[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1648-E1649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE CENTENNIAL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 2008

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today, together 
with Representatives Miller, M. Speier, Matsui and Lungren, to mark the 
100th anniversary of the University of California, Davis. In the past 
100 years, UC Davis has emerged from an agricultural outpost into one 
of the world's premier research universities, and along the way it has 
provided a first-rate education for generations of students, including 
several of my colleagues here today.
  UC Davis touches and transforms everything that matters to us as 
human beings--our health; the economy; what we eat and drink; the ways 
we live and work together; how we find meaning through art, music, and 
literature; and our understanding of the natural world. UC Davis is a 
leading institution of education and innovation whose impact is felt 
around the world.
  UC Davis was founded as an agricultural extension of the main 
University of California campus at Berkeley to address a lack of in-
state educational opportunities for students of agriculture. Governor 
George Pardee signed off on the expansion in 1905, and Davisville was 
quickly selected as the location where the campus opened to 18 students 
in 1909. Women joined the student body in 1914.
  In 1959 the Regents of the University of California elevated UC Davis 
to a general campus within the University of California system. This 
allowed the campus to develop as an institution in its own right, 
growing into new fields and developing its distinctive identity. Today, 
the campus is the largest in the system at over 5,300 acres and is 
internationally renowned for its beautiful layout, the extensive bike 
paths, arboretum and the art that enhances it throughout.
  In 1966, the university affiliated with Sacramento County Hospital 
and within two years the first students were admitted to the UC Davis 
School of Medicine. The UC Davis Medical Center is consistently 
recognized as one of the top-50 hospitals in the Nation, and it serves 
as the region's trauma center. In addition, the hospital's cancer 
center, children's hospital and M.I.N.D. Institute for 
neurodevelopmental disorders are leaders in their respective fields.
  As a research institution, UC Davis remains the most vibrant and 
productive agricultural research university in the United States, but 
it has expanded far beyond these roots. The faculty and administration 
are committed to providing a rigorous, attentive and research-oriented 
campus that has created a world-class learning environment. Each year, 
the campus welcomes a diverse and talented group of students, and it 
remains a popular college destination for students from California and 
beyond--for the 2008 entering class, UC Davis received over 42,000 
freshman applications, a 15 percent increase. With a student body of 
over 30,000, and 178,000 alumni, UC Davis has had a wide-spread impact 
on life in our state.

  In 1996, the university joined the prestigious Association of 
American Universities, representing the top 62 research universities in 
North America. Research funding, most of which is competitively 
awarded, has risen to $600 million annually, including a remarkable 15 
percent jump over the past year. UC Davis's faculty regularly 
collaborates with leading researchers and scientists around the world. 
Recently, the university signed a partnership agreement to collaborate 
with Chilean universities on research in viticulture and enology, a 
major industry for California. The faculty maintains active research 
programs in a wide variety of fields with importance to the state and 
nation, including 1,500 researchers working on a range of environmental 
issues and over 100 engaged in cutting edge discovery and innovation in 
the transportation and energy sectors.
  The work of the university has long been sustained by generous 
philanthropy from alumni and others supportive of the university's 
mission. Donors have established more than 100 endowed chairs at UC 
Davis. Recent gifts have included $100 million from the Gordon and 
Betty Moore Foundation to launch the new Betty Irene Moore School of 
Nursing; a $10 million gift from alumnus Maurice Gallagher and his wife 
Marcia to fund a new building (Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. Hall) and an 
endowment for the Graduate School of Management; and $35 million from 
Margrit Mondavi and the late Robert Mondavi to help establish the 
Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and the Robert Mondavi Institute 
for Wine and Food Science.
  Excellence in women's and men's athletics has long been a proud 
tradition at UC Davis. For its thorough dominance of college athletics 
at the NCAA Division II level, Davis was awarded the Sears Cup for best 
Division II athletic program in six of the first eight years the award 
was given. At the Division II level, UC Davis won multiple national 
championships including basketball, softball and tennis. In 2003, UC 
Davis undertook the rigorous process to move its athletic programs to 
Division 1. In 2007, the Aggies gained full Division I status after 
completing the probationary study-period and they now compete against 
the finest athletes in the nation. Undoubtedly, the most exciting times 
in this transition were the series of upset victories over ``the other 
farm'' in a variety of sports including football, basketball, soccer, 
wrestling and baseball.
   Madam Speaker, at this time it is appropriate that we recognize and 
congratulate the University of California, Davis, on the occasion of 
its centennial. Over the past one hundred years, the university has 
been of incalculable benefit to the State of California and our nation 
with its accomplishments across all the fields of human endeavor. As an 
educational institution, UC Davis is rightly counted among the finest 
in the country and generations of students have benefited from the 
wisdom and

[[Page E1649]]

guidance of its faculty. I know that the university will continue into 
its next century as it finished its first: a dynamic institution for 
education and research, and a true source of pride for Californians. I 
ask you to join me in thanking all the students, staff, administrators 
and faculty, past and present, for their accomplishments and continued 
hard work.

                          ____________________