UC Davis received an “A” grade in Money magazine’s 2015 “Best Colleges,” measuring educational quality, affordability and career earnings to help families find “great schools that are truly worth the investment.”

In its report released July 12, Money said UC Davis is an affordable school that produces results — with a six-year graduation rate of more than 81 percent, above average for schools with comparable student populations. Money also recognized UC Davis’ sustainability efforts.

Other factors include merit aid, parent and student borrowing, tuition increases and time to degree.

UC Davis earned its “A” grade in the “value added" category, which compares student performance at each school with what would be expected given the students’ economic and academic backgrounds, and the school’s mix of majors.

Read more.

Napolitano names USDA exec to lead ANR

The Board of Regents next week will consider UC President Janet Napolitano’s appointment of U.S. Department of Agriculture executive Glenda Humiston to lead the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Humiston

Humiston has 25 years of experience working on agriculture, natural resources, sustainability and economic development in rural communities. She serves now as the California state director of USDA Rural Development, as a 2009 appointee of President Barack Obama; and previously served in the Clinton administration’s USDA as deputy undersecretary for natural resources and environment.

“Glenda Humiston is a great fit for the UC system at a time when drought has heightened the importance of sustainable agricultural practices,” said Napolitano, who launched a Global Food Initiative last year. “She is a knowledgeable, thoughtful and action-oriented leader who will expand the impact of an agriculture and natural resources division whose reach already extends across the globe.”

The ANR head oversees 1,350 people working in 60 county offices, nine research and extension centers, and three administrative centers, including one in Davis. The position became vacant upon the retirement of Barbara Allen-Diaz on June 30.

Read the UCOP news release.

No increases in long-term parking fees

Never mind who wrote the letter, TAPS or Transportation Services, the bottom line is the same: The cost of long-term monthly permit parking will remain unchanged for 2015-16.

The July 1 parking update letter starts with the announcement that Transportation and Parking Services has changed its name to Transportation Services to reflect the unit’s recent expansion to take in a broader range of services that support the campus’s transportation programs.

The website remains the same, taps.ucdavis.edu, and Cliff Contreras, the unit’s director, said he fully expects people will continue to use the TAPS acronym — and that’s fine by him.

Still, in his parking update letter, he encouraged people to visit the TAPS website to learn more about the unit’s expanded services, which now include road and path construction and maintenance; heavy-equipment rentals, leases and maintenance; and sign production and installation.

The road construction and heavy-equipment components formerly comprised Civil and Industrial Services, which was a unit of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. The sign shop was part of Facilities Management.

TAPS continues to run campus parking and the Bicycle Program, as well as the goClub. The club promotes commuting by carpool and vanpool; bike, bus and train; and walking — all forms of what TAPS now calls "preferred transportation" as opposed to alternative transportation.

“Transportation Services continues to implement multiple strategies to reduce costs and create efficiencies within its operations,” Contreras wrote in his parking update letter. “As a result, I am pleased to announce that for fiscal year 2015-16, there will be no increases to the long-term monthly permit rates.”

The letter states TAPS will continue to offer lower-cost L parking permit options to eligible faculty, staff and students, and notes that the recent establishment of a new L permit area along Garrod Drive west of Highway 113.

Aggie kickoff times announced

The athletics department announced kickoff times for Aggie home football in 2015:

• Saturday, Sept. 12 — South Dakota, 6 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 3 — Montana, 1 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 10 — Northern Arizona, 4 p.m. (homecoming)
• Saturday, Oct. 24 — Southern Utah, 4 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 14 — Cal Poly, 2 p.m.

Ticket information is available online. Season tickets are on sale now; single-game tickets are set to go on sale Aug. 3. For more information, call the ticket office, (530) 752-AGS1 (2471).

The athletics department also announced the times for three road games: North Dakota, 11 a.m. PDT Sept. 26; Northern Colorado, 12:35 p.m. PDT Oct. 17; and Weber State, 11 a.m. PST Nov. 7.

Kickoff times for games at Nevada (Sept. 3), Hawaii (Sept. 19) and Sacramento State (Nov. 21) have not been announced.

TECHNEWS: Surplus computers, Windows Server 2003

• Used Macbooks and Dell 790s are arriving at Aggie Surplus, now that Information and Educational Technology has begun its annual summer upgrade of computer classrooms and labs. IET’s Computer Lab Management unit replaces computers when they turn 4 years old. Read more in this TechNews article.

• After today (July 14), Microsoft will no longer offer regular support for the company’s Windows Server 2003. “By far, the best response is to replace it with new software,” according to IET, which estimates the software is still in use in 275 campus machines, mostly servers. Read more in this TechNews article.

‘Very successful turnout’: 298 pints of blood

BloodSource took care of its donors on two very hot days June 30 and July 1, and the donors took care of BloodSource — providing nearly 300 pints of blood.

The organizers provided plenty of shade and water, and got people into the air-conditioned bloodmobiles as quickly as possible.

“Donor wait times were minimal and we had a very successful turnout,” said Felicia Roper of BloodSource, which works with the Community Service Resource Center in putting on campus blood drives.

Roper reported a total registration count of 397, including 80 first-time donors. The blood collection totaled 298 pints (not everyone who registers can complete the process, for a variety of reasons). Eight people donated platelets.

"Thank you all so much for all of your support of the blood drive," Roper said by email.

BloodSource will return for a second summer blood draw, Wednesday-Thursday, Aug. 26-27.

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