In 2012, Forbes Magazine ranked UC Davis (aka UCD) as the 7th best public school in the nation, 39th among national research universities, and the 3rd best of the UC schools, after UC Berkeley and UCLA. UC Davis was originally established as a satellite farm for Berkeley's College of Agriculture. Since UC Davis originated as a subsidiary of the University of California, Berkeley (aka CAL), we are the only UC that can legitimately use the Cal nickname (aka Cal-Aggie). In fact, the Bossy Cow Cow cheer (used by the Cal Aggie Band-uh! and the Aggie Pack) is a parody of Berkeley's Oski Yell.
Bossy Cow Cow
Honey Bee Bee
Oleo Margarine
Oleo Butterine
Alfalfa Hay!!!
The official mascot and ambassador of UC Davis is a blue mustang named Gunrock, a modern rendition of a 1920's university Thoroughbred who was a relative of the famed racehorse Man O' War. Gunrock can always be found galloping through the crowds at football games and singing Aggie Fight at the post game Band-uh! performance. Home victories are celebrated by ringing the Travernetti Victory Bell to record every point scored that evening.
Lift up your voices,
Now's the time to sing.
This is the day
The victory bell will ring,
Loyal Aggies, all for one
Never stopping 'til we've won,
Because the Mustang will show
Our team the way to fight,
Charging the enemy
With all his might,
Let's go, Let's win, Today's the day
The Aggies will Fight, Fight, Fight!
UC Davis Arboretum
100 acres of beautiful gardens for active recreation or peaceful contemplation along the banks of the old north channel of Putah Creek where plants are arranged to represent different geographic areas, plant groups, or horticultural themes. It is said that every California Native plant (allegedly including marijuana) can be found in the Arboretum's vast floral collection! Some of the animals that can be spotted in the arboretum include: butterflies, ducks, frogs, geese, cormorants, raptors (hawks), peacocks, herons, egrets, rabbits, squirrels, fish, bees, and turtles. In the spring of 2010 some North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) took up residence in the Arboretum waterway, to the surprise and delight of visitors. Their presence in the waterway is a bit of a mystery, since it is a closed body of water. Look for them near the Native American Contemplative Garden and the Eric E. Conn Acacia Collection where they have been seen playing and swimming.
Picnic Day and the Battle of the Bands
100 acres of beautiful gardens for active recreation or peaceful contemplation along the banks of the old north channel of Putah Creek where plants are arranged to represent different geographic areas, plant groups, or horticultural themes. It is said that every California Native plant (allegedly including marijuana) can be found in the Arboretum's vast floral collection! Some of the animals that can be spotted in the arboretum include: butterflies, ducks, frogs, geese, cormorants, raptors (hawks), peacocks, herons, egrets, rabbits, squirrels, fish, bees, and turtles. In the spring of 2010 some North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) took up residence in the Arboretum waterway, to the surprise and delight of visitors. Their presence in the waterway is a bit of a mystery, since it is a closed body of water. Look for them near the Native American Contemplative Garden and the Eric E. Conn Acacia Collection where they have been seen playing and swimming.
Emerging from its humble beginnings as a tour of the University Farm’s new dairy barn in 1909, today Picnic Day offers a wide variety of entertainment providing a host of opportunities for visitors to the Davis Campus. As noted on the 8th annual picnic day announcement, it is a festive event that offers "contests, demonstrations, and AMUSEMENT". The day long festival begins with words from the Chancellor followed by a performance by the Cal-Aggie Marching Band-uh! This leads into a parade that snakes through downtown Davis showcasing tractor drawn floats, bicycles of all shapes and sizes, and a double decker bus! Other highlights include: the Doxie Durby, wiener dog races, a Fashion Show, the Chemistry Magic Show, cow milking, a bug exhibit, and the Battle of the Bands.
Whole Earth Festival
Designated Emphasis Programs for MCIP
Whole Earth Festival was born when an art class taught by Jose Arguelles had an “Art Happening” on the University of California, Davis campus in 1969. The students used art to involve those that attended in an educational process that dared to transcend the typical system of standardized tests and impersonal lectures. Following the United Nations declaration of “Earth Day” in 1970, the second “Art Happening” (1971) was renamed “Whole Earth.” Later sponsored by the Associated Student’s Experimental College, and then becoming a self-sustaining unit, the Whole Earth Festival has evolved over three decades into what can be seen Mother’s Day weekend on the U.C. Davis campus every year. This FREE, three-day, eco-friendly festival with arts and craft booths, music acts, massage tables, and good food! Check out the daviswiki for more info.
- Reproductive Biology
- Biotechnology
- Biophotonics
- Organism-Environment Interactions
- Translational Research
- Air Quality Research Center
- Animal Resources and Laboratory Services
- Bodega Marine Laboratory
- California National Primate Research Center
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System
- Campus Mass Spectrometry Facilities
- Cancer Center
- Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology
- Center for Laboratory Animal Sciences
- Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging
- Center for Visual Sciences Core Facilities
- Clinical and Translational Science Center list of Affiliated Facilities, Cores, and Resources
- Comparative Pathology Laboratory
- Controlled Environment Facility
- Genome Center
- Interdisciplinary Center for Plasma Mass Spectrometry
- McClellan Nuclear Research Center
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility
- Paleomagnetism Laboratory
- UC Davis Medical Center Research Histology Services
- UC Davis Mouse Biology Program
UC Davis History: a synopsis
1868: the University of California is chartered as a land-grant university. Construction begins on a railroad depot and other buildings in Davisville.
