History
Since 1993, the UCDEA Video Records Project has been creating an oral history of the UC Davis campus by recording interviews of emeriti/ae as well as others who have made significant contributions to the development of the university. These interviews take the form of a recorded conversation between the interviewee and one of his/her friends and/or colleagues. More than 470 interviews have been recorded to date (Spring 2018). All new emeriti/ae are encouraged to arrange for an interview.
Interview videos are shown regularly on the Davis Community TV (DCTV) cable channel and may be streamed from their website.
DVDs of the Video Records Committee interviews through 2017 are on file in Special Collections, Shields Library. The Special Collections Reference Desk is on the Main Floor of the Library. Please consult the Reference Desk to check out a tape for viewing.
Reference Desk Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday through Friday
Reference Desk Phone: (530) 752-1621
Beginning in 2017, the committee has worked to post the interviews on the AggieVideo website. Use the "Search" feature in the upper right corner to find a recent video by the last name. The List of Video Records Interviews is updated quarterly.
Recent Interviews
MRC Greenwood, Ph.D. - Mary Rita Cooke Greenwood is a distinguished professor emerita in Nutrition (CAES) and Internal Medicine. She first joined the UC Davis campus as Dean of Graduate Studies in 1989. While at UC Davis, her career took on additional and unique leadership roles and assignments. In 1993, Dr. Greenwood was appointed as the Associate Director for Science in the Executive Office of the US President. In 1998, she served as President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. During this period, she also was appointed as a member of the Institute of Medicine (National Academies of Sciences). She chaired the Policy and Global Affairs division of the NRC at the National Academies of Sciences. Following her return from Washington, DC, professor emerita Greenwood's next assignment was as provost and senior vice president for the Office of Academic Affairs in the UC Office of the President. This service was followed by an appointment as Chancellor of UC Santa Cruz, where she served from 1996 to 2004. In her tenure at UC Santa Cruz, she oversaw the hiring of 250 new faculty members along with a significant expansion in its academic programs, including the nation's first NASA University Affiliated Research Center. In 2009, Dr. Greenwood retired from the UC system to assume yet another role. She was appointed as President of the University of Hawaii system, wherein she served for five years. From the UC Davis Emeriti Association's perspective, we are pleased that following her retirement, she returned to Davis and currently serves as President-elect for the Association. She is interviewed by her emeriti association colleague and friend, John Vohs, senior lecturer emeritus of communication. https://video.ucdavis.edu/media/494%20M.R.C.Greenwood/0_frlv6p7f
Nicole Woolsey Biggart, Ph.D. — Professor emerita Biggart joined the Graduate School of Management in 1981. She served as the school’s dean from 2003 to 2009 and during this period held the Jerome J. and Elsie Suran Chair in Technology Management. In June 2010, she assumed the Chevron Chair in Energy Efficiency, which directs the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center. In addition to campus administrative roles, Dr. Biggart has served in leadership roles for the Academy of Management, the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics, and the American Sociological Association. She has also served on the editorial boards of several professional journals, the Comstock’s Business magazine, and has been active in Sacramento business organizations, such as the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance. Emerita professor Biggart is an expert in organizational theory and management of innovation. She has received numerous awards for her research. For example, she is recognized as an AAAS Fellow, a recipient of the faculty pioneer award for sustainability in management education from the Aspen Institute, and the Sacramento Business Journal has honored her with their Women Who Mean Business Award. Dr. Biggart is interviewed by her friend and colleague Robert H. Smiley, Professor and Dean Emeritus, Graduate School of Management. https://video.ucdavis.edu/media/481+Biggart/0_znxg08h6
