Volume 28 · Number 2 · Winter 2011
News & Notes
Making the green grade
When you talk about “green universities,” UC Davis is at the head of the class.
In recognition of its eco-reputation, UC Davis was chosen to host the Governors’ Global Climate Summit 3 in November, which brought together leaders from around the world to collaborate on climate change, emissions and green economies. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tapped the university to host this two-day event because of the institution’s long history of world-class environmental research and commitment to a sustainable planet.
“We decided to bring this conference to the environmental capital of the world,” Schwarzenegger said.
Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi noted, “In so many areas of energy, the environment and sustainability, our students and faculty are on the cutting edge of moving advances from the laboratory to the marketplace, making ours a safer, healthier world for all.”
In other areas, UC Davis’ commitment to sustainability has generated several high rankings recently:
- A- on the College Sustainability Report Card 2011
- Ranked 16th in the nation in Sierra magazine’s 2010 Cool Schools survey.
- Among Greenopia’s top 10 campuses nationally in 2010.
- Named one of 10 best colleges for environmental studies by The Daily Green.
In producing The College Sustainability Report 2011, the Greenreportcard.org describes itself as the “first interactive website to provide in-depth sustainability profiles for hundreds of colleges in all 50 U.S. states and in Canada.” According to the data, UC Davis earned high grades this year in the following:
- Administration: A — UC Davis is formally committed to sustainability, which is addressed in master and strategic plans. Three committees, an office and several staff members address campus environmental initiatives. The school has a green purchasing policy and buys Energy Star products regularly.
- Climate change and energy: A — The university has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 3 percent since 2000 and aims to achieve a 12 percent reduction to roughly 1999 levels by 2014. UC Davis has implemented energy efficiency technologies such as metering and lighting sensors across campus.
- Food and recycling: A — UC Davis spends more than half its food budget on local products, purchases organic items such as poultry and grains, and obtains olive oil and tomatoes from campus farms. Trayless dining is now offered, and food waste is composted.
- Green building: A — All new construction must meet at least LEED Silver standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). One building on campus is LEED Platinum certified, and 15 more meet LEED standards. The school has implemented water conservation technologies such as low-flow faucets around campus, and uses a variety of storm water management strategies.
- Student involvement: A — Students have the option to live in two sustainable living communities. UC Davis employs several student sustainability interns and “eco-reps.” Student groups, including the California Student Sustainability Coalition and Davis Net Impact, address environmental issues on campus.
- Transportation: A — UC Davis offers ride-matching services and preferable parking to carpoolers. All campus community members receive discounts on local public transit. The Bike Barn provides rentals and repairs, and a car-sharing program is available.
Sustainable century ahead
You can find more information about the above rankings and other green facts at the university’s Sustainable 2nd Century website. After celebrating its first century, UC Davis is focusing on sustainability for the next 100 years. From landscape irrigation to laboratory work to heating and cooling, UC Davis is re-envisioning a different and better future — on and off campus.
UC: facing financial reality
With state funding still lagging, UC regents voted November 18 to raise systemwide student fees by 8 percent, or $822, in 2011–12. A third of the money raised will be dedicated to financial aid.
“We must act now, make some hard decisions and face the reality of our financial situation,” UC President Mark Yudof said in proposing both the fee increase and changes in employee retirement benefits “to move this university past the current economic crisis and toward a more stable future, and to uphold our commitment to the people of this state.”
The state’s final budget for this fiscal year includes $3 billion for UC academic programs, student financial aid and health education and research. The spending plan restores $305 million — or about half of what was cut in 2009–10 when lawmakers slashed 20 percent of UC’s state general fund dollars. The restored funds include $106 million in one-time federal stimulus funds.
In real dollars, state support for each full-time-equivalent student has declined by roughly half in the past two decades. In the current year, students through tuition and fees now cover 41 percent of the cost of their education.
State funding lags behind the university’s needs by at least $1 billion, Yudof said. And, as the magazine went to press, lawmakers were scheduled to meet in special session to address a $6.1 billion state shortfall for this year.
In other moves to stabilize UC finances, the regents voted this fall to increase the amount UC and its employees contribute to the pension plan and to reduce new employees’ retirement benefits. The goal is to resolve a $21 billion unfunded liability in UC pension and retiree health programs.
Meanwhile, the UC Commission on the Future has released a draft of its final report. Recommendations include greater administrative efficiencies; adopting strategies to allow students to earn a bachelor’s degree in less than four years; streamlined transfer student processes; more offerings in online instruction; and increasing nonresident student enrollments.
At UC Davis, the administration is moving ahead on the development of a shared service center for six administrative units, with estimated savings of $39 million between now and 2015–16. This is part of a larger UC-wide campaign to wring $500 million out of administrative expenses.
Literary ‘genius’
English professor Yiyun Li, a fiction writer already drawing national acclaim, has been awarded a prestigious MacArthur Foundation fellowship. Li is the third UC Davis professor to receive the honor, which includes $500,000 paid over five years. She was among just 23 new fellows chosen by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Widely known as the “genius” awards, MacArthur fellowships are bestowed upon individuals for their originality and dedication to their creative pursuits. The grants may be used as the recipients choose.
Li, 37, joined the faculty in 2008. She has been recognized for dramatizing the myriad effects of China’s sweeping social changes in a moving yet understated style of storytelling. Her most recent book is Gold Boy, Emerald Girl, a collection of short stories.
“It’s an incredible honor, and it is a hugely generous gift from the MacArthur Foundation,” Li said. “I haven’t thought about the details, but their support will mean I have more time to write in the next five years.”
Saving babies from deadly fevers
A UC Davis medical researcher is beginning a study on whether molecular barcoding technology could be used to better diagnose serious bacterial infections, such as bacteremia and meningitis, in infants.
Nathan Kuppermann, professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at UC Davis School of Medicine, is one of three principal investigators who will share in a five-year, $3.4 million grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Current tests to distinguish infants with these infections from those with benign viral illnesses can be invasive, inaccurate and time consuming, sometimes yielding false positive or false negative results. In addition, urine, blood and spinal fluid cultures typically take several days for final results.
“This investigation could significantly improve the care we can provide the youngest of patients when they arrive in the emergency department with a fever,” said Kupperman, who was recently elected to the Institute of Medicine, an achievement that is among the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.