1906: Davisville is selected as the location for the University Farm. George Pierce, Jr., the first University of California graduate from the Sacramento Valley, rallies local boosters to contribute land and water rights.
1907: Construction begins on the first four campus structures and Davisville is renamed Davis.
1909: The University Farm School opens in January with 18 students.
1911: 1st class graduates from the Farm School Program.
1912: The cost of 8 months of farm school, room, board, fees and books is ~$250.
1922: A four-year degree program is established.
1928: Celeste Turner Wright, the first Davis humanities instructor with a Ph.D., joins the English faculty.
1929: The Cal Aggie Band-uh! is formed after the campus received money to start a music program
1932: Prohibition ends, allowing the gradual resumption of research and instruction in wine making at Davis.
1934: The Cal Aggie Women's Association is organized by 17 female students.
1940: Shields Library is completed
1946: The School of Veterinary Medicine is established.
1951: The College of Letters and Science enrolls its first students.
1952: The College of Agriculture at Davis separates from Berkeley.
1955: The Memorial Union is dedicated, commemorating students lost in military service.
1959: The regents designate UC Davis and UC Riverside general campuses.
1960: Enrollment in the College of Letters and Science equals that of the College of Agriculture for the first time.
1965: The regents vote to establish a medical school at Davis.
1967: The semester system is replaced by a quarter system and Double-decker buses are purchased by the Associated Students of UC Davis (ASUCD).
1970: The Whole Earth Festival is created to celebrate the first Earth Day.
1983: The Bodega Marine Laboratory is added to UC Davis' roster of research and teaching facilities.
1989: UC Davis is named a national center for AIDS research. The campus leads the nation in the number of Ph.D.s awarded in the biological sciences.
1997: Engineering students win the top prize in the nation for Futurecar. Professor Gary Snyder wins the Bollinger Prize in Poetry.
1998: UC Davis men's basketball team wins NCAA Division II national championship.
2000: UC Davis recognized as a top campus in producing minority Ph.D.s in math, physical science and engineering.
2002: UC Davis Cancer Center achieves National Cancer Institute designation. and the first vaccine for cat AIDS approved for veterinary use.
2005: Division of Biological Sciences becomes College of Biological Sciences.
2007: UC Davis wins national center for avian flu research.
1868: the University of California is chartered as a land-grant university. Construction begins on a railroad depot and other buildings in Davisville.
1906: Davisville is selected as the location for the University Farm. George Pierce, Jr., the first University of California graduate from the Sacramento Valley, rallies local boosters to contribute land and water rights.
1907: Construction begins on the first four campus structures and Davisville is renamed Davis.
1909: The University Farm School opens in January with 18 students.
1911: 1st class graduates from the Farm School Program.
1912: The cost of 8 months of farm school, room, board, fees and books is ~$250.
1922: A four-year degree program is established.
1928: Celeste Turner Wright, the first Davis humanities instructor with a Ph.D., joins the English faculty.
1929: The Cal Aggie Band-uh! is formed after the campus received money to start a music program
1932: Prohibition ends, allowing the gradual resumption of research and instruction in wine making at Davis.
1934: The Cal Aggie Women's Association is organized by 17 female students.
1940: Shields Library is completed
1946: The School of Veterinary Medicine is established.
1951: The College of Letters and Science enrolls its first students.
1952: The College of Agriculture at Davis separates from Berkeley.
1955: The Memorial Union is dedicated, commemorating students lost in military service.
1959: The regents designate UC Davis and UC Riverside general campuses.
1960: Enrollment in the College of Letters and Science equals that of the College of Agriculture for the first time.
1965: The regents vote to establish a medical school at Davis.
1967: The semester system is replaced by a quarter system and Double-decker buses are purchased by the Associated Students of UC Davis (ASUCD).
1970: The Whole Earth Festival is created to celebrate the first Earth Day.
1983: The Bodega Marine Laboratory is added to UC Davis' roster of research and teaching facilities.
1989: UC Davis is named a national center for AIDS research. The campus leads the nation in the number of Ph.D.s awarded in the biological sciences.
1997: Engineering students win the top prize in the nation for Futurecar. Professor Gary Snyder wins the Bollinger Prize in Poetry.
1998: UC Davis men's basketball team wins NCAA Division II national championship.
2000: UC Davis recognized as a top campus in producing minority Ph.D.s in math, physical science and engineering.
2002: UC Davis Cancer Center achieves National Cancer Institute designation. and the first vaccine for cat AIDS approved for veterinary use.
2005: Division of Biological Sciences becomes College of Biological Sciences.
2007: UC Davis wins national center for avian flu research.
