August 19, 2021 | Issue 20
A Message from the Vice Provost

Heading into the summer many of us thought there would be a gradual end to the pandemic and reduced anxiety about the future. However, in speaking with many colleagues I sense fatigue as we begin to prepare for the new academic year amidst growing health concerns and not knowing what to expect for the fall quarter. 

As we consider what the academic year might bring, I believe it is important to acknowledge the herculean task our instructors accomplished being physically remote while being additionally emotionally and physically drained from the pandemic. We must also give support to those of us struggling to transition back to school and find ways to practice compassion and care.  

I am finding that reconnecting with the community around me, even in small ways, is boosting my morale. Not surprising, community is one of the main motivators for scholars that practice public scholarship at UC Davis. During faculty interviews in 2018, individuals expressed their personal attachments to the communities they belong to as well as the communities they serve through their research and the community engaged learning experiences they facilitate for students.

I am learning to practice self-compassion with what I can and can't do during this time, and I am extending that to the people around me. What is helping you during this time, and what are ways that our office can help you? Our ears and doors are open.


Michael Rios
Vice Provost, Public Scholarship and Engagement
Updates and Announcements
With support from a 2020-21 Public Impact Research Initiative grant, Marcella Gonsalves from Public Health Sciences is working with a local food bank to understand volunteer retention issues, and using community-based research to prepare her students for life after college.

Lee Martin, associate professor in the School of Education and 2020-21 Community Engaged Faculty Fellow, reflects on his experience teaching during the pandemic and the support he received from his Faculty Fellows cohort.

Recognitions and Celebrations
Keith David Watenpaugh, professor of human rights studies and 2020-21 Public Scholarship Faculty Fellow, talks about helping refugees reclaim the right to education in this episode of The Backdrop podcast.
"If you feel like you don’t belong, try to remember that the problem is located within the institution, not within you." Graduate student and former Mellon Public Scholar Eli Alston-Stepnitz shares his journey from GED to Ph.D. and offers advice to other nontraditional students considering college.
Events and Opportunities

Leaders for the Future is a 9-month cohort-based program for UC Davis Ph.D. candidates and postdoctoral scholars who want to complement their academic accomplishments with the innovation and leadership skills needed to excel in diverse careers across industry, non-profit, government, and education sectors. The program provides enrollment in the UC Entrepreneurship Academy, business skills training, applied experiences beyond academia, and career development opportunities.

Deadline: August 20, 2021 | 12 p.m.

UC Davis Sustainability is excited to announce their sponsorship of this year's Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education, a virtual conference streaming live October 12-14. The sponsorship provides any current student, faculty, academic or staff member free registration for attending the live conference as well as access for eighty days of the on-demand content.

Event: October 12-14, 2021 | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
In Other News
Turning Mud into Wildfire Resilient Housing
UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program to Administer Grants and Outreach
Student Is Latest Guest, But It’s Not the First Time They’ve Talked
Two UC Davis History Graduate Students Join the Califonia History-Social Science Project / California Subject Matter Project Team
Partnering for the Public Good
At a time when our planet and its people face unprecedented challenges, UC Davis is reimagining the vital links that connect university, community and society. Philanthropic support plays a vital role in advancing UC Davis research, education and collaborations that make the world a better place. We invite the partnership of university friends who share our vision of discovery, learning and engagement for the public good. 
About Public Scholarship and Engagement
Public Scholarship and Engagement is building and supporting meaningful relationships between communities and UC Davis scholars that work together to solve today’s problems and tomorrow’s challenges. We envision a university unbound that seeks to serve the public, equitably and inclusively, resulting in reciprocal and mutual benefit to California’s communities and beyond.

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