The American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education has granted full accreditation to the School of Veterinary Medicine for another seven years, 2019-25. 

The accreditation, following a comprehensive review and site visit, represents the highest standard of achievement for veterinary medical education in the United States. The school’s last accreditation also lasted the maximum seven years, 2012-2018.

“As a global leader in veterinary education, the full accreditation recognition is reflective of the exceptional quality of our leaders, faculty, staff, residents, and students, as well as the strong support we received from our supporters and the university,” Dean Michael Lairmore said.

Graduation from an accredited institution is required by a majority of state licensing and credentialing boards in order to practice. 

— Amy Quinton

Learn about the Veterinary Medical Center Capital Project Fund.

New round of anti-bullying training

Training sessions on “Is It Bullying? Awareness and Strategies” — recommended for all managers and supervisors — are underway for spring quarter on the Davis and Sacramento campuses.

Sessions on the Davis campus are scheduled almost weekly through the end of June (the only exception: no training the week of Memorial Day, Monday, May 27). Three trainings are planned at UC Davis Health: May 3 and 13, and June 7. Trainings last 3½ hours. Click here for times, locations and registration links.

All of these sessions are part of the university’s anti-bullying training, Phase 1, as announced by Chancellor Gary S. May last July. Phase 1 is set aside for managers and supervisors, who are encouraged to complete the training by this July.

Mental health ‘Gatekeeper Training’ in May

“Gatekeeper Training” is back for two sessions in May, to equip teaching assistants, staff and faculty with skills and knowledge “to comfortably and confidently speak to students about mental health concerns and then refer them to appropriate mental health resources.” The term “gatekeeper” derives from the fact that TAs, faculty and staff often serve as students’ gateways to help.

The free trainings, offered as part of a study sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, May 7 and 8, at the Student Health and Wellness Center.

If you or your department is interested in a training, send an email to the study team at support-wellness-study@ucdavis.edu, specifying one training date and time. In return, you will receive an email from “Support UCD Wellness Study” with the subject line, “Invitation to a UC Davis Pilot Study of Training to Support Student Mental Health,” and instructions for completing a pre-training questionnaire.

For more information, contact Professor Carolyn Dewa by email or send an email to her research assistant, Bushra Shaikh.

Library to split Research Support Services

The UC Davis Library is preparing for the launch in fall quarter of two new departments — Researcher Services and Student Services — that will replace Research Support Services. The goal of the restructuring is to continue to provide excellent research support while increasing the library’s support for undergraduate education across disciplines and at scale — strengthening the library’s focus on two of the top priorities of the UC Davis Strategic Plan.

Read more, including information on a library survey now underway and further outreach.

2 named to UC Chicano/Latino Advisory Council

Raquel Aldana, associate vice chancellor for academic diversity, and Lorena Oropeza, associate professor of history, have been appointed to serve as campus representatives on the newly established UC President’s Chicano/Latino Advisory Council.

The council will advise President Janet Napolitano and Provost Michael T. Brown on:

• Improving leadership pathways for Chicano/Latino faculty, administrators and students
• Advancing the preparation, access, recruitment and retention of Chicano/Latino students
• Bolstering UC efforts to diversify faculty and staff
• Cultivating opportunities for the university to engage with the broader Chicano/Latino community

The council will also serve as a consultative body to state and national education leaders and community stakeholders on issues, policies and practices affecting the advancement of Chicano/Latino students, staff and faculty.

— Julia Ann Easley

3-day blood drive nets 762 pints

Bloodmobiles lined the Quad for three days last week, and students, faculty and staff responded: Nearly 1,000 volunteered to donate during the most recent drive by Vitalant.

The blood draw netted 762 pints (not everyone who comes can complete the process, for a variety of reasons). Four hundred of the 993 volunteers were first-time donors, according to Felicia LaMothe, Vitalant representative.

“Thank you, UC Davis, for yet another life-transforming blood drive,” she said. “Thank you for all of your support and passion of our mission to save lives.”

The next campus blood drive will be Tuesday-Wednesday, June 25-26.

Conference-event services on the move

Conference and Event Services will be closed for walk-in business all next week, April 29-May 3, while the unit moves to a new location. Computers are scheduled to be down Wednesday-Thursday, May 1-2.

The new location is the Human Resources Administration Building, 1050 Orchard Road, west of La Rue Road. “We anticipate that our office will be fully operational and open for walk-in business on Monday, May 6,” said Lina Layiktez, director.

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