Faculty

The sixth annual UC Davis International Connections Reception, hosted by Global Affairs on March 4, brought together faculty, staff, scholars, students, special guests, and supporters to celebrate UC Davis’ global achievements. During this year’s online awards ceremony, Chancellor Gary S. May recognized Diana Farmer, chair of the UC Davis Department of Surgery and surgeon-in-chief of UC Davis Children’s Hospital, for earning a 2020 U21 Award for Contribution to Internationalization in Higher Education. The U21 Award, given by the Universitas 21 network, celebrates individuals who demonstrate a true global vision in higher education, further effective international opportunities for students and staff, and improve collaboration within the university and with external partners.

The sixth annual International Connections Reception, hosted by Global Affairs on March 4, brought together the UC Davis community in an online forum to celebrate several award and grant programs, including the 2021 recipients of Global Affairs Seed Grants for International Activities. These grants are offered in partnership with the Office of Research and the individual colleges and schools to faculty taking on innovative research, service, and engagement projects around the world.

The sixth annual International Connections Reception, hosted by Global Affairs on March 4, brought together the UC Davis community in an online forum to celebrate several award and grant programs. The event included the announcement of the 2021 recipients of Grants for Advancing Sustainable Development Goals. One grant was reserved for a project that is clearly focused on SDG 10.3: “Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard.” Two grants were reserved for CAMPOS and CAMPSSAH Scholars, who have as their mission to encompass the multicultural perspectives of academic faculty in STEM as well as in the social sciences, arts, and humanities—while focusing on expanding the presence of women and underrepresented faculty in those disciplines.

On March 4, the sixth annual International Connections Reception, hosted by Global Affairs, brought together the UC Davis community in an online forum to celebrate globally engaged faculty, staff, and scholars. The event included the announcement of this year’s Academic Federation and Academic Senate honorees for the Excellence in Teaching in Study Abroad Awards, conferred jointly between the Academic Senate and Global Affairs.

Biological and agricultural engineering professor Fadi Fathallah was recognized by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) with the SMV Technologies Ergonomics, Safety, and Health award for his contributions to promote agricultural safety and health.

Aligning with its mission as a public, land-grant, and comprehensive research university, UC Davis is embarking on a ‘Voluntary University Review’ of its engagement with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, known as SDGs. Led by UC Davis Global Affairs, Office of Sustainability, and Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the process of developing the Voluntary University Review report will cover UC Davis’ education, research, service, and operations to measure UC Davis progress and inform future strategies in addressing the SDGs.

The University of California, Davis’ World Food Center will co-host the virtual student summit 2021 of Universities Fighting World Hunger (UFWH) alongside the University of California Global Food Initiative and the Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources in partnership with the Hunger Solutions Institute at Auburn University. The summit’s theme is One Health. One Planet., and it will take place on March 25 and 26, 2021.

UC Davis Professor Beth Rose Middleton, chair of the Native American Studies Department in the College of Letters and Science, has long had an interest in the Caribbean. A 2020 Global Affairs Seed Grant has allowed Professor Middleton to develop courses on the Indigenous Caribbean and to develop exchanges and collaborations with Garifuna leaders.

Although this year has brought unprecedented challenges, Global Affairs remains proud to welcome the world to UC Davis and connect UC Davis with the world, albeit virtually at the moment. As we leave 2020 behind, we celebrate the Global Affairs news and announcements featured this year with this top 20 of 2020.

From all of us in Global Affairs at the University of California, Davis, we are sending our warmest wishes to you this holiday season. In times like these, we are reminded of how interconnected our world is and how we grow together from every challenge. We hope you’ll read our UC Davis Global Affairs 2019-20 Annual Report, which this year focuses on global leadership in a dynamic and interconnected world, featuring UC Davis global learning, research, service, and partnerships in a time of COVID-19.