The UC Davis Vision: The Campus’s Strategic Plan

Strategy:  Provide the physical facilities, information resources and technology infrastructure necessary to achieve national and international distinction and leadership in learning, discovery, and engagement.

Point People:  Peter Siegel, Marilyn Sharrow, John Meyer, Stan Nosek

NOTE:  The third-year implementation report for this strategy is divided into four parts:  information and educational technology, library, campus operations, and capital projects.

INFORMATION AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

Narrative Summary of Fifth Year Implementation Efforts:

In 2007-08, the campus, under the leadership of Information and Educational Technology (IET), pursued several key objectives in support of the strategy to advance UC Davis’ national and international distinction and leadership in learning, discovery and engagement through information technology resources and infrastructure. A major area of emphasis this year involved the development of a coordinated campus approach to the identification of IT needs, prioritization of IT investments, and advancement of collaborative IT strategies. Key implementation efforts include:

• Identified strategic budget reduction measures based on programmatic priorities and developed a near- and long-term IT investment planning strategy to help address the considerable budget shortfall and multi-year fiscal constraints facing the campus. The strategy includes holding in-depth conversations with the campus community to understand the IT budget priorities and trade-offs under consideration as part of this cost-saving effort.
• Created a coordination and governance structure for campus administrative information technology services. This effort is invaluable to UC Davis as a mechanism for ensuring a common strategy for administrative IT services across the administration and for ensuring an effective ongoing dialog with the broader campus community.
• Initiated a campus-wide (i.e., Davis and Sacramento) strategy that will guide and inform near- and long-term investments in computing facilities. This approach includes a common, central process to review and coordinate new construction, renovations, and "ad-hoc" requests for increased utility services for space used as computer (server) rooms.
• Launched a multi-faceted program to enhance high-performance computing and networking services to meet the present and future needs of the campus research community.
• Developed a comprehensive plan to guide the implementation of the next generation campus network (UCDNet-3). The new network will incorporate infrastructure upgrades and service enhancements to the campus voice, data, video, wireless and cellular services to the benefit of faculty, staff, students, and support units.
• Continued to promote alignment of information and educational technology services with campus needs, (e.g., through extensive consultation with IT advisory groups, ongoing campus outreach efforts, and collaborative partnerships with campus units and UC campuses).

 

Campus Planning and Coordination:

Produced IT planning framework based on Chancellor’s Fall Conference – Action Plan Committee/IET

• Established faculty-driven Action Plan Committee to develop and socialize recommendations from the Chancellor’s Fall Conference (Fall 07).
• Produced report and a recommended framework, jointly developed by faculty members from a cross-section of research and academic disciplines (March 08). Four areas are emphasized: Enhancing campus IT infrastructure; enabling community building and collaboration for teaching and scholarship; promoting IT innovation and excellence; and establishing a methodology for prioritization of IT needs.

Developed administrative IT services roadmap– IET/Academic and administrative units/Academic Senate/Health System

• Developed a roadmap for centrally-funded and -supported administrative IT services
• Catalogued and reviewed campus IT administrative services
• Developed a campus governance model around eight administrative service “domains”; approved by Council of Deans and Vice Chancellors in summer 2008

Developed and implemented administrative computing systems policy – IET/Community

• Coordinated the review and discussion of a dozen campus IT systems (PPM 200-45) since adoption of policy in September 2007
• Implemented expedient peer review process

Developed strategy for new campus telecommunications direction (UCDNet 3) – IET/Telecommunications Advisory Committee

• Developed proposal and plan for incorporating infrastructure upgrades and service enhancements into the campus voice, data, video, wireless and cellular services.  Initial phase: establish wireless deployment priorities
• Upgrading core network to accommodate 10 gigabit speeds
• Established Telecommunications Advisory Board to assure alignment between investments into network capabilities and client needs

Developed plan to enhance Banner Student Information System – Student Affairs/IET

• Established a review team to address organization, fiscal management, and governance of the Student Information System; developed "proof of concept" for the Student/Curriculum domain described in the administrative IT services roadmap
• Developed plan for making Banner more responsive to the functional needs of the campus; socialized plan through the process outlined in the campus administrative computing systems policy (PPM 200-45)

Promoted and enhanced campus cyber-safety – IET/Cyber-Safety Oversight Committee/Community

• Promoted campus awareness and compliance
• Promoted remediation of security vulnerabilities in Web applications; enhanced detection and elimination of malicious network traffic at campus border
• Participated in security incident reviews and applied lessons learned to identify security program enhancements

• Strengthened campus units’ ability to identity and protect electronic personal identity information by providing free access to IdentityFinder, a new and more effective search tool.

