Staff are invited next week to a Summit on the University of the 21st Century. It is scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. Monday (May 4) in the multipurpose room at the Student Community Center.

Organizers said staff members are encouraged to bring their lunches and join the discussion. Light refreshments will be served.

“As an institution uniquely positioned to break new ground and meet pressing global challenges, UC Davis is determined to lead the way for higher education in the 21st century and beyond,” Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi writes on her “Envision the University of the 21st Century” website.

A faculty summit was held in March, and student forums are scheduled for May 6 and 19.

“Building on the strategic framework laid out in our 2010 ‘Vision of Excellence,’ as well as other recent strategic planning initiatives conducted across the university, we will bring a collective focus to the important question of what kind of institution we aspire to create via the decisions, actions and investments we make today and in the future,” Katehi said.

The “Envision the University of the 21st Centery” website invites ideas and proposals. They can be submitted electronically via this comment form or via this dedicated email address: chancellorsadvisor@ucdavis.edu.  

Vanderhoef’s memoir: ‘Indelibly Davis’

Chancellor Emeritus Larry N. Vanderhoef’s memoir, Indelibly Davis: A Quarter-Century of UC Davis Stories … and Backstories, comes out today (April 28).

Vanderhoef, who stepped down in 2009 after serving as chancellor for 15 years, and as provost and executive vice chancellor for 10 years before that, writes on such topics as the Mondavi Center’s development, Intercollegiate Athletics (and the Aggies’ move to Division I), academic diplomacy in Iran, tragedy in the Sea of Cortez in 2000 and the amazing transformation of the old Sacramento County Hospital into the UC Davis Health System.

Available in hard cover ($29.95) at all UC Davis Stores and The Avid Reader, downtown Davis; and digitally, with video extras, via UC’s eScholarship website.

A book signing is planned from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, in the large conference room, second floor, Conference Center.

Blood drive total: 934 pints

The Davis campus community gave 934 pints of blood in last week’s collection on the Quad. “Every time we are on campus I am blown away by the student, staff, and faculty involvement,” said Felicia Roper of Sacramento-based BloodSource, which conducts blood drives on the campus several times a year.

“Whether you donated or helped spread the word, you made an impact to the overall success!”

BloodSource tallied 1,197 participants in the two-day drive; not everyone can complete the donation process, due to a variety of factors. Other statistics: 353 new BloodSource donors, 10 platelet donors (in the brand-new platelet bloodmobile) and 85 sign-ups for the National Marrow Donor Program's Be the Match registry.

“Thank you again and see you over summer,” Roper said. The summer dates: Tuesday-Wednesday, June 30-July 1; and Wednesday-Thursday, Aug. 26-27.

Genomic tumor profiling at UCDHS

The UC Davis Health System announced a collaboration that brings comprehensive genomic tumor profiling to UC Davis' standard of care, allowing physicians to prescribe the most effective, targeted cancer treatments to patients based on the genomic information specific to each person's cancer.

The Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine are involved in the collaboration with Foundation Medicine, a leading molecular information company.

UC Davis will leverage Foundation Medicine¹s data to drive targeted programs, research initiatives and clinical trials. Outcomes data from these efforts will go into Foundation Medicine¹s molecular information knowledge base, FoundationCORE, to provide the broader oncology and pathology communities with information to help inform treatment decisions for other patients.

"Foundation Medicine is the commercial leader in comprehensive genomic profiling of cancerous tumors," said Ralph de Vere White, distinguished professor of urology and director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Combined with our basic, clinical and translational cancer research expertise, we hope to ultimately reduce the burden of advanced cancer in this region."

Read the UC Davis Health System news release.

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