Chancellor May

UC Davis is ranked #13 among public universities and #23 overall out of 142 universities in The Washington Monthly's "America's Best Colleges for Research."

The Washington Monthly evaluated universities and scored them along four equally weighted measures: total research expenditure; the number of science and engineering doctorates awarded; the faculty elected to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the major national honors a school’s scholars collect.

View the full The Washington Monthly rankings at https://ucdav.is/4d8oOkM

|

Image description: A student wearing goggles, gloves and a white coat works with equipment in a lab. Text reading "Top 25 Best Colleges for Research" and "According to the Washington Monthly's America's Best Colleges for Research" is overlaid.

LeShelle and I are out and about helping our new UC Davis undergraduates moove-in. 🐮💙💛

Instruction is right around the corner, Aggies, you got this! 💪🏾



Image description: Chancellor May and LeShelle smile and pose for a photo at Moove-in on September 17, 2026. They are both seen wearing yellow shirts and white and black patterned hats. They are holding blue carts as various students walk behind them.

We are proud to announce that the National Cancer Institute has renewed our "comprehensive" designation for the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center!

We're among an elite group of only 58 comprehensive cancer centers around the country with the designation, which comes with nearly $18 million in grant funding for the next five years. The funding will help advance groundbreaking research, expand access to clinical trials and strengthen programs that address the region’s cancer burden.

“UC Davis is driven to break barriers in cancer care through our leading-edge research, compassionate care and community engagement,” said UC Davis Chancellor May.

We are the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center from the Bay Area north to Portland and east to Salt Lake City and the only designated center in the Sacramento region. Additionally, we're one of the few in the nation who partners with veterinary science, in our case the No. 1 veterinary school in the country, the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, on a comparative oncology program.

Congratulations to all of the employees, faculty and patients who make this designation possible.

Learn more about our nationally recognized cancer center and research: https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/cancer-center-earns-renewed-comprehensive-designation-/2026/08



Image descriptions:
1: Two UC Davis Health staff sit behind a blue UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center table at an event on campus.
2: Clinical trial patient Bryan Mazza and his wife, Jessicia, at a recent follow up appointment with Dr. Joseph Tuscano, they sit in an exam room.
3: Primo “Lucky” Lara Jr., director, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, looks at a cancer research poster at a recent symposium, a doctor points to the poster.

UC Davis marks the loss of a tremendous friend and visionary with the passing of Ernest E. Tschannen. Tschannen died recently at the age of 101. He was a philanthropist who donated millions to worthy causes, including UC Davis Health.

Tschannen's historic $38.5 million gift to the UC Davis Eye Center led to the creation of the world-class facility on the Sacramento campus, the Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building.

“Ernest Tschannen’s philanthropy embodied a clear vision: He wanted to improve the world for future generations. He built a fortune and yet lived modestly. He chose to direct his resources toward improving the causes he cared about most. We are thankful he helped UC Davis achieve our vision for a world-class eye center in Sacramento," said UC Davis Chancellor May.

Learn more about his legacy: https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/remembering-ernest-e-tschannen/2026/09

Image descriptions:
1: Ernest E. Tschannen stands in front of his namesake building in October 2022. He wears square black glasses and a black zip-up jacket and light blue shirt, standing in front of a beige building with silver lettering that says," Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute" and with a triangular arrow pointing left.
2: Ernest E. Tschannen stands in the middle of two others including Chancellor Gary May and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science Mark Mannis as they cut a blue UC Davis Health ribbon.

According to Forbes, UC Davis is the #10 public university in America. 💙💛

This is who we are...

In Forbes' annual "America's Top Colleges" list, UC Davis was named #10 among public universities that produce high-earning, successful and influential graduates from all economic backgrounds, with less student debt.

UC Davis has moved up from #12 since the 2025 rankings list and joins three other UC campuses in the top ten.

View the full Forbes university rankings by visiting https://ucdav.is/4db6V4O.

|

Image description: The UC Davis water tower with greenery in the foreground and blue sky behind it. Text above reads "Ranked #10 Among Public Universities" and "According to Forbes America's Top Colleges."

The Sacramento OBSERVER proudly announces the 2026 ONYX Awards honorees!

Twenty-two of the region’s most influential Black leaders will be recognized for leadership, achievement, integrity and lasting community impact at the second annual ONYX Awards on Friday, Oct. 2 at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento.

Congratulations to this extraordinary class of leaders—Rooted In Responsibility. Polished In Purpose. Link to the new Onyx Awards website in the comments.