February 28, 2023 • 18 mins
In this episode, UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May sits down to talk with Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Renetta Garrison Tull. Both come from a STEM background, and they discuss their shared passion for improving mobility and equity in STEM at UC Davis, as well as across disciplines. Also, find out a little-known fact about how the two first met.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:02):
Hi, everyone.
Welcome to “Face to Face,” a UC Davis podcast
featuring students, staff and faculty innovators.
I’m your host, Chancellor Gary May.
Stay tuned for my next guest.
Hello. I'm Renetta Garrison
(00:23):
Tull, and I'm the vice chancellor
for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
I came to UC Davis from the East
Coast on the cusp of the pandemic,
and I'm finally having a chance
to fully see and experience
UC Davis and the state of
California.
I've traveled all over the world —
all continents but one —
(00:44):
and I am passionate about
fostering inclusion through
connections and honoring
rich cultural values
globally to increase
understanding, appreciation
and success for all
in our community.
Welcome to "Face to Face," Renetta.
Oh, thank you, Chancellor May.
(01:05):
Happy to be here.
Thanks for joining us.
We're happy to have you.
I'm glad you were able to come and
talk, especially during this period
of time, for two reasons.
One, this is Black History
Month.
And two, we're coming
up on Principles of Community Week,
which I know you're heavily involved
in. This is a time we reflect and
celebrate our collective
values as a university.
(01:27):
So I guess my first question
is (01:29):
Beyond what we do this week
and this month, how
can we turn those values
into actions on a regular basis
at UC Davis to improve
equity for all?
OK.
Well, first of all, I'm very happy
to be here. And then with regard to
Principles of Community, you know,
our Office of Campus Community
Relations really helped to set
the stage for that
(01:51):
programing.
And we have people who are doing
things here at Davis and in
Sacramento.
I think that a key thing related
to Principles of Community is to
remember that
these principles are not things
that are just aspirational,
although the statement itself seems
that way.
There are policies that
(02:12):
are connected to it, and so there
are consequences for violating
such policies.
And I think sometimes people don't
remember that. So when we talk about
issues related to discrimination,
or when we talk about rejecting
violence in all forms,
those are things that are not
just things that are sort of out in
the ether, but they're things that
we really should hold on to.
(02:33):
And I really want to make sure that
our community is united around that
and that they are holding on to
the principles, knowing that
there's something behind it.
And it's not just something that we
put out there as a campus.
Yeah, it's important foraccountability
to make sure that there's a backbone
behind the principles. ... Yes. ... Iagree. ... Absolutely.
... I also just mentioned that this
is Black History Month, and
(02:55):
I think the audience will be curious
about any programing or activities
or efforts in your office
that center around
improving the quality of the
experience of our African American
students and staff and faculty.
Yes. So we have a
newer initiative called Aggie Black
Excellence, and it's addressing
(03:15):
anti-Blackness.
But the key to Aggie Black
Excellence is that it connects and
partners with a lot of the other
initiatives on campus.
So we have our retention
center, our Center for
African Diaspora and Student
Success, for example.
And there's the African Continuum.
There are a number of different
kinds of programs that
(03:36):
are happening not only in the month
of February but throughout the year.
The center provides counseling
services and career services
and those kinds of things.
And so our office really
tries to uplift those
kinds of activities.
We try to amplify the activities
that are happening for students, and
we also serve as
(03:56):
sort of a welcoming for students
who often come on campus.
So I think one of the nicest things
that happened recently is one of our
colleagues from the library
happened to see a group of Black
students who were on campus with
their high school leader.
And so she said, oh, well, let me
take you over to the DEI office.
Brought them over to the office.
We were able to give them some
(04:17):
snacks and some swag and just say,
welcome to campus.
We want to see you here.
So we try to be that for
people in the community.
I love to hear that.
Representation is so important, and
the fact that that particular
individual could see themselves
represented through the efforts of
your office is just really
outstanding.
Speaking of Black history, you and
I have a history.
(04:38):
We're both STEM professionals.
Most people don't know about our
history. Can you tell people about
when we met?
Or when you first met me maybe is
a better way to say it because I
didn't even know about it, so.
Right. So I
think, Chancellor, as many people
know, you are an icon
for many of us who
are Black in engineering.
I went to Howard University as an
(04:59):
undergrad, and as an undergraduate
student I went to my first
conference for the National Society
of Black Engineers — when I was a
first-year student, as an undergrad.
And I remember going to the
national conference and
seeing you on stage
as an officer in
that organization, and I think you
were doing your Ph.D.
(05:20):
at the time or finishing, and
it was that idea
that, wow, there are
Black folks who go and get their
Ph.D.s in engineering.
That was the first time that I had
seen that. And so you talk about
representation. It really
helped to launch for me and many,
many others that notion
that we could move forward.
We could go on to get master's
(05:41):
degrees and Ph.D.
degrees, and we could do
things in engineering and other STEM
fields. And it made us want to do
that thing for others.
So I can take a little credit for
you going to get your Ph.D.
as well. Because first impressions
matter, right?
They certainly do.
So I'm really happy the way it
worked out.
And as a STEM professional,
how do you think UC Davis is doing
(06:01):
in that area with regard to
diversity in STEM?
And are there things that we can do
differently in the future or better?
Can we improve?
So we can always improve.
