The UC Davis Vision: The Campus’s Strategic Plan

Strategy:  Expand research, internship and international experiences for undergraduates.

Point People: Patricia Turner and Winston Ko

Narrative Summary of Fourth Year Implementation Efforts:

In Spring 06, a complete proposal for the establishment of a centralized Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, Creative Activities & Scholarship, was submitted for consideration to the Office of the Provost.  The proposal reflected the collective interests of the campus constituents, their exceptional enthusiasm for a future Center and excellent recommendations for the functions the Center could assume.  The proposed vision for the Center is to support the faculty’s participation in expanding and sponsoring opportunities for undergraduate research and to provide leadership, coordination, and visibility of undergraduate research as an enhancement to undergraduate education.   The Provost was very supportive of the concept and concurred with the recommendations to establish a Center.  However, due to the significant resource constraints the campus faced last year as a result of the larger than anticipated freshman class, this initiative is still under consideration for a future call for operating budget proposals that invest in core strengths. 

A critical strength of our Internship and Career Center (ICC) is the centralized delivery of campus-wide internship and career services through one Center by the same staff.  The synergy created by the ICC between internships, career advising and recruiting resources is powerful and the Center is a unique model within the UC System.  As a result, the breadth and depth of the services at our ICC continues to be unmatched by other UC campuses and most institutions of higher learning nationwide.  Some of the notable achievements of the Center for this reporting period included leadership in supporting the relatively new UC Center in Sacramento which provides government related opportunities for students system-wide, and augments UC’s presence in the State’s Capitol communities; continued leadership of the Human Corps program which connects students, faculty, and staff with the community at large by providing service and internship opportunities; an increased focus on the expansion of international internship opportunities; and a new collaboration with the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences called Career Discovery Groups, a three-quarter course project that combines the investigation of discipline-based fields with career development curricula.
The Education Abroad Center (EAC) continued to expand international educational opportunities through the UC Education Abroad Program and the faculty-led campus-based programs (Summer Abroad and Quarter Abroad).  Participation in EAC programs has grown at an annual rate of 10% since 2001 with 1305 students studying abroad in 2006-2007.  Some of the notable achievements of the Center for this reporting period include: continuance of its Academic Integration project that strives to incorporate coursework, internships and research undertaken abroad into major and minor degree requirements; expansion of outreach to underrepresented groups, including students in the sciences and engineering; and introduction of a one-unit seminar in the College of Engineering to assist students in understanding the benefits and options of an international experience during their studies at UC Davis.  During the last year, the EAC increased its outreach and recruitment efforts for freshmen.  These efforts resulted in an increase in lower division student enrollments in all EAC programs. 

Advances and Ongoing Programs Consistent With Strategy:

Undergraduate Research

• Campus proposal for future Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, Creative Activities & Scholarship submitted to Provost (Spring 2006) was favorably received, although approval and implementation of the Center still pending status of campus resources.

• Office of the Vice Provost - Undergraduate Studies continued collaboration and/or support of department/college extramural grant initiatives that included a significant undergraduate research component.  Examples include:
  • NIH proposed – “Short Term Education Experiences in Research (STEER) for the Environmental Health Sciences”, submitted by ICC and Environmental Toxicology.  (Funding status pending)
  •  NSF-sponsored – “Collaborative Learning in Mathematics and Biology (CLIMB)”, submitted by Evolution and Ecology. 
    • The sponsored students have recently presented a research poster at the NSF–Undergraduate Traineeships in Biology and Math (UBM) PI-meeting, and are currently planning a workshop to be held Fall 07 on “Population Ecology in Vernal Pool Systems.”

• Additional College-specific initiatives:
  • NSF-sponsored – “Increasing Undergraduate Diversity in the Geosciences: Putah Creek Project”, submitted by Geology (Division of MPS)
    • This successful initiative has received an extension to the grant through Spring 08.  Over the last 2 years 80 students have participated in fieldwork and laboratory research.  All the students present their results in the department poster session and several present at the campus annual Undergraduate Research Conference.
  • NSF-sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Physics (Division of MPS) has been renewed for $334,645 of funding for the next three years.  The funding brings 10-12 undergraduates from around the country to Davis each summer to participate in research activities with our own undergraduates.  The sponsorship is indicative of the faculty’s commitment to mentor students in research.  As a result, students are able to present their projects at local, regional, and national conferences and are often recognized as co-authors in refereed journals and conference papers.
  • NSF-sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Mathematics (Division of MPS) is entering its sixth year.  Each year twenty to thirty undergraduates work individually, or in small groups, on research projects under the supervision of a faculty member or postdoctoral fellow.  Some students’ research contributions are published in research journals and most present their work at the department symposia, the campus undergraduate conference and/or national conferences.
  • The Chemistry Department (Division of MPS) has had a long history of encouraging talented undergraduates to undertake research projects. The department instituted its First Annual Richard Larock Undergraduate Research Conference in Chemistry in May 2007 in which 21 students gave oral presentations.  Students also participate in the campus-wide conference and national and regional meetings.  Exceptional students are recognized as co-authors on papers originating from the department. 
  • The College of Engineer reintroduced and revitalized the Women’s Engineering Link (WEL) which links female engineering undergraduates with graduate student research mentors.  A one-unit seminar was added to provide instruction on research methods and a forum for students to present their research findings.

