By Gary May

Greetings to our Woodland neighbors! I’m thrilled to contribute to this “Special Focus on Davis” section and encourage you to visit UC Davis and learn more about us.

The academic year started on Sept. 23, and the UC Davis campus is bustling with our academic pursuits, research enterprise and events for the entire community.

We are riding the tide of some impressive news about our status. This fall, the Wall Street Journal named UC Davis as the No. 3 public university in the nation for how well it sets its graduates up for financial success. U.S. News & World Report ranked us as the No. 9 public university and Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed us as No. 10 in the nation.

We remain the No. 1 Agriculture and Veterinary school in the United States. For the eighth year in a row, UC Davis was named the greenest university in the nation.

For the third consecutive year, UC Davis exceeded $1 billion in new research awards, a feat that fewer than 20 public universities nationally can claim. We’re also celebrating the end of a multi-year effort that raised over $2.25 billion for student support, health research and care, sustainability, innovation, and more through our Expect Greater fundraising campaign.

Whether it’s ensuring sustainable groundwater access in California or developing cures for emerging viruses in Africa, UC Davis researchers are enhancing our understanding of the world. They are making it a more just, healthier and more equitable place.

You can feel this Aggie Pride at our athletics events. More than 10,000 fans packed UC Davis Health Stadium during homecoming weekend to see our football team defeat Cal Poly by a score of 56-10. Our women’s volleyball team beat both Kansas State and UCLA, wins that are historic milestones.

If you’d like to attend any of our Aggie team competitions, we’d love to see you having fun at our football, basketball, gymnastics, soccer, or any other sports event. For more information on schedules and tickets, visit www.ucdavisaggies.com.

Those who appreciate fine arts, with free admission, can see works from iconic names at our Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. One current exhibition is titled “Light into Density: Abstract Encounters 1920s—1960s From the Collection of Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem.” The exhibition runs through May 5 and includes artwork from Salvador Dalí, Francis Bacon, Vassily Kandinsky and Joan Miró. I’d also like to note that our students curated and designed the exhibition.

The Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts brings world-class artistry and fun to Davis throughout the academic year. Families can enjoy “Encanto: The Sing-Along Film Concert” on Nov. 22 and “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” on the big screen at Jackson Hall while accompanied by the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra on May 23. Some of the biggest names in orchestra and jazz are also on the books, including the London Symphony Orchestra (Feb. 22) and Terence Blanchard (April 11). Please visit www.mondaviarts.org for a full season schedule and ticket information.

Also at the Mondavi Center, the WNBA all-star and Olympic basketball champion Brittney Griner will be my guest at the Chancellor’s Colloquium on Nov. 3. We will discuss her career and “Coming Home,” her New York Times-bestselling memoir that details her detainment in Russia and journey home.

I encourage you to mark your calendars for two of UC Davis’ signature events in the springtime. We’ll open our doors to the community for Picnic Day on April 12 and the Whole Earth Festival on Mother’s Day weekend from May 9 through May 11. These are wonderful opportunities to experience UC Davis up close while learning more about the world-class research, expertise and unique programs that define who we are.

You can see that we have a lot to offer. I invite you to see up close why Davis is known as “California’s College Town.” UC Davis is home to the most comprehensive university campus in California and it’s all just minutes away from Woodland, a dynamic place that contributes to the vibrancy and diversity of Yolo County.

To our friends in Woodland, there’s no better time to connect with UC Davis. Come visit us soon!