Launched UC Davis identity management initiative – IET/Office of Administration/Health System/Campus units/Colleges

• Implemented federated single sign-on authentication (“Shibboleth”),  which will enable UC Davis members to access other UC systems using their UC Davis credentials and sets the stage for collaboration with other trusted partners such as other institutions of higher education
• Initiated plans to implement a new, more secure identity management system for UC Davis and UC Davis Health System, centralizing personal identity information for use by campus systems

Launched a campus IT architecture program – IET/Academic and administrative units/Academic Senate/Health System

• Recruited a campus IT architect to work with the campus community to analyze, design and deploy the UC Davis information technology infrastructure architecture so it meets campus technical and business requirements and furthers the campus' mission of research, teaching, and public service
• Creating principles and a framework for the overall architecture and its evolution over time to ensure IT-based systems support the needs of the campus effectively and securely
• Applying the framework to areas such as middleware and applications that directly support business functions (via the PPM 200-45 process) to promulgate the use of standards, reduce duplication of effort, and provide a roadmap for future planning

Enhanced campus emergency preparedness and response – Office of Administration/Emergency Operations Teams/IET

• Further developed campus emergency communication, management and response program; tested and implemented UC Davis Emergency Alert System; started enhancements to campus systems to allow students, faculty, and staff to enter their personal contact information for notification during campus emergencies
• Sponsored Emergency Messaging Symposium for campus and UC members; provided a forum for the university community involved in emergency planning and management to share ideas, plans, challenges and accomplishments related to developing, implementing and managing campus emergency notification programs

• Conducted load testing to assure that the campus voice switching system could accommodate an abnormally high demand during a crisis situation
• Proposed directions to establish a standard approach to the deployment and funding for campus emergency telephones

Enhanced faculty merit and promotion sSystem (MyInfoVault) — Academic Personnel/IET

• Prepared for and completed upgrade to version 2 (July 08)
• Finalized plan for core functionality in FY 08-09 release

Introduced system for graduate admissions, alumni & records (GradSMAART) —  Graduate Studies/IET

• Completed and rolled out Graduate Application Review Database (October 07); programming for next modules

Information technology in support of learning and teaching:

Developed short- and long-term data center expansion plan (e.g., local, regional data centers)—IET/Deans & vice chancellors/Office of Research/Office of Resource Management and Planning/UC Davis Health System/UC campuses

• Established Strategic Approach to Investments in Computing Facilities Committee to guide and inform investments in computing facilities
• Implementing short-term solutions to critical server room collocation space, power, cooling, and networking needs while exploring longer-term solutions to accommodate research and administrative computing requirements

Launched first phase of campus cyber-infrastructure program – IET/Office of Research/Office of Resource Management and Planning/Deans and vice chancellors

• Enhancing high-performance computing and networking services to meet campus research community’s present and future needs
• Working with major faculty groups (Computational Science & Engineering, Humanities Institute, Genomics, UCDHS, etc.) to provide IT support for interdisciplinary research that spans the humanities, social sciences, and sciences
• Developing long-term plan targeting campus research strengths, challenges and directions
• Completed CalREN high-performance research bandwidth upgrade

Established next generation high-speed (lightwave) connection between UC Davis and UC San Diego to accommodate high-speed cluster computing needs associated with CalIT2

• Developed collaborative funding strategy
• Supported campus effort with deployment of gigabit services to selected areas in the Genomics facility.

