![UCnetwork](https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ucnetwork.jpg)
UCnetwork is emailed monthly to University of California staff, but all members of the UC community are invited to subscribe. Sign up here to get UCnetwork delivered to your inbox. Read on for our August issue!
![UCLA gymnast Jordan Chiles strikes a dramatic pose](https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Jordan_ucn-article.jpg)
Your ultimate guide to the 100+ UC Olympians
103 UC athletes, supported by 13 UC-affiliated coaches and staff, have been going for gold in the Summer Games, competing in 27 sports while representing 31 nations and five UC campuses! While we’re still counting the medals, meet the athletes who have made our Olympic dreams come true — along with the doctors and coaches who’ve supported them.
![UC San Diego scientists monitor wildfires using AI](https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/AlertCA_thumb.jpg)
California has problems. AI can help solve them.
As AI gets more powerful and easier to use, UC researchers are finding new ways to integrate emerging technologies into their work, shortening the distance to solutions that benefit every Californian. Find out how UC scientists are leveraging machine learning, working to shorten commutes, reduce homelessness and combat wildfire as well as leveling-up food production, health care and biodiversity.
![A staff member from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s California Veterinary Emergency Team (CVET) carries a puppy with injured paws as part of UC Davis's efforts to support local communities affected by the Park Fire.](https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/dog-thumb.jpg)
UC Spotlight: Kudos for our work together
Our monthly UC Spotlight celebrates UC locations, teams and individual staff members who are helping to make UC a great place to work. Read this month’s Spotlight for stories and photos of staff who are making a difference. And, find out how to share your achievements!
![Students working on the lawn on campus](https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/admissions_UCnetwork-article.jpg)
UC admitted its largest, most diverse class ever
UC offered admission to two out of every three applicants this year, with nearly 167,000 students offered a spot at one of our university’s nine undergraduate campuses. The data shows big jumps in offers to California students, community college transfers and students from historically underrepresented groups. Explore the numbers.
An affordable option: Robust support is available for students who choose UC. Learn 10 surprising facts about UC financial aid and attend a special Parent Prep webinar this Thursday, specifically geared toward UC staff.
![Hands of person looking at the RASC portal on a laptop](https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/rasc-portal_thumb.png)
RASC’s new retirement resources are a hit!
Earlier this year, the UC Retirement Administrative Service Center, aka RASC, launched two resources for UC Retirement Plan members — free virtual retirement counseling and a helpful self-service portal. Both have gotten rave reviews, with counselors described as “absolutely amazing.” Learn how these services can help you.
![CUCSA Exec Board members John Bodenschatz, Jen Bowser & Desiree Hennon](https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/CUCSA_UCnetwork-square.png)
Welcome to the 2024-25 CUCSA Executive Board
Founded in 1974, the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA) is a systemwide employee resource group that communicates and advocates on behalf of UC staff with the Regents and other university leaders. Collectively, this year’s Executive Board brings 90 years of UC service and decades of staff leadership experience to inform their roles. Meet the Board!
![Portrait of two women holding out their hands together with the I voted stickers attached to their fingers](https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/voting_ucn-thumb.jpg)
Call for stories: Voting 2024
Leading up to the 2024 elections, UC will be helping to get out the vote — making it easy for voters of all ages and affiliations to get the nonpartisan information they need to make their voices heard! As part of these efforts, we’ll be amplifying the voices of UC staff who are planning to head to the polls (or the mailbox) this year. Here’s how to participate.
![Man applying sunscreen in a mirror](https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sunscreen_thumb.jpg)
Are you applying sunscreen correctly?
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, so sunscreen is a must-do (especially in California)! Dr. Esther S. Yu of UCLA shares tips on maximizing sunscreen’s effectiveness, including when to apply, areas you might forget and how to choose the best formula for your skin type.
![Mo Saatara walking on field](https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mo-Saatara_thumb.jpg)
UC People: Mohamad “Mo” Saatara, Olympic coach
From the fields and weight rooms at Cal to the Summer Games in Paris, Coach Mo has inspired athletes to maximize their potential and embrace a love of sport. Meet Coach Mo!
![President Drake](https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/UCOP_President-017.jpeg)
From President Drake
The excellence and heart that define our community
In the summer of 2020, when I joined the University of California as President, it felt like coming home. Over the course of my career, I developed many lasting friendships and connections with colleagues across the UC system. That was a huge draw when my wife Brenda and I decided to return to serve this great institution. Four years later, as I announced earlier this month that I will step down at the end of the 2024-25 academic year, my admiration and appreciation has only grown for the talent, creativity, and dedication of UC faculty and staff. I have seen firsthand these past four years the excellence and heart that define the people of the University of California.
As we move the University forward together, one of the accomplishments I am most proud of is the important work we’ve done to expand access and opportunity across our 10 campuses and six academic health centers. I am so proud of the good news, for example, that we admitted our largest and most diverse class ever for fall 2024. A UC degree can be life-changing, and making that possibility more accessible for talented students across the state has a positive impact on the entire state. I’m grateful for all that you do to make achievements like this possible. Never doubt that, together, we can build a bright future for each other and for future generations of Californians.
I’m looking forward to what we will accomplish in this next academic year, and I am wishing everyone a safe and productive return to campus as the academic year gets underway over the next few weeks.
Fiat Lux!
Michael V. Drake, M.D.
UC President
UC voices
“At its best, UCLA is a place where people make and remake themselves; where we give birth to ideas and nurture dreams; where we create opportunities and expand horizons; and where we work tirelessly to benefit our region, nation and world.”
— Darnell Hunt, UCLA interim chancellor, in an inspiring introductory message
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