August 20, 2020 | Issue 10 |
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We are preparing for a new academic year amidst a persistent health pandemic that has cost thousands of lives due to government ineptitude. We are also experiencing social unrest that has laid bare systematic racism generations old. These combined effects have raised existential questions about the capability of our institutions to serve the public interest, and the role of higher education, now and in the future. To move forward, we must critically examine our past to reveal the complicity of public universities in building systems of oppression.
For example, the first Morrill Act gave states public land to be sold or used for profit, as long as the proceeds went towards establishing colleges that would teach agriculture and mechanical arts. This gave rise to a system of public land grant universities, including UC Davis. At its best, the civic aim of this legislative act was to support experiential learning, experimental research, and extension of knowledge. But claiming these gifts as “public lands” is an exercise in revisionist history. As Tristan Ahtone and Robert Lee of High Country News reveal, the federal government stole land from indigenous tribes, paying pennies on the dollar (if at all) for hundreds of thousands of acres of land that were either used as the physical space to build universities, or as real estate for generating capital to fund the university system.
The specter of these inherent contradictions of the land grant system remain today, as systemic racism is reproduced in the academy despite greater attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In her book, Ghostly Matters: Haunting and the Sociological Imagination, Avery Gordon describes how the “haunting social forces” of the past influence the present, revealing a historical entanglement in the way we view race, gender and class. Gordon posits that this situation creates an opening to reconsider our future trajectory “ripe with unforeseen possibilities” yet still entangled. As a land grant institution, we must come to terms with our unhomely past in order to acknowledge our role in colonial histories and systematic racism. This is an important and necessary step; one that will enable us to productively move forward.
At UC Davis, we must think critically about the current state of higher education taking into account our complicated history as a land grant institution. As we consider future possibilities, we must keep the communities negatively affected by institutional designs at the forefront of our minds. This will ensure that we endeavor to repair relationships, build trust, and truly serve the public's interest. Robust and institutionally supported efforts towards public scholarship and community engagement can renew the civic purpose of UC Davis in these ways while ensuring we create a more equitable and inclusive knowledge community.
In the coming months, we will examine our role in shaping the contemporary mission of the land grant institution. I welcome your thoughts about how we reckon with our past, while imagining a future full of possibilities.
In community,
Michael Rios
Vice Provost, Public Scholarship and Engagement
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Our strategic plan - Public Scholarship for the Public Good: An Implementation Framework for UC Davis - laid out a series of impact activities to guide our first year of work. We undertook an ambitious plan to pursue 10 Actions in 365 Days in support of our goals and objectives, working towards a vision of UC Davis research, teaching and learning that serves society and makes a positive difference in the world.
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This one-hour panel discussion will feature UC Davis experts from the Tahoe Environmental Research Center and the UC Davis Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center with project partners Fundación Chile Lagos Limpios NGO, along with representatives of Universidad Catolica’s Center for Global Change and the Chilean Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation to discuss preservation efforts in Chile’s Lake District. Drawing upon lessons learned in the Lake Tahoe Basin, as well as knowledge of the social and policy landscape in Chile’s Lake District, these experts will jointly describe current projects that contribute to preservation of the region’s natural ecosystem while also supporting conditions for long-run economic development.
Event: August 24, 2020 | 9 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
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The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), in partnership with its technical assistance contractors, is hosting a workshop to discuss strategies, tools, and best practices to engage communities on housing topics in a completely virtual environment.
Event: September 1, 2020 | 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
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Science "on the shelf" is a lot less useful than science "in action". But for science to inform policies, affect decisions, and influence opinions, scientists must be able to communicate effectively to diverse audiences. This two-part session will focus on communicating key scientific findings to target audiences
Event: September 1, 2020 | 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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This year, in place of an in-person IA National Gathering, Imagining America (IA) invites creative responses that offer opportunities for community reflection, healing, and the creation of spaces and places for a radical reimagining of the world in which we live. Participants are requested to document their creative response in a written, visual, or audio-visual format and share them with IA.
Deadline: August 28, 2020
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The fellowship offers an opportunity to reach people both within and outside an applicant’s field. Eligible applicants are early career scientists or early career practitioners from underrepresented
populations pursuing work related to environmental public health, environmental justice, or ecosystem/climate health or justice. Relevant disciplines may include (but not limited to): environmental health, epidemiology, urban planning, earth sciences, or sociology.
Deadline: August 28, 2020
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Global Affairs is offering an undergraduate student internship focused on strengthening UC Davis's engagement with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The internship will be offered virtually in fall quarter for two credits (6-8 hours/week).
Deadline: August 28, 2020
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UC Davis has been invited to submit one nominee for the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s New Directions Fellowship. These highly selective fellowships provide support for exceptional faculty in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who received their doctorates between 2008 and 2014.
Deadline: August 28, 2020
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The deadline to apply for the 2021-2022 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program competition is coming up. Opportunities are available for college and university faculty and administrators as well as for professionals, artists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, independent scholars and many others.
Deadline: September 15, 2020
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Public Engagement Champion |
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There's truth to the saying "it takes a village" and the collaborative projects in Knights Landing are proof. Their One Health Clinic and community garden wouldn't be possible without residents, non-profits, and UC Davis faculty and students working together towards a common goal. Read part two of their story.
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A UC Davis study found large, mixed-breed dogs face higher risk of joint disorders if neutered early. Neutering policies may need review and modification for larger dogs.
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The pandemic interrupted some public-service projects, but interest in them seems to be stirred, not deterred.
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UC Davis Assistant Professor Rebecca R. Hernandez and Grodsky are exploring where renewable energy can best coexist with wildlife, biodiversity and the environment to achieve overall sustainability
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Staff at the Feminist Research Institute have collaborated with feminist faculty from around the campus to develop a health care learning experience for students as part of Quarter at Aggie Square.
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Today, the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center released its annual Tahoe: State of the Lake Report. The report informs nonscientists about important factors affecting the health of Lake Tahoe.
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Student leaders from the California Student Public Research Interest Group (CALPIRG Students) worked with the Associated Students of UC Davis and UC Riverside to put together a virtual educational panel for more than 50 attendees from the two schools.
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The National Endowment for the Humanities recently awarded two grants to the University of California, Davis — one to advance kindergarten-through-12th-grade instruction on the Chinese experience in California history and the other to support an art history professor in her study of a medieval Armenian city
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Street Soccer USA , UC Davis Health and Women’s Premier Soccer League club California Storm announced on Aug. 13 the launch of the Ladies First Initiative – a three-part program to ensure that voices in the Sacramento community, especially girls and minorities, are not just heard, but elevated.
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About Public Scholarship and Engagement |
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Public Scholarship and Engagement is fostering a culture of engagement at UC Davis that increases the university’s impact through mutually-beneficial relationships that have local, regional, statewide and global reach. We envision UC Davis research, teaching and learning that serves society and makes a positive difference in the world.
Thanks for reading this month's issue! If you have something you would like to include in the next issue of Public Scholarship and Engagement, please submit through this form. Our readers want to hear about your projects, events, publications, opportunities and more.
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