Developed roadmap for the campus learning management and collaboration system (SmartSite) – IET/SmartSite Advisory Committee

• Established SmartSite Advisory Committee (faculty-driven, with staff and student representatives)
• Identified and prioritized development enhancements

• Preparing for retirement of course management tools in MyUCDavis
• Continued to raise awareness; provided opportunities for training and support
• Completed system upgrade in summer 2008; preparing for GradeBook upgrade

• Working with SmartSite Oversight Committee on plan for online teaching and course evaluations
• Implemented podcasting within SmartSite

Updated current and introduced new technologies in support of teaching and learning – Campus Council for Information Technology (CCFIT)/IET/Teaching Resources Center/Library/Registrar

• Developed instructional resources portal
• Developed program for Educational Technology TAs in departments  (effort led by TRC)
• Working with SmartSite Oversight Committee on plan for online teaching and course evaluations
• Introduced UC Davis iTunes U and YouTube (with University Communications)
• Introduced Adobe Connect online collaborations and communications tool
• Introduced gaming-based simulations for developing  difficult, 3D learning concepts
• Researched and experimented with PDAs and MP3 players for use in teaching and learning through a joint faculty and staff committee
• Developed five-year plan to advance classroom technologies in the 123 general assignment classrooms
• Introduced high-definition videoconferencing for distance education and administrative support

Pursued improvements to campus email and calendaring services—IET

• Completed Email Review Committee report and recommendations; implemented follow-up measures (Fall 07-Winter 08)
• Completed transition to Cyrus email architecture (Fall 2007)
• Completed Gmail for UC Davis students pilot; preparing for service offering to all students (Fall 2008)

See http://vpiet.ucdavis.edu/initiatives.cfm for descriptions and ongoing updates.

Please see http://vpiet.ucdavis.edu/metrics.cfm for 2006-07 and ongoing technology-related metrics.

LIBRARY

Point Person:  Marilyn Sharrow

Narrative Summary of Fifth Year Implementation Efforts:

General Library Strategic Plan Update, 2007-2008

In 2007-2008 the General Library, during particularly difficult budgetary circumstances, continued to provide friendly, welcoming facilities and modern tools of technology to allow campus faulty, patient care professionals, students and staff access to broad and deep research and scholarship resources in support of campus academic programs of excellence and emerging distinction.  Funds in excess of $7.34 million were expended on providing access to research materials in a broad array of formats and nearly $1 million was expended in support of the provisions of the tools of technology needed by patrons to access research data increasingly available only in electronic form.  Three professional and eighteen staff positions were filled as a result of departed or retiring employees.   No General Library employees were eliminated through lay-off.  Creative and strategic use of a severely limited budget prevented a diminution of services. 

Advances and Ongoing Programs Consistent with Strategy:

During 2007-2008 the General Library continued to recruit and hire the best and the brightest librarians and staff.  In addition, the Library engaged in a thorough organizational analysis to be sure that the efforts of employees were as efficient as possible and that programs of service remained strong.  This analysis resulted in areas of restructuring that make the best use of available FTE and space in a time of budgetary retrenchment.  Additionally, the Library continued to provide significant opportunities for professionals and support staff to engage in professional development and skill building in a milieu of rapid technological change.  The Library continued to develop strong working relationships with campus faculty and students through technological initiatives such as the use of EndNote in UCD’s MyInfoVault. The Library also continued to implement a broadly ranging and diverse library instructional program.

Technological service enhancements continued to be high on the General Library’s agenda.  Notably, the next generation MELVYL pilot project was implemented allowing single portal access to local, regional, and global research and scholarship via OCLC’s WorldCat interface.  Additionally, in harmony with other UC campuses, the General Library contributed unique content in support of UC’s partnership with Google Corporation to digitize books whose full text will be available online.  Also in mid-2008 UC Davis contributed digital collections to the HathiTrust Digital Repository.  The HathiTrust Repository coalesces digital collections from prestigious academic research libraries and provides single entry access to them.  All three of these enhancements required the significant time and effort of UC Davis General Library professionals and support staff
 
In addition, the wireless access environment in library facilities was made more robust, and VPN efficiencies improved.  Provision was also made to allow users to download data sets on to patron devices.  During summer 2008, the provision of new copying, scanning and printing technologies was achieved.

