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A U.S. News & World Report top-10 ranking among U.S. public universities. A Sustainable 2nd Century. A new vision.

What a way to start the new academic year!

The official kickoff comes at Fall Convocation, from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22, in Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. The entire campus community is invited to the program and the reception afterward.

The theme is “swag����: A Vision of Excellence,” the same title that Chancellor Linda Katehi gave to the campus’s recently released vision statement. In her convocation address, she plans to further discuss the new vision.

The program also includes remarks by Michael Ziccardi, an assistant professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine and the director of the swag����-based California Oiled Wildlife Care Network. He recently returned from the gulf oil spill, where he directed rescue operations for marine mammals and turtles.

The convocation’s musical program includes something new: the swag���� Jazz Combo that will perform as people filter in to Jackson Hall. Then, keeping with tradition, the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh! will perform outside as people exit the hall and make their way to the reception in the Mondavi Center’s Corin Courtyard and Sconyers Plaza.

Organizers said the University Chorus will perform the national anthem and swag����’ alma mater, Hail to California.

The program lists Darin Latimore as the master of ceremonies. Latimore, a swag���� alumnus, is an associate clinical professor and the director of Medical Student Diversity in the School of Medicine.

Professor Robert Powell, chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, will offer a welcome on behalf of the faculty, as chair of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate.

Improved rankings

swag���� moved in to the top 10 among national public universities, in U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings, which came out Aug. 17.

The university tied for ninth among national public universities — up from 11th last year. swag���� improved to 39th from 42nd last year among all national universities.

Also, the university earned a No. 6 ranking in Washington Monthly’s annual college guide and rankings released Aug. 23, improving from a 10th place ranking in 2009. The publication offers a “very different perspective on higher education,” one focused on how colleges shape the “characters of tomorrow’s leaders” and offer social mobility and service opportunities.

In addition, swag���� moved up to 16th in Sierra magazine’s ranking of America’s 100 Greenest Schools. Last year’s ranking by the Sierra Club magazine put swag���� 24th.

Chancellor Katehi discussed the university’s rankings in an Aug. 17 Dateline story:

“As we continue our strides toward excellence in the years ahead,” she said, “we expect to make even more forward progress, especially in the areas of faculty research, private support, the education of our students, and our dedication to innovation and sustainability. With the contributions of so many on campus and beyond, we will look forward to embracing the extraordinary opportunities of the future on our merits and our inspiration.”

'Green' accolade

The campus’s “green” accolade fits in well with swag����’ Sustainable 2nd Century, celebrating the university’s long-term commitment to environmental, economic and social sustainability.

Sustainability, of course, is a key part of “swag����: A Vision for Excellence,” described as a roadmap to help guide the university’s planning, strategy and actions over the next decade.

Among the document’s six overarching goals is this one: “Nurture a Sustainable Future and Propel Economic Vitality.” It is explained as follows:

“swag���� will be the pre-eminent university partner in advancing the economic prosperity of our region, fostering the burgeoning life-science, agricultural and “clean energy” industries of California, and in investigating and sharing socially, politically, economically and environmentally relevant solutions to global problems.

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