fire Training Consortium: the cities of Davis, West Sacramento and Woodland, and Yocha Dehe (Capay Valley). Volunteer fire departments are invited to participate on one of the training days.

The rest of the training schedule: June 28 and 30, and July 6, 8 and 10.

Children’s hospital earns rankings in five specialties

New children’s hospital rankings from U.S. News & World Report list UC Davis Children’s Hospital in five pediatric specialities: neonatology (16th), orthopaedics (18th), nephrology (23rd), urology (26th), and diabetes and endocrinology (41st). UC Davis earned its orthopaedics and urology rankings jointly with Shriners Hospital for Children-Northern California, UC Davis Children’s Hospital long-standing partner in caring for children with burns, spinal cord injuries, orthopaedic disorders and urological issues.

U.S. News & World Report listed the top 50 hospitals in each of the categories, based on clinical data as well as an annual survey of pediatric specialists. The rankings are due to be published in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2018” guidebook, available on newsstands Sept. 12.

“We are thrilled to be recognized nationally in the U.S. News’ Children’s Hospital rankings,” said Ann Madden Rice, chief executive officer of UC Davis Medical Center and its children’s hospital. “Our physicians, nurses and our health care teams deserve this honor for the excellent care provided for children in the Sacramento region and beyond.”

Eighty-one hospitals across the country ranked in at least one specialty.

Read more in this UC Davis Health news release.

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