Further detail with regard to the 2007-2008 plan summary highlights noted above as well as other facilities, staffing and program efficiencies are listed on the following pages. 

Facilities, Staffing & Program Improvements and Efficiencies

Illustrations of the activities and planning of General Library departments to foster collaborative programs and research supports can be found in a browse of the General Library’s web page at www.lib.ucdavis.edu.

Notable Program Initiatives Consistent with the General Library 2007-2008 Strategic Plan Update:

Collections:

• Continued strategic selection of licensed electronic resources.
• Participated in UC contributions to JSTOR preservation and digitization efforts for key journals in sciences, humanities, and social sciences.
• Participated in creating a retrospective single copy of IEEE publications, so that the UC libraries can deselect these titles to free crowded shelf space.
• In collaboration with campus IET, the DVD collection in Hart Hall will be permanently transferred to the General Library in summer 2009.  Access to these DVDs will be through Reserve Services in Shields Library.   The change ensures that more research materials will be accessible from one primary location.

Humanities/Social Sciences:

• The Humanities and Social Sciences Department partnered with UCD faculty to sponsor a two-part series about the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, the New Latin American cinema and social issues/women in cinema.

Library Facilities:

• Partnered with UC Davis Facilities Management to reduce electrical, chilled water and hot water usage in Shields Library.  The project won the 2008 Best Practice Award for the Energy Efficiency Partnership Program.
• Installed occupancy sensors in Shields Library stacks, improving sustainable operations of the Library.

Library Instruction:

• Provided EndNote training to senior administration support staff in the Office of the Provost.  This core group accepted the responsibility to teach campus department administrative assistants to use the EndNote software to help facilitate the academic merit and promotion process and lessen faculty workload.

Public Services:

• Implemented a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to replace the Library’s legacy proxy server access, allowing UC Davis faculty, students, and staff to use the Library’s licensed electronic resources (full-text journals, books, and databases) from home, and other off-campus locations (https://vpn.lib.ucdavis.edu/danana/auth/url_default/welcome.cgi)
• Enabled library users who have forgotten their PIN/Password to reset their library PIN/Password in order to use Harvest Library Catalog self-services (renew a book online, view one’s borrowing record)
• Installed a user friendly copying and printing system which expands services to include scanning and color photocopying (Shields Library).  
• Participated in the UC Next Generation Melvyl pilot project to upgrade the existing Melvyl Catalog. The pilot will enable users to see not only what is held by their own institution but also what is available at all other UC campuses as well as all other items held in the WorldCat database.
• Reorganized the structure and services associated with the Government Information and Maps Department.  Staff and collections were merged with like departments allowing for more interdisciplinary work and more efficient expertise and information sharing.
• Created the General Library’s Centennial web site to showcase the Library’s history of accomplishments (http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/ul/about/centennial/ ).
• In collaboration with campus IET:
• UCD students can now activate their library privileges using their ID card at any library workstation or circulation desk. Students can also register from home. 
• Room 182 in Shields Library reopened as a computer lab in Fall 2008. The new lab includes 38 computers (PC and Macintosh) and provides a convenient location in Shields Library for picking up wireless printing.  Room 163 will continue to serve as a computer lab and will add playback equipment for VHS and DVD formatted titles to support individuals using Shields Library Reserves materials.

Sciences:

• Outreach focus to faculty, staff, and students:

• UC Davis Clinical Translational Sciences Center:  Interdisciplinary teams of librarians and Center staff presented sessions which identified relevant information resources and taught Center members how to effectively and efficiently use the relevant resources
• As a response to the National Institutes of Health Public Access Mandate, sciences librarians presented informational sessions to campus departments and created a web site which describes the Mandate’s key elements and the implications for NIH funded individuals

Technical Services:

• Reorganized the General Library’s Technical Services division into a structure which more efficiently meets the challenges of acquiring, cataloging, and delivering scholarly content that needed by faculty, staff, and students.

CAMPUS OPERATIONS

Report is current in draft. Final will be posted by January 1, 2008.

