Small town. Big school. UC Davis is ranked 16th among public universities nationwide by the National Research Council, is listed 11th among public universities nationwide by U.S. News & World Report; and is 10th in research funding among all U.S. ranked public universities by the National Science Foundation. The campus is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, one of just 62 institutions of higher learning to be admitted to this distinguished group. Founded in 1908 as the University Farm amid the fertile fields of the state’s Central Valley, UC Davis embarks on a centennial celebration during the 2008-09 academic year. The campus encompasses the colleges of Letters and Science, Engineering, Biological Sciences, and Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; and professional schools in Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and Education. It also operates the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, one of the leading teaching and research hospitals in the nation. In 2007, the campus announced a $100 million in founding support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to launch the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. This is a period of growth and change for UC Davis. The campus has seen growth in student, faculty and staff populations and is in the midst of more than $1 billion in new construction. New facilities do or will include new laboratories, new classrooms and new student sports and recreation facilities. Thanks to the generosity of one of the world’s most renowned winemakers,
groundbreaking took place in 2005 on the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. The Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts opened in 2002 and is a showcase part of the campus. UC Davis has enjoyed a distinguished history in athletics as it continues a new era in NCAA Division I. The Aggies are official members in most sports in the Big West Conference which includes fellow UC campuses Irvine, Riverside and Santa Barbara. The transition to Division I brought to an end a successful Division II era in which UC Davis captured six Directors’ Cups in eight years, awarded annually to the most successful athletics program in the country. UC Davis also twice received recognition from Sports Illustrated for Women as the top Div. II school for women while Sports Illustrated has also previously honored the institution. In addition to 26 varsity sports (14 for women and 12 for men), the campus offers nearly 40 student-organized club sports. Women's field hockey will become the 27th varsity sport when it begins competition in 2009. And each year, more than 19,000 students participate in intramural sports. All students can enjoy abundant on- and off-campus recreational facilities for tennis, softball, basketball, volleyball and golf. Given the area’s Mediterranean climate, outdoor recreation continues year round. The program is also among the nation’s leaders in NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients and has had three winners of the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award, tied for the most among all schools in the country.