David Campbell, Ph.D. — Emeritus specialist Campbell came to UC Davis in 1990, first appointed as a lecturer in Political Science. In 2000, he moved to Cooperative Extension with an appointment as a specialist and director of the California Communities Program in the Department of Human Ecology along with other critical roles associated with the success of the UC Davis Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. From 2014 to his retirement in 2019, he served as Associate Dean for Social and Human Sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. In addition to his strong leadership, he has contributed to seminal research that focuses on the difficulty of developing public policy in complicated community settings. Dr. Campbell is interviewed by his friend and colleague Dennis Pendleton, Dean Emeritus of University Extension. https://video.ucdavis.edu/media/0_x76zesu4
Mike Chandler — Fire Chief emeritus, was hired in 1968 as a student firefighter. He advanced through the ranks to become Fire Chief in 1996 and served for eight years until his retirement in 2004. He then served as Chief of the Yocha Dehe Fire Department from 2004 to 2012. Among his many activities are service as president of the Woodland Rotary Club and chair of the Woodland Memorial Hospital Board of Directors. He also served as Yolo County's operational area fire and rescue coordinator. Chief emeritus Chandler currently is the president of the UC Davis Retiree's Association. Many of his accomplishments and perspectives are highlighted in the interview with his friend and colleague, UC Davis Police Chief emeritus Calvin Handy.https://video.ucdavis.edu/media/t/0_wxe6go7q
Rebecca Davis — Emerita Librarian Davis joined the UC Davis Library system in 1986 as the Coordinator of Online Search Services at the Carlson Health Sciences Library. During her tenure as a health sciences librarian, she served as head of reference services at the Carlson Health Sciences Library and as coordinator of outreach services for the Health Sciences Libraries. During the latter part of her career at UC Davis, she served as assistant head of the Health Sciences Libraries and operational head of the Blaisdell Medical Library in Sacramento. She retired in 2014. Emerita Librarian Davis came to UC Davis with an extensive background, which is summarized in a recent interview with the Northern California and Nevada Medical Library Group, a chapter of the Medical Library Association. For her record, she is interviewed by her former supervisor, colleague, and friend, Jo Anne Boorkman, Emerita Librarian. https://video.ucdavis.edu/media/492+Rebecca+Davis/0_px45kp06/25824152
Karl Levitt, Ph.D. — Professor emeritus Levitt was appointed to the Department of Computer Science in 1986. He retired in 2018. Professor emeritus Levitt conducts research and teaches in areas relevant to computer security, automated verification, and related software engineering. He has an international reputation in these areas. For example, while at UC Davis, he spent four years at the National Science Foundation as director for the NSF's computer security program and has advised other U.S. Government agencies on technical and policy issues related to cybersecurity. Dr. Levitt is also the co-principal investigator on the NSF project, "Evaluation Methods in Internet Security Technology," which supports work at UC Davis, as well as UC Berkley, Purdue, and Pennsylvania State Universities in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In 2014, Dr. Levitt received the 2014 Jean-Claude LaPrie Award in Dependable Computing from the International Federation for Information Processing Working Group. The award recognizes outstanding work that has significantly influenced the theory and/or practice of dependable computing. He is interviewed by his long-standing colleague and friend, Matt Bishop, professor of Computer Science. https://video.ucdavis.edu/media/0_sisakdly
Centennial DVD Project
As part of the commemoration of UC Davis’ centennial in 2010, Professor Emeritus Verne Mendel compiled many of the Video Records Project interviews — organized by college, school, or department — to create 23 DVDs. He was awarded the Edward A. Dickson Emeriti Professorship Award in 2008 for this project. Centennial DVDs may be viewed in the Special Collections section of Shields Library.
About the Committee
The primary objective of the Video Records Committee is to record for posterity, interviews of emeriti/ae and distinguished retired members of the UC Davis campus. Additional information, including the current Charge and committee members, can be found on the Standing Committees > Video Records Committee page.
Volunteer Opportunities
The Video History Project is comprised solely of volunteers. Opportunities abound and training can be provided.
- Schedulers: Schedule interviews, working with the Interviewee, Interviewer, and Videographers.
- Videographers/Editors: Learn to record in a professional-style studio and edit videos with Adobe NLE editing software (will train!!).
- Administrative: recruit candidates for interview, review, and comment on draft video interviews.
If interested, please contact the UCDEA Video Records Committee via the UC Davis Retiree Center.