Campus

A campus is a site with at least several buildings used by one organization. The most common usage in town refers to the UC Davis campus, which is what this entry covers. There are many other campuses in town which are linked from the entry on schools.

Aerial view of central campus from the Southeast, taken by Andrew Leonard 4-29-07

Campus is where UC Davis sits, for the most part. While the University owns a lot of land outside of Campus, Campus is really where the sitting around academics happen. In addition to core campus there are also South Campus and West Campus which are defined by being south of I-80 and west of Highway 113 respectively. All together, campus covers 5,300 acres of land, making it the largest UC campus.

Once admitted to one of the Colleges or hired by the university you'll want to learn your way around so that you can find the various buildings you need to get to. Chances are that there will be one department that you will be most closely associated. You may also need to know the streets. Most students will begin their college experience at the Dorms. Along their educational journey they will have lectures in the various Campus Lecture Halls and classrooms. After class they can join organizations and get involved. Some students may be here on scholarships others may be working their way through. Some will take Summer Sessions. Toward the end of their stay they may be considering Best Classes To Take Your Last Quarter...or so I've heard, graduation, and life after UC Davis.

Grad students will be a part of a Graduate Groups and may be attending one of the Professional Schools.

Faculty and staff will find resources with their department and through such services as Classroom Technology Services and other organizations.

There are a lot of beautiful things to see as you discover new places. If you can't get to the MU or the Silo for lunch you'll want to know where the nearest vending machines are. Also of note though less important in this cellular age are the location of campus phones.

Events throughout the year include Picnic Day and the Whole Earth Festival. Various organizations put on events as well.

The Campus is expanding and is undergoing nearly constant construction. If you decide to drive to Campus, your car is under the jurisdiction of TAPS — so be careful where you park! If you're smart you'll use an alternative form of transportation such as a bike.

Many people exist on campus so much that Sleeping On Campus becomes a good option. With that in mind, we all want to know where the UCD Bathrooms are.

Campus Maps

• Online map — Good if you know where you are going (e.g. building name) but not very useful otherwise.
• Printable map — Last updated in 2011
• Parking maps — See TAPS page for information on rates and permits.
• Bicycle map — Bike paths in the city and campus.

2007-08-08 11:14:03   UC Davis is often cited as being a "research campus". Does this mean something in particular within the UC system (fund allocation), or is it a general description? —JabberWokky

• 2007-08-08 11:44:40   Funds, focus. —EdWins
  • 2007-08-08 11:48:20   Yes, but is it defined? In otherwords, is it a general "we fund research", or is it a UC System funding rule that "$x million shall be allocated to research campuses under line n of the annual budget". I.e., is it an official title that conveys money and requires paperwork to be filled out, or is it just a general, non-specific term that can be used by any campus that does any research? ("Hum. According to my observation, the sky is blue and all the leaves are green. This is now a research campus!") —JabberWokky
  • 2007-08-08 11:51:26   (I just dubbed my home a "research campus". Woo! Does UC Davis have any more claim than I?) —JabberWokky
    • 2007-08-08 14:52:15   UC Davis is a research I university. —MattLow
    • As far as I know, the state of California has designated (I believe, through the state legislature) all of the University of Californias (UCs) as research-oriented schools; they have PhD programs and research is an important (perhaps the most important) consideration in judging faculty for tenure, promotion, etc. And yes, funding. This contrasts with the California State Universities (CSUs), which have teaching as their primary mandate. With one or two exceptions, they do not have PhD programs (although there are Masters programs), and although faculty are still judged by their research, less weight is (supposed to be) placed on it. CSU faculty are supposed to be judged by their teaching first, and they teach more classes than faculty in the UCs. And yes, less funding for research, as compared to UCs. To complete the 3rd tier of California's "three-tier" system, there are the community colleges, with little or no emphasis on research. These are the professors with the highest teaching loads. —CovertProfessor
      • Are you referring to the California Master Plan for Higher Education? —BrentLaabs
        • Yes, that's it — thanks. Sorry, I was too lazy to look it up. :-) —CovertProfessor

2007-08-09 11:06:03   Bingo. That's what I was looking for. Thanks to all who dropped the right terms and links. I figured it meant something specific (rather than just descriptive) since it is touted in various press releases. Hurm... now, where to place this on the wiki (as relates specifically to "research campus status", as the tier system is already documented)...

Carnegie Classification is RU/VH: Research Universities (very high research activity) (link). —JabberWokky