CHANCELLOR VISITS GRADUATE STUDENT LEADERS

Drake dines with students; discusses campus life, graduate education

It’s not every day that graduate students cook up a dinner of barbecued steak, vegetarian enchiladas, spinach salad and homemade apple pie. Usually busy with cutting-edge research at UC Irvine’s renowned laboratories and libraries, graduate students often have little time to display their prowess in the kitchen.

Such an opportunity arose May 10, however, when Associated Graduate Students’ government leaders dined with a special guest, Chancellor Michael V. Drake.

“We wanted to get to know Chancellor Drake and have him get to know us,” said AGS Vice President Katie Pine, who hosted the dinner at her on-campus apartment. “It was really nice that he was receptive to that. He understands our concerns and had good advice.”

Chancellor Drake accepted the invitation as a chance to engage students and get to know their perspectives on campus life. After a warm welcome, Drake and student leaders toured the Verano Place student housing complex and then sat down for dinner, with an informal roundtable exchange of ideas, perspectives and personal stories.

“I went to listen to people and engage our graduate students on the important role they play for UCI,” said Drake. “One of the keys to our success is a robust graduate program. It is the engine that powers this university.”

UCI’s strong graduate programs enroll 4,850 students in disciplines ranging from engineering to chemistry to English literature. UCI’s highly trained graduate students bolster California’s communities and local economies with their expertise. Graduate education is a top priority for UCI and is expected to increase from 20 percent to 25 percent of total student enrollment by 2015.

“The graduate population is growing,” said AGS President Brett Goldsmith. “Chancellor Drake is someone who understands the role of graduate education. It’s an exciting time for the campus.”

After an evening of food, fun and talk of UCI’s important role in educating and training the leaders of tomorrow, Drake will continue his hands-on role in reaching out to students.

“It was a positive thing and the start of a really good relationship,” said Katie Pine. “It was foundation-building time.”

– Hanan Eisenman

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