Campus Updates

Centennial Planning

Excitement is building for the celebration of the UC Davis Centennial, planned to begin in the fall of 2008. The academic year 2008-09 commemorates 100 years since UC students first began attending classes in Davis. The Centennial is an opportunity to shine a light on the remarkable accomplishments of UC Davis, to celebrate the diversity of our programs and people, and to point the way towards our bright future. Hold the second half of August 2008 for the California State Fair where UC Davis will be a featured exhibitor, and from October 9-12, 2008, for the Centennial Fall Festival. There is much to celebrate! For the latest centennial news and calendaring information visit centennial.ucdavis.edu or contact the centennial planning team (Bob Segar, Mabel Salon, and Laurie Lewis) at centennial@ucdavis.edu.

A Student Affairs team, led by convenor Chuck Kratochvil, UC Davis Bookstore, is working to develop division-specific ideas for possible inclusion in the Centennial Celebration. The team's suggestions, once reviewed by Vice Chancellor Wood, will be submitted to Chancellor Vanderhoef and the Centennial coordinating team.

Highlights of Student Affairs Centennial celebration plans:

• Campus Unions staff shirts will sport the Centennial logo, as will all marketing materials and venues. Kicking things off in 2008 will be The Buzz, a multifaceted celebration including live music, entertainment by student organizations, games, crafts, spa treatments, a casino, mini master classes and a dance. The Centennial theme will be featured throughout the event.
• For a week, the MU games area will roll back prices to those of past decades.
• The MU Gallery plans to: showcase historical photographs of the university, hold a juried art show by UC Davis students and an exhibit of art by UC Davis alumni, feature a biographical exhibit of former faculty who have rooms named after them. The MU Gallery also plans to work with the art department and campus galleries.
• Griffin Lounge will be rededicated early fall quarter 2008, with invitations issued to families of alumni who have died serving their country. Alumni who have died in the current war will be added to the Memorial Wall. Additionally, Griffin Lounge will be the site for a noontime series of faculty fireside chats during winter quarter 2008, focusing on the last 100 years and the future. An series of presentations by alumni will allow them to connect their UC Davis experiences to their careers. This series is intended to encourage networking with current students.
• Plans for the Silo Union and Pub include: a display describing the Silo Union as one of the original buildings on campus, "Trivia Nights" highlighting historical facts of the last 100 years and "Pub Live" with regular entertainment by alumni. The Pub will highlight products produced on campus such as wine, olive oil, meat, poultry, etc.
• New lighting schemes will enhance the Silo complex. In addition, banners will be displayed on lampposts throughout the Silo and MU complexes. Perhaps the MU carillon chimes will play the UC Davis Alma Mater or fight song at noon.
• The UC Davis Bookstore will be the retail outlet for all official Centennial-related merchandise, such as sweatshirts, hats, T-shirts, mugs, pennants, pins, bumper stickers, etc. The bookstore will also offer for sale Centennial campus products such as olive oil, preserves, vinegar, etc.
• Intercollegiate Athletics is planning to feature 100 outstanding athletes throughout the year, incorporate the Centennial logo on all uniforms, have special promotions and discounts involving vendors, seek corporate sponsorships, arrange for media coverage including television and radio, as well as plan special events, including Homecoming, jointly with the Cal Aggie Alumni Association. They will also promote the traditional "Aggie Pride."
• International Students and Scholars will highlight the roles of more than 100 international scholars from all over the world.
• ASUCD will begin intense planning when the students return in the fall but tentatively plans to publish a new Coffee House cookbook.
• Office of the Registrar has already begun its electronic Centennial Catalog Project for students, an online presentation of past catalogs, and is placing the Centennial logo on the LCD screens of 123 general classrooms and on all transcripts. The office is also planning a visual display of how students have gone through the registration process throughout the years and is tentatively planning to randomly select 100 students for the privilege of registering first for classes.