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Digest: ✅ Meet FOA's Excellence Award winners

Do you know who won? Plus security upgrades, mural painting, dog-friendly fun and safe riding corridors and more...

Dear Colleagues,

Some of the most meaningful progress at UC Davis happens when teams find smarter, simpler ways to get things done. Today, we recognize the recipients of the third annual FOA Excellence Awards.

This year’s honorees were selected for projects that saved time, removed barriers and improved services. Much of this work happens behind the scenes, yet it delivers clear benefits for colleagues and the campus community. Their efforts reflect a strong focus on efficiency, partnership and practical problem-solving.

We invite you to explore the projects behind this year’s awards and join us in recognizing the impact of their contributions.  

Vice Chancellor Clare Shinnerl

Clare Shinnerl 
FOA Vice Chancellor

Three smiling winners of the FOA Excellence Award are shown in a collage.
  • Three staff members from the Office of Business Transformation, FOA Human Resources and the Strategic Talent Acquisition team are being recognized for making a notable difference in resource management through persistence, precision and thoughtfulness. Learn more about the awardees and what they've accomplished.

/to-do list

  • ⚪ RSVP for FOA all-staff meeting

  • Join colleagues for a workshop on how FOA supports UC Davis’ mission, remarks from Chancellor Gary May and Vice Chancellor Clare Shinnerl, prize giveaways and more. RSVP to attend virtually or in person on Feb. 25.
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  • ⚪ Reminders to ride safe

  • To stop unsafe riding on campus, the UC Davis Police Department, Transportation Services and Student Affairs are hosting temporary "safety corridors" to educate riders engaging in prohibited behaviors. Learn about the next safety corridors on Tuesdays, Feb. 17 and 24.
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  • ⚪ Spotlight a colleague

  • Recognize someone who you love working with in Staff Assembly’s new Staff Spotlight feature. Make a submission.

/features

Derek Benson, an electrician with UC Davis Facilities Management, leads a group of people walking together on a lighted pathway at night.

Checking in on security upgrades

Two years into a $20 million investment, FOA teams have worked together to deliver new LED pathway lights, install additional emergency call boxes and make progress on AggieAccess building systems — with some of the new lights switched on just in time for the Davis campus lighting walk. See what's completed and what’s next.

A mural prominently depicting three sheep and other scenes of nature on campus

Help bring a campus mural to life

Pick up a paint brush for a paint-by-numbers style community painting event to help realize the "Sheep Shift" mural, honoring the university's wide range of sustainability efforts, from the lawn-munching sheepmowers to the Big Shift infrastructure project. Sign up to participate on Feb. 19 or 20 (and to get updated of potential rain delays).

 

/fyi

  • 🐶  Meet the pup-stars of Saturday's 5K

  • A Davis Enterprise article introduced readers to Cali and Leia, two dogs on the UC Davis Police Department’s outreach team, and their handlers ahead of the Love on the Run 5K benefitting the K-9 Program. Read the feature and register for this weekend's race.
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  • 💬  Attend police accountability meeting

  • Get updated and ask questions at the quarterly Police Accountability Board meeting. Register for the Feb. 18 meeting.
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  • 🦋  Hands-on learning with campus collections

  • Attend the 15th annual Biodiversity Museum Day for a chance to talk to experts and get a close-up look at collections from 12 campus museums, including the Arboretum and Public Garden, the Bohart Museum of Entomology, the California Raptor Center and more. Make plans for the Feb. 21 event.
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  • 🎤  See youth choir at a discount

  • Staff can watch the Ndlovu Youth Choir from South Africa for only $10 through this month’s well-being ticket deals. Get your tickets for the Feb. 25 performance.
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  • ✅  Registration is open for managers event

  • Learn about "finding strength through self-care" at this year's ADMAN Conference, hosted by the Administrative Management Group, on April 7. Register now and apply for a scholarship by March 20.
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  • 🤸  Track your movement across Alaska

  • Join a virtual daily activity challenge to compete or work with colleagues to stay active, this time along the Iditarod Trail’s northern route. Register for the ongoing challenge.
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  • 🚲  Platinum in bike friendliness again

  • In a recognition of our ongoing safety and accessibility efforts, UC Davis received the League of American Bicyclists’ highest designation as a Bicycle Friendly University for 2025–29. Read more about how the campus earned this recognition.
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  • 🧩  Donate items for student parent space

  • Consider donating snacks, toys, kid-sized furniture or money to help fill the new Student Parent Space. See full list of items and details on donating.

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