CPES Community - May 2022
Letter from AVC Bob Segar to CPES Employees
Dear Campus Planning & Environmental Stewardship Community,
As we welcome spring and warmer weather on the campus, I would like to share some recent achievements of our remarkable team and introduce a new Peer-to-Peer Recognition Program to celebrate these contributions. This quarterly program invites all employees of CPES to nominate a colleague who consistently adheres to the mission of the organization and goes above and beyond to make significant contributions to UC Davis. Nomination forms are available online and awardees will receive a $50 gift card with special acknowledgement in the CPES Newsletter. All staff of CPES are encouraged to participate in this Peer-to-Peer Recognition Program in recognition of such an extraordinary team and their impacts.
Find out more and submit a peer recognition
Here are some accomplishments to be proud of, from across CPES:
Arboretum and Public Garden
I am delighted to announce that in 2021, the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden received a $5.4 million grant for the Waterway Flood Protection and Habitat Enhancement Project. A UC Davis match for the grant makes this a $7.9 million project. This two-year plan envisions a complete waterway restoration from Lake Spafford west to the Equestrian Center by 2024. This project builds on phase I of the Waterway Maintenance and Enhancement project that completed renovations from the footbridge at Wyatt Deck to the east end of the Waterway. With construction on this new project beginning as soon as fall of 2022, this development encompasses narrowed waterways for faster water movement, earthen bank structures that foster native vegetation, and floodplain benches and plantings that simulate a natural wetland habitat. This is a truly monumental project for UC Davis and the community, made possible through extensive collaboration, partnerships, and planning. Waterway Steward Nina Suzuki and Assistant Director Andrew Fulks should be commended for their extensive work over months and years to make this successful grant award possible.
Environmental Planning
Our expert team in Environmental Planning has been hard at work in Sacramento and Davis. Recent accomplishments include major California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) efforts for the Sacramento Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), Aggie Square, Sacramento California Hospital Tower, Folsom Center for Health, Sacramento Ambulatory Surgery Center and Sacramento Central Utility Plant expansion. The Environmental Planning unit manages projects within and outside of UC Davis, including projects for the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR).
Congratulations to Heather Davis on her promotion to Associate Director of Environmental Planning. Heather’s leadership and technical expertise have been critical to our success in several major projects including Aggie Square and the California Hospital Tower. Heather frequently receives praise from units across UC Davis and will have many additional opportunities to lead our successful efforts in her new role.
Sustainability
In September 2021, the Sustainability, Global Affairs, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices co-produced the first UC Davis Voluntary University Review of our campus engagement with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The SDG are a collection of 17 interlocked global goals designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”. One of only two known comprehensive Voluntary University Reviews (alongside Carnegie Mellon University), this review aims to measure our progress in addressing SDG, facilitate SDG awareness and involvement across campus, and inform UC Davis SDG-relevant initiatives with collaborators regionally and worldwide. The three offices also co-sponsored the UC Davis Grants for Advancing Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, UC Davis was recognized as the#1 sustainable University in North America and fifth in the world again in 2021 in the University of Indonesia’s GreenMetric World University Rankings.
Transportation Services
The Transportation Services unit led by Perry Eggleston, contributed to our sustainability goals by transitioning from monthly permits to being the first campus that offers a Daily Parking Rate program.
"I started as Executive Director for Transportation Services in January 2020. Before I could get my bearings at UC Davis, COVID rocked the world and the subsequent reduction of campus operations. Moving to a Daily Rate business model was not easy. Still, Michelle McArdle, Becky Vidales, and Ramon Zavala led their divisions to modify operational models from the old monthly format. Lauren Barbour and her team were instrumental as we adapted our operations, as they were on the front line with the customers. These are only a few, but not all, who worked hard on the change management process, and I look forward to recognizing others on our team in future updates.”
Not only has this integration met modern parking demands and patterns, it has saved students and employees millions in the past year.
Campus Planning
Ingrid Stromberg was recently promoted to Campus Planner and Urban Designer for her notable accomplishments and leadership. She joined CPES in August of 2019 as the first campus urban designer and worked collaboratively with colleagues at UC Davis Health to modernize their Long Range Development Plan and the Physical Design Framework. Ingrid is in the process of developing, with the Arboretum and Public Garden team, a final draft of the campus Living Landscape Adaptation Plan that envisions a landscape resilient to climate change and that provides engagement opportunities for students, staff and the community. Ingrid has served as a mentor to Assistant Urban Designer Kelly Nishimura and several UC Davis Health interns focusing on making UC Davis a healthy place to live, work, and learn. We’re thrilled with her thoughtful contributions and look forward to the future she will shape.
Upcoming opportunities to network with other CPES staff:
Event Date: Friday, May 27, 2022 at 2:30 p.m.
Facility: Dobbins Baseball Complex
Event Date: Friday, May 13, 2022 at 1:30 - 4 p.m.
Thanks to our unique combination of units and our talented people, CPES continues to take care of our campus for all who experience it, and to plan for a healthier and more sustainable campus future.
Once again, I encourage all staff and employees of CPES to participate in this Peer-to-Peer Recognition Program in appreciation of such a phenomenal team and their efforts.
Sincerely,
Robert Segar
Associate Vice Chancellor