At the same time, we are experiencing an unprecedented opportunity for the UC Davis community to demonstrate that our university is a place where civil discourse and vigorous debate can coexist within a safe environment offering access to all. I am dedicated to fostering dialogue within our community and finding common ground as we all seek more peaceful times.

Our actions and words matter. As Andrew Li, a distinguished professor and physician in our School of Medicine, says, “Whatever we can say, gesture, and do to defend innocent life and uphold principles of community both in our institutional sense and global sense reflects on us all.”

It’s precisely because the world is ever complex and challenging that setting up students for success after they graduate remains our core mission. As I often say, especially at this time of year, it’s my goal for our students to have a job offer in hand, a professional school acceptance, or a public service position before they cross the commencement stage.

Increasing social mobility while preparing students for careers they find meaningful is who we are at UC Davis. We are No. 6 among the 20 Best Schools for Career Placement for public schools, according to the Princeton Review’s The Best 389 Colleges – 2024 Edition. 

Nishi Bhagat exemplifies this outcome. She graduates next month following her studies in cognitive science and computer science and is already entertaining job offers in the software industry. Nishi co-founded UC Davis Girls Who Code and won our 2023 Big Bang! Business Competition. She credits UC Davis for giving her the hands-on opportunities and skills to kickstart her burgeoning career.

Aesara Rhys will cross the commencement stage in June with a degree in human development. Her next stop is our Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, where she’ll pursue her long-term goal of becoming a labor and delivery nurse. She says many campus resources aided her journey, including the Center for African Diaspora Student Success, the Nursing Club and the Office of Health Professions Advising, which helped review her personal statement before she applied to Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.

Stories like these aren’t just good for UC Davis but for California as a whole. For the state to thrive well into the future, we must build a skilled and diverse workforce that matches California’s demographics for years to come.  

A college degree is transformative for individuals, their families and communities, while also contributing to the region’s economy. According to the Brookings Institution, the average bachelor’s degree holder contributes $278,000 more to local economies than the average high school graduate through direct spending over the course of their lifetime.

Today’s labor market increasingly rewards highly educated workers, which is why college degrees are so closely aligned with social mobility. In 1990, a worker with a bachelor’s degree earned 39% more than one whose highest level of education was a high school diploma. By 2021, the difference had grown to 62% — and closer to 90% for workers with graduate degrees.

The return on investment for a UC Davis degree remains strong. A May 2024 report from the College Futures Foundation shows that the average four-year UC Davis graduate from a low- to moderate-income family recoups the entire cost of their degree in one year of work, compared to those with only a high school diploma.

Emphasizing career readiness

UC Davis provides a wide range of programs and initiatives for students to clarify and attain career goals which, in turn, results in workforce preparation. The Aggie Launch initiative aligns with our Strategic Plan goal to provide a world-class education and foster career readiness. By ensuring that every student engages in experiential learning experiences like an internship or research opportunity, Aggie Launch breaks down barriers for students who may not have the same access to or knowledge of where to find resources, including first-generation students and those from lower-income backgrounds. Aggie Launch also helps students bridge gaps, like the need for funding, so that they can have a healthy college experience leading to better graduation rates, job offers or professional school.

The UC Davis College Corps provides students with opportunities to receive up to $10,000 while engaging in public service-based experiential learning and developing professional skills. Participants are matched with community organizations where they can make a difference. In the process, our students develop leadership skills, including team-building, problem-solving and other attributes that will last well beyond their college experience.

UC Davis is also unique in the research opportunities it offers to undergraduates. Now in its third decade, the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference provides hands-on experiences that employers seek. Through its presentations and mentorship from faculty, the conference prepares our students to move into the future with confidence and creativity.

I’d also like to recognize the good work being done at Quarter at Aggie Square in Sacramento. The program’s emphasis on experiential learning and engagement with the local community allows students to leverage internships, research and clinical rotations to contribute solutions to real-world challenges, such as the future of healthcare or education policy. Faculty members connect students with industry professionals and networking opportunities that support career growth opportunities. 

Student-athletes excelling beyond campus

The Aggie EVO program is designed to help our student-athletes better “know and navigate the World of Work” in order to prepare them for a successful launch within 12 months of graduation. EVO stands for “evolution” and it includes a four-year, non-credit-bearing course for athletes to help them acquire interviewing skills, internships and networking connections with alumni.  

As the only fully integrated and required personal and professional development program in Division I athletics, EVO consistently delivers results in terms of post-graduation outcomes. More than 80% of our student-athletes launch into employment, professional sports or professional school after graduation.

One of those success stories is Shannon Lackey, a field hockey player who graduated in the fall and currently works at SpaceX. As she told UC Davis Magazine, “Field hockey (helped) me discover UC Davis, which in turn helped me realize that I really like aerospace engineering. I’m very grateful for all of the people who have helped me athletically and academically.”

Centers of success

We’re home to one of the nation’s largest internship programs, with more than 10,000 internships placed annually.

The UC Davis Internship & Career Center, or ICC, helps students clarify their career goals and successfully transition to the workforce. It supports them in finding and securing part-time jobs on campus, internships and career positions. Also, if you are graduating and don’t have a job yet, be sure to attend the Hire Me! Academy on June 17 and 18. The virtual workshops and job fair accommodate students on campus and those who have already left Davis.

One of the ICC’s recent success stories is Jennifer Frey, who served as a marketing specialist at the center before graduating in the fall with an economics degree. She recently accepted a job with the Adidas Marketing and Brand Media team, directly transferring the skills she developed as a student to her new career. 

UC Davis’ many culturally based student retention centers are also pivotal in helping students navigate college life, overcome academic challenges and celebrate success along the way. These centers go beyond just providing a place to do homework or find tutoring. They offer unique communities for individualized academic support, and access to basic needs resources such as housing, food stability and healthcare.

Erick Barbosa, who is about to graduate with degrees in Communications and Spanish, credits the Center for Chicanx and Latinx Academic Student Success for helping him find his way to the commencement stage. Erick went from academic probation in his first quarter to straight As the following quarter.

Now, he’s eager to hit the job market and find his way in the broadcasting field. Erick says the center was pivotal in helping him build time-management and communication skills, as well as forge many bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime.

Conclusion

UC Davis has experienced significant improvements in student outcomes over the past several years. Our data show increases in on-time graduation rates for all student groups regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, parent education or family income. Overall, we have improved the four-year graduation rate for first-year students from 54% to 70% over the past 10 years. Graduation rates for transfer entrants have also increased over the past 10 years.

UC Davis will continue to prepare its students to thrive in a diverse world and workforce, to become leaders and to serve the greater good.

Join me in congratulating the Class of 2024 and let’s wish them the best in their next chapters. Go Ags!

Sincerely,

Gary S. May
Chancellor