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Register for President Drake’s Town Hall with CUCSA next Wednesday
President Drake will hold his final systemwide town hall with Council of UC Staff Assemblies leaders next Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 11 a.m. (PT). Come learn what’s next for President Drake and the university! Advance registration is required for this virtual event. Sign up here to participate.
Stay up to date on federal policy developments
News from Washington, D.C., has been happening quickly. To help our community stay up to date and easily access resources, visit this helpful landing page.
Add your voice. Join UC advocates in raising awareness for issues that affect the university.
Celebrating 20 years of advancing health equity
Twenty years and more than 800 physicians later, UC PRIME programs continue to cultivate medical professionals who are committed to addressing our state’s most daunting health equity challenges. Explore our graduates’ first-hand experiences — and prepare to be inspired.
Also from UC Health: The Feb. 19 grand rounds will focus on avian influenza, aka bird flu. Register to hear from UC Davis experts.
Here to meet employee needs
UC is committed to supporting your well-being. From access to quality health care providers to systemwide and campus-based wellness programs, we’re working to ensure that our valued employees have the resources they need to make our university’s incredible impact possible.
Injured on the job? UC’s WorkStrong program turns workplace injuries into an opportunity for growth.
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. Then, learn how to share your achievements.
Have a tech-related win to share? Applications for the UC Tech Awards are open through March 3.
We’re phasing out single-use plastics
Our systemwide progress on nixing single-use plastics is one very exciting highlight of UC’s 2025 Annual Sustainability Report. Together, we’re working toward a greener future.
Looking for a new, green hobby? UC Agriculture and Natural Resources offers statewide eco-friendly workshops, from naturalist training to gardening skills and even food preservation.
46 of UC’s youngest stars shine on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list
What do film directors, health care innovators, startup founders, game designers and even a race car driver have in common? A spot on the 2025 Forbes “30 Under 30” list, which features 46 UC alums, students and faculty from eight campuses and two national labs.
Even more impressive? The UC students recognized for resilience, leadership and service through the President’s Award for Outstanding Student Leadership and UC Regents Foster Youth Award. Plus, meet three legislators who got their start at UC and discover our Super Bowl connections!
UC People
Hayden Dozier, world traveler and chef
Former food truck owner and globe trotter Hayden brings a creative spin to The Club & Guest House at UC Santa Barbara.
From President Drake
Certain truths remain steadfast
As you may know, the National Institutes of Health issued notice late last week of dire cuts to life-saving research. The University of California leads the nation in NIH funding, and I am deeply concerned by these cuts. If implemented, this would prove catastrophic for the scientific community and countless Americans hoping for new cures and treatments that result from federally funded research. We will continue to do everything we can to advocate vociferously for science, for our researchers, and for patients as we call for these guidelines to be rescinded.
Earlier this week, the University gave its support to a lawsuit filed by the California Attorney General in response to these new guidelines, and I was heartened to see a judge quickly grant a temporary restraining order that prevents the guidelines from being implemented. Your voice matters, too — please consider joining our efforts in support of research through the UC Advocacy Network.
Across higher education, with federal policy changes like these NIH cuts rapidly unfolding, the past few weeks in particular have generated a great deal of uncertainty and, understandably, worries about what it all means. I have heard from many people across the University about these concerns. I want you to know that I hear you. I encourage you to stay informed — we have a new webpage with information on federal updates here.
I also want to reassure you that certain truths remain steadfast despite constant change — including our UC mission. For more than 150 years, the University of California has focused on teaching, research, and public service for the greater good. Throughout our history as an institution and as a nation, those who came before us have known similar struggles. As UCLA alum and tennis legend Arthur Ashe himself once said, “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”
No matter what, we can find strength in our institutional integrity. And we will keep working to make sure the University remains a beacon of hope for California and the world.
Fiat Lux.
Michael V. Drake, M.D.
UC President
UC voices
“The fact is human rights should encompass all those things, the basic freedoms that we cherish because of our constitutional commitments and the right of people to live a decent life.” — former President Jimmy Carter
While speaking at UC Merced during a 2010 visit, during which he accepted the Spendlove Prize in social justice, diplomacy and tolerance
More UC news
UC launches a comprehensive AI website
Explore the role of the staff advisors to the Board of Regents
Continue your family’s UC benefits: Family member eligibility reverification is beginning soon
UC webinar series provides valuable wildfire resources
Nine surprising facts about the cost of attending UC
Resources and volunteers can make a big impact during climate disasters
What’s next for home insurance in California after the Los Angeles fires?
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