Internships and Career Placements

• The inaugural year of the Career Discovery Groups program enrolled 180 students in 2006-07 from all majors in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences interested in beginning the career planning process within the context of their discipline-based fields.  There are already 400 students registered for participation in 2007-08.

• Development of international internship opportunities for UC Davis students in 2006-07 was again a high priority area in the ICC resulting in new business related internship offerings in Australia. 

• Travel Grant program in 06-07 helped to defray costs for 33 students participating in international internships in a broad array of countries. Examples of supported placements include
  • Austrian Institute of Economic Research
  • American Embassy, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
  • Child and Family Health International (under-served locations)
  • Inner Mongolia Normal University
  • Mexico Watch Headquarters
  • Thalassocosmos Creta Aquarium

• ICC staff continued to work closely with the Diplomat in Residence, currently assigned to the Berkeley campus, to facilitate contact with students interested in government careers and opportunities with the Department of State.  His service has contributed greatly to the campus efforts to develop a global awareness among our students and alumni. 

• ICC continued its close collaboration with the Education Abroad Center to provide jointly sponsored initiatives.  Examples of such efforts included:
  • Developed an experiential learning component for the Quarter Abroad Program offerings in Italy.
  •  Incorporated service learning as a course component for students studying in Argentina.
  • Created global placements for UC Davis students to provide English language instruction.
  • Co-hosted the second annual Study and Intern Abroad Fair to further student awareness of international opportunities.

• The ICC continues to present large numbers of workshops, seminars and information meetings to the student clientele. The projected total of these offerings in 2006-07 is 428 as compared to 460 reported last year.

• Advising contacts between the ICC's professional staff and student and alumni clienteles are vital to assisting students in gaining supervised experience and preparing for satisfying careers after graduation.  Additionally, a robust and growing slate of electronic information options has been appreciated and heavily used by students. 
  • Projected totals for 2006-07 demonstrate an increasing high demand for individual advising sessions for 11,341 students compared to 10,175 individual sessions in the previous year.  Advising in group sessions provides services to more than an additional 24,000 students.
  • Hits to the department website also demonstrate a steady increase of activity over the last three years with a 13% increase over the previous year.

• The ICC again hosted six major career fairs during 2006-07.  Overall, attendance for these events increased in 2006-07 with a total of 817 companies and agencies in attendance (up from 786 attending last year), and a total of 8,433 students in attendance (up from 8,070 attending last year).

• The ICC's Career Recruiting Programs (CRP) continued to coordinate on-campus interviews for off-campus agencies and employers seeking to hire graduating UC Davis students. Career positions are advertised by CRP to the student population through Aggie Job Link, the ICC's on-line job vacancy system. In 2006-07.
  • The ICC posted a total of 6,629 approved career vacancies through Aggie Job Link compared to 3,946 reported in the previous year.
  • A total of 4,958 student resumes were submitted by students for consideration by hiring employers (up from 3,863 last year).
  • A total of 1,759 student interviews were conducted on campus.
  • The number of companies (i.e., 287) visiting UC Davis through the ICC's Career Recruiting Programs in 2006-07 remained steady compared to the previous year.