CAPITAL PROJECTS

Point Person:  John Meyer

Narrative Summary of Fifth Year Implementation Efforts:

Both the Davis and Sacramento campuses continue to manage the most extensive capital expansion program in the history of UC Davis.  Investments in excess of $1 billion are being made in Davis and at the Medical Center.  Many of these new facilities are now operational and have brought long-needed resources to accommodate unprecedented enrollment and research growth.  The UC Davis strategy is to provide facilities necessary to achieve national and international distinction and leadership in learning, discovery, and engagement. To further this strategy the campus is implementing the following projects:  

Projects in design and construction in 2007-08:
New Facilities: California National Primate Research Center Projects (Field Corral Expansion, Center Childhood Health & Disease Facility, Virology and Immunology Laboratory), King Hall Renovation and Expansion, Physical Sciences Expansion, Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Science, Translational Shared Research Facility, Veterinary Medicine 3B, Advanced Transportation Infrastructure Research Center Phase 1 and 2, Watershed Research Center 2nd Floor Improvements, Health and Wellness Center, Graduate School of Management and Conference Center, Tercero South Student Housing Phase 2, Segundo Services Center, Student Community Center, and Music Instruction and Recital Building.

Renovation Projects: California National Primate Research Center Projects (Animal Wing Renovations and CCM BSL3 Laboratory), Hunt Hall Renovations, Kerr Hall Improvements, Oxford Dining Commons Renovation, Coffee House Renovation, Robbins Hall Renovations, and individual laboratory renovations in Tupper Hall, Chemistry Building, Bainer Hall, Cruess Hall Renovations, Tahoe Fish Hatchery Renovation, and Briggs Hall.

Infrastructure Projects: Seismic Corrections Phase 4, South Entry District Utilities and Roadway Improvements, West Campus Utilities, Unitrans Hutchison Bus Terminal, Briggs Hall Safety Renovations Phase 1, Central Plant Chiller & Cooling Tower Renewal, West Village Backbone Infrastructure, Chilled Water System Improvements Phase 7B, Electrical Improvements Phase 3 & 4, and Steam Expansion Phase 1.

Sacramento Campus :  Tower II Phase 5, Research Building II Remodel  , Cancer Center Expansion, Telemedicine Resource Center and Rural Prime Facility,  Research III Surgery Unit, Fire Pump Station Installation, Waste Management Facility relocation, Central Plant Turbine Replacement, Medical Gas System Upgrade Phase 1, Campus Landscape Improvements Phase 1, Davis Tower Corridor Interface, Radiation Oncology CT Installation, Radiology Research Remodel,  Parking Structure III, Surgery and Emergency Services Pavilion, UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures, Enhanced Infant Security System Installation, Ambulatory Care Clinic CT Installation, Ambulatory Care Clinic Extremity MRI Installation

Implemented a new Planning Committee structure that includes Vice Chancellor’s and Deans for project overview.

Web site developed to provide information and status on all major construction projects. http://www.ae.ucdavis.edu/Projweb/projectstatus.nsf/MasterProject?OpenView

Short Statement of Plans for 2008-09:

• Complete the following projects: Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Sciences, California National Primate Research Center Childhood Health and Disease Facility, California National Primate Research Center  Modular Animal Housing,  Electrical Improvements Phase 3,  Hog Barn Renovations,  Briggs Hall Safety Renovations Phase 1, Advanced Transportation Infrastructure Research Center Phase 1 and 2, Watershed Research Center 2nd Floor Improvements, Hunt Hall Renovations, Seismic Corrections Phase 4, Translational Shared Research Facility, West Campus Utilities, Central Plant Chiller & Cooling Tower Renewal, Steam Expansion Phase 1, and South Entry District Utilities.

• Sacramento Campus- Complete the following projects:  Gross Anatomy Teaching Center, Placer Center for Health, Same Day Surgery Center, Student Fitness Center, Tower II Phase 4,  Stockton Boulevard Research Center Site and Infrastructure, Education Building 4th Floor, Central Plant Utilities Extension and Remodel for Cardiovascular CT Scanner.

• Consolidate Architects and Engineers, Facilities Management, and Resource Management and Planning under the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Resource Management and Planning.

• Present the Ten-year Capital Plan and Physical Design Framework to the Regents.

• Complete design and begin construction for West Village neighborhood.