Last Saturday, alongside thousands of members of the UC Davis community –  from near and far – I attended our annual Picnic Day. It was a wonderful event that included something for everyone. Here are a few of the highlights from this year’s open house:

• Doxie Derby

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  The dachshunds are out of the gate and running in the Doxie Derby (Gregory Urquiaga).

• Lion dancer

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  Lion dancer performs at the Silo during Picnic Day (Gregory Urquiaga).

• Snow ramp

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  Betty Cheng, genetics major, goes for a slide down the snow ramp (Gregory Urquiaga).

• Laser maze

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  People try to traverese the Optics Club's laser maze in the Kemper Building (Gregory Urquiaga).

• Chancellor Katehi at Picnic Day Parade

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  Chancellor Katehi sits with her husband Spyros Tseregounis during the Picnic Day Parade (Gregory Urquiaga).

• Picnic Day Parade

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  The antique firetruck runs along the parade route during the Picnic Day Parade (Gregory Urquiaga).

• The Band-uh alumni band performs

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  The Band-uh alumni band performs for the Picnic Day breakfast during the Picnic Day Parade (Gregory Urquiaga).

• Band-uh performs

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  Band-uh performs with music and choreographed routines during the Picnic Day Parade (Gregory Urquiaga).

I also invite you to see the Picnic Day story told through social media by the many proud Aggies who attended.

Chancellor Katehi with the Carmichael family.

I am happy to share some news with you – I’ve named Matt Carmichael to a one-year appointment as our new chief of police, pending a national recruitment. Matt has shown great leadership the past several months during some very demanding times for our community.

At the ceremony this afternoon, Matt said his top priority is to rebuild the police department’s relationship with the UC Davis community. He talked about having more officers out on campus meeting with people to hear their concerns.  “You’re going to know of us more by name,” he said, adding later, “We will be the example of campus law enforcement.” 

I invite you to read more about Matt in my announcement as well as a new department reporting relationship.

I recently appeared with Los Rios Community College District Chancellor Brice Harris and California State University, Sacramento President Alex Gonzalez on KVIE-TV (Sacramento’s Public Broadcasting affiliate). Our taped discussion airs for the first time on tomorrow (April 13) at 7:30 p.m. I hope you’ll watch it and share your thoughts.

During our conversation I made two fundamental arguments: First, that our state is no longer honoring its financial commitment to the exceptional public university system that helped propel California forward. And second, that we must all band together to help reverse this trend. This starts with personal advocacy efforts with our elected leaders. I will be at the state Capitol in early May making the case for UC Davis, its wonderful students, stellar faculty and dedicated staff.

Together, we can make a difference!

Chancellor Katehi shops at the UC Davis Farmers Market.

On Wednesday, I walked to the Silo courtyard to see what I could pick up at the new UC Davis Farmers Market. While I was there, I saw many students and other members of the UC Davis community shopping for fruits and vegetables – the main emphasis of the market is to promote healthy eating.

Chancellor's basket full of produce and campus products.

Among the local vendors, were students from the UC Davis Student Farm selling assorted vegetables and UC Davis Stores was selling some of our campus grown products. I had a chance to talk with a few graduate students about how they are working to promote healthier eating and I left the market with a full basket of healthy options.

I invite you to visit the market that will be open every Wednesday this quarter and let me know what you find!

Chancellor Katehi with conference attendees.

I was invited to speak at a wonderful event this past weekend – The 12^th Annual César Chávez Youth Leadership Conference in Roseville. This conference was founded by Rene Aguilera, a UC Davis alum and Roseville City School District board trustee. Rene wanted to honor the late César Chávez with a day of service for youth that was focused on promoting and celebrating education.

It was a gathering that brought students, families and educators together to celebrate education and get information about obtaining a college education. The day-long conference offered workshops on college preparation, career development and even had local youth perform traditional folkloric dances – they were amazing!

Young girl who performed a Jarocho dance from state of Veracruz, México.

UC Davis was so well represented through our alumni; many of whom danced, spoke and participated in the organization of the event.  I also met with many families and students of all ages who want to come to UC Davis to pursue their education. It was a fun and very meaningful event with tremendous impact on attracting the best and most promising students to our campus.

This conference sends a great message to parents and students about the importance of a college education and it is something that I look forward to being a part of in the future.