• Community Service is a strong ethic on the Davis campus and is supported through the efforts of the Human Corps and Bonner Leaders programs coordinated by the ICC.  Many of their activities are also classified as internships.
  • The Human Corps program hosted the 2007 Week of Service which included the participation of 142 students and staff members, and the contribution of 441 hours to community service projects throughout Yolo and Sacramento counties.
  • Human Corps hosted the annual Community Service Networking Fair in Fall 2006 which included 78 non-profit agencies and service-related groups and attracted more than 400 interested students.
  • Human Corps also hosted The Community Service Awards celebration in Spring 2007 and recognized 123 nominated students, staff members and student groups for contributing more than 60,000 hours of dedicated community service.  
  • In addition to their service internships, the UC Davis Bonner Leaders founded in 2006 a student organization called SHARE (Students Helping in Aftermath Relief and Education), and hosted an event that raised over $10,000 for an orphanage in Sri Lanka that was devastated by the tsunami.  In 2007 SHARE hosted another event to raise funds to help renovate a building and replace books at an elementary school in New Orleans.

• The UC Davis Washington Program continues to place a total of 159 students in this residential program in the nation’s capitol.  Students participate in internships in a wide array of areas such as government and the legislative process, law, the arts, advocacy and human rights.

• UC Center Sacramento entered its fourth year and placed a total of 25 UC Davis students in this residential program where students from all UC campuses come to intern and study in the state capitol.

Other campus internships

• The Division of Mathematical & Physical Sciences (MPS) collaboration with Academia Sinica (Taiwan) has resulted, among other initiatives, in the establishment of a 10-week internship in combinatorial chemistry and targeted synthesis.  The program will provide a unique cross-cultural experience for undergraduates at world class facilities.  

• The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences International Programs Office (IPO) continues to provide internships and work experiences for students in a broad array of international experiences, including a limited number of opportunities to travel abroad.

International Opportunities

• The Education Abroad Center continued its Academic Integration project to ensure that coursework, internships and research are fully integrated into the academic program of UC Davis students.

• The Education Abroad Program expanded its range of short-term programs, offering many new semester-long and summer study programs at the established exchange universities.

• The Quarter Abroad program added two new programs, both of which offer practical experience for students in pre-health and environmental sciences.

• The Summer Abroad program continued to expand high-quality, faculty-led program offerings by adding 7 new programs, for a total of 36 opportunities traveling to 23 countries.

• The Wageningen University program (Netherlands), is a special focus program for students in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences which includes an Intensive Language Program and extensive opportunities to undertake independent research projects and internships.

• The Faculty Senate Committee on International Studies and Exchanges (CISE) approved 32 additional EAP courses for UC Davis General Education credit bringing the total to 230. In addition, Summer Abroad programs offered an additional 31 GE courses.

• The EAC participated on the Emergency Guidelines and Protocol Workgroup and established improved safety and security procedures and training for Quarter Abroad and Summer Abroad faculty leaders and EAC staff.

• The inclusion of a new Global Cultures curricular requirement to the GE Program is currently under campus review. 

• A Freshman Seminar was offered on education abroad experiences in engineering.  Students in the course prepared an academic plan for a junior-year abroad program which demonstrated that it is possible for engineering student to have an education abroad experience while staying on track in their degree programs.  

Short Statement of Plans for 2007-2008 

Overall:

• Continue extensive publicity for research, internship and international experiences.
  
  
• Integrate gift-giving and similar development efforts with Centennial Celebration.

• Extend outreach and program development efforts to meet particular needs of transfer students. 

Research:

• Pending campus approval, implement a new campus-wide Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity.

• Establish a campus protocol for student-run undergraduate research journals and similar publications.

• Begin discussions of ways to facilitate the process by which students can easily obtain units for undergraduate research undertaken during the summer.

• Continue outreach to humanities and arts faculty to increase the number of students pursuing creative work and who participate in the campus’s annual Conference on Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity.

• Encourage faculty with research grants to request additional dollars to support undergraduate researchers (e.g., NSF-REU). 

Internships:

• Continue the ICC's innovative support of the Career Discovery Groups program through the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Explore the potential to create instructional offerings similar to the CDG project in the Colleges of Letters and Science, Engineering, Biological Sciences and Engineering.  

• Continue leadership and campus support in the area of community service to develop enhanced opportunities for student, staff, and faculty involvement in community service and action.  

• Continue to develop international opportunities for students to intern abroad. Bolster mechanisms whereby interested students can secure grant funding to help defray costs of their participation.

• Continue to develop and enhance electronic resources for students, alumni and employers. Implement electronic options currently in the planning phase including electronic management of teacher placement files and electronic management of Transcript Notation postings of completed academic internships. Continue to improve and broaden the ICC's web site for content value and ease of navigation. Evaluate new electronic advising resources for students including virtual seminars and podcasts.

• Work with the Alumni Association on the promotion of Seasoned Pro, an outsourced advising and resource tool for UC Davis alumni who are 5-10+ years post graduation and find themselves re-entering the job market.

