Chancellor’s Fall Message
Oct. 8, 2007
Dear Colleagues:
UC Irvine has made unprecedented strides in education, research and public service this year. I would like to take this moment to celebrate these accomplishments, as we look forward to the coming year.
UC Irvine educates the leaders of tomorrow, with more than 40 academic programs ranked among the nation’s top 50. We are excited to welcome an incoming undergraduate class of about 6,500 for fall 2007, one of the largest in our history. We are also expanding our academic scope. The establishment of the Donald Bren School of Law and appointment of founding dean Erwin Chemerinsky, along with the launching of new programs in nursing science, pharmaceutical sciences and public health, will bolster our role as an educator in fields vital to California’s health and prosperity.
UC Irvine’s faculty is pioneering research endeavors that change our world for the better. We entered a partnership with Toyota that will test the environmental benefits of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Our researchers discovered that diet coupled with a regimen of learning may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly. UC Irvine's world renowned stem cell research has attracted $17.5 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and $10 million from benefactors Sue and Bill Gross to form a stem cell center on campus. I am proud of these successes, which uphold a long tradition of innovative research at UC Irvine, while breaking important new terrain.
We are deepening our ties to the local community, whose generosity propelled private support for UC Irvine to a record $120.1 million in 2006-07. Construction of a new hospital at the nationally ranked UC Irvine Medical Center is proceeding on schedule and on budget. The new hospital, along with the appointment of Dr. David Bailey as vice chancellor for health affairs, will take our health sciences to the next level of excellence while providing patient-focused care to the Southern California region.
I've never seen community pride for UC Irvine higher than it was this year, when we won a National Championship in men’s volleyball and earned a trip to the College World Series in baseball, both firsts for the campus.
These accomplishments depend on our commitment to a set of core values: integrity, respect, intellectual curiosity, commitment, empathy, appreciation and fun. Last spring, we presented the inaugural Living Our Values Awards to staff members Darlene Bradley, Linda Truong Le, Alberto Roca and the facilities management team for living these values every day. I want to thank our staff for being the backbone of the campus and providing invaluable support to our educational and research missions.
As we celebrate our achievements and look forward to the coming year, I am confident that our impact will continue to grow. You have my thanks and encouragement as we work towards this goal together.
Michael V. Drake, M.D.
Chancellor