• Continue the ICC's partnership with the Peace Corps to bolster the number of UC Davis volunteers nominated annually to this two-year service program.

• Enhance the effectiveness of Center outreach and marketing to our campus, student and employer constituencies with project management guidance and the assistance of the ICC's new Sr. Publications and Outreach Coordinator.

International:

• Provide campus leadership for system-wide initiatives for internationalization and restructuring of the UC Education Abroad Program.

• Institute an EAC Advisory Council (represented by Deans, Senate members, EAC) for program development and assessment.

• Offer Freshmen Seminars and academic courses for Study Abroad returnees.

• Expand services and campus integration for EAP Reciprocity students.

• Introduce support services for students participating in non-UC programs as mandated in 2006 by the UC Regents.

• Critically evaluate non-UC programs vis-à-vis UCD Agreements of Association and make recommendations for establishing new Agreements.

• Assist UC Merced in setting up their Study Abroad Office.

• Offer courses for departmental and Colleges staff advisors through SD&PS Advisors’ Certificate Series.

• Work with campus leaders to insure that Global Citizenship is included in the new General Education requirements.

• Expand efforts to internationalize the campus beyond student recruitment.

• Increase accessibility of Quarter and Summer Abroad offerings to underrepresented students, majors and locations. 

Evaluation of Metrics:

Expansion of the quality, number, and breadth of research and creative activity

• Participation in the UC Davis 18th Annual Conference on Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities experienced a slight decline compared to the previous year, although still significantly higher than the years prior to 2006.  223 students presented their projects in 2007, compared to 235 in 2006 (all-time high), and 204 in 2005.   

• Overall level of participation in sponsored research programs and activities [e.g., PUF, SURF, MURPPS, MURALS, etc] remained constant or in some instance dropped off in participation.  Leadership in several of these programs has been in an interim status which has inhibited growth.  It is evident that a future Center for Undergraduate Research would provide much needed leadership to assist in the expansion of these programs, and other undergraduate research activities.

• Continuous growth in the level of student participation in undergraduate research in the Chemistry Department has reached an all time high in 2006-07 with well over 50% of the majors engaged in research activity. 

• Systematically tracking participation in undergraduate research across the campus is problematic as not every student enrolls in units, or is paid, or pursues this as an internship, or requests transcript notation.  However, as the data reported by the Chemistry Department indicates, it may be similarly possible to start a tracking project across the departments.  Again, this is an activity that may be undertaken by a future Center for Undergraduate Research.

Growth in the number of students completing academically based internships

• A total of 180 students were placed in international internships in 2006-07, a substantial increase from the 2005-06 total of 121.

• The ICC has long been recognized as a leader in the UC system and nationally in the area of experiential education.  The projected number of academic internship placements in 2006-07 (i.e., 6,070 students) again affirms the strength and breadth of this program locally, throughout the state, across the nation, and internationally.

Increase in the quality, number, and range of international experiences 

• The EAC maintained an average annual growth rate of 10%, with 1305 students studying abroad through an EAC program. Of these, 33% participated in semester or year-long programs.  Twelve percent of the 2005-06 graduating class studied abroad.

• Approximately 45% percent of all EAC programs are open to lower division students. As a result of new, more intensive freshman outreach, EAP, Quarter and Summer Abroad experienced an increase in lower division student enrollment with the highest increase (22%) in Summer Abroad.

• Overall, Education Abroad Program enrollments increased by 6.3% from 2005-2006, totaling 404 students in 64 majors. Quarter Abroad program enrollments increased by 27%, totaling 193 students in 55 majors. Summer Abroad program enrollments for UC Davis students increased 5% from 2006, totaling 469 in 77 majors.  Summer Abroad program enrollments of non-UC Davis students increased by 37%, totaling 239, including 196 students representing all 9 UC undergraduate campuses.

• Forty-five percent of students participating in Summer Abroad were enrolled in courses related to their majors. Thirty percent were double majors.

• Thirty-seven percent of EAC programs were open to students with a GPA of 2.0 and good academic standing.

• Fifty-eight percent of EAC programs have no language or course prerequisites for participation.

• Fifty-three percent of study abroad students were Social Sciences Majors.  Arts and Humanities students represented 20% of enrollments, Science and Engineering students, 23% and undeclared majors, 4%.
  
  
• Twenty-seven percent of Quarter Abroad students participated in internships for an average of 5.5 units.  There was an increase in EAP students involved in internships and research activities; however, final data for 2006-07 is not available yet.