One of my former mentors would
always quote
a person — I think it was Aristotle
— would say, success is never final.
And so there are always
things that we can continue to do.
(06:22):
Among those, I do think
that we can continue to take
advantage of some of the things that
the UC has related
to HBCU funding;
to bring students from HBCUs
to campus; to bring students from
HSIs, or Hispanic-serving
institutions, to campus; to make
sure that more students from Native
backgrounds, for example, are
involved in STEM and supporting
(06:44):
their participation in some
of the national organizations.
We mentioned NSBE as an example.
But there's also SHPE, the
Society of Hispanic Professional
Engineers. We do take a lot of
students to the SACNAS conference,
the Society for Advancement of
Chicanos and Native Americans in
STEM, and promoting their
professional development.
So doing more of that —
(07:05):
I believe that those kinds of
experiences also help with retention
— and then making sure that every
student is recognized for the
brilliance and the contributions
that they're going to make, no
matter what their background is.
Absolutely. That's our goal, for
sure. And I'm happy to see what
your office and your efforts are
doing to promote that.
So many years after that first
encounter when you were a freshman
(07:25):
at Howard, you came to UC
Davis — 2019 in particular — in the
middle of the pandemic as your intro
stated.
You became our first vice chancellor
for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
I created the position and the
office.
So as you've navigated this new
position over these past three or
four years,
what advice would you share
(07:46):
with the audience or with
other diversity leaders about
that experience and what higher ed
needs to do in this space?
So you know what's interesting about
that? People often ask me if
I had known that this would be the
cusp of the pandemic —
the whole situation with the
horrific murder of George Floyd,
all the different things that we've
been dealing with — would I still
(08:06):
have come to be part of
the enterprise?
And I tell them if I was going to
do it anywhere, I'm so
glad that I'm here doing it at
UC Davis, because I do believe
that we're doing a lot.
We have the support that we need
to move forward to work on these
things. But in terms of
things that I would share for my
(08:27):
colleagues, and things that I do
share with my colleagues,
now that I'm also working with our
colleagues across the UC —
with all 10 of the institutions —
you have to have a good and strong
staff.
Our staff in DEI is fantastic
because they are experts.
They are professionals.
They are really good at their
(08:48):
jobs. And now we're just making sure
that everybody gets a chance to
connect and sort
of share what each other
is doing.
But having a strong staff is really
crucial to getting a
vision across, to making sure
that everyone is on the same page,
to making sure that when people need
to be autonomous that they're able
(09:09):
to do so and get things done
and move priorities forward — that
they're able to be team players.
And sometimes that balance has
to shift.
But I think the other thing is that
this work is really hard.
And people in this position — the
half-life for a person who
does DEI work can often
be very short, two to three years.
(09:30):
And people often contemplate
from week to week (09:32):
Am I still going
to do this?
And so I think you need a very
strong support system,
a support system that is sort of
within the work.
I'm very lucky to have that
not only in my office, which helps
to support me, but also
in the UC — but also outside
of that, you know, family,
friends, community.
(09:53):
And having that support is very,
very important.
But many times, many of us in these
positions are also part of affected
communities or historically
marginalized communities.
So when things happen, they
affect us as well.
And we have to learn how to be
resilient.
We have to learn how to continue to
move forward in the face of crises.
And we need something to
(10:14):
fall back on.
And for me, I'm glad that
at least I still have virtual church
to also help on Sundays.
So that definitely helps in
my case.
I second all of that.
The support system is so important
in these jobs, and people don't
realize how challenging they can be.
And, you know, teamwork makes the
dream work.
So the staff piece is also critical.
(10:35):
And speaking of dreams,
if you were to think about what DEI
looks like in the future at UC
Davis and elsewhere,
what's your dream situation
for diversity, equity and inclusion?
Yeah, so,
you know, we have the things that
are formalized.
So you have the "To Boldly Go"
strategic plan and goal
(10:56):
three, which talks about diversity.
And then within that we have
the Diversity and Inclusion
Strategic Vision where we're talking
about students, faculty,
staff; making
sure that we're recruiting and
identifying and attracting folks
from different backgrounds; that we
have a good climate that's going to
promote the things that they
(11:18):
want to do; working with neighboring
communities and having
accountability, which is something
that you mentioned before.
When I first came I said (11:24):
I want
people to get what they came for,
which is a very simple message,
right? I want students
to come — and
if they are coming for their
undergraduate degree, or graduate
degree, or people coming for a
certificate that they leave
with whatever their goal was.
They leave with that degree.
For staff who are coming to
(11:44):
not only lend their talents
but also to have mobility, to
provide for their families — I want
them to have that in a way
that is free of
barriers. And
for the faculty who are coming to
not only sort of profess
in their discipline or teach
in their discipline to share their
research, I want them to be able to
(12:05):
do that and sort
of have the freedom to do that.
And I will say something else about
this, because there's a little story
behind it.
Years ago, I went to a talk
by a
Nobel Prize winner, and
listening to him, he talked about
skiing in the Alps and having
these great ideas when he's skiing
(12:26):
with his family.
And sitting there in the audience,
it just made me think, wow, I wish I
could, you know, ski in the Alps and
have great ideas.
And I'm sure other people do as
well. And while many
people can't afford to have that
kind of opportunity,
I hope that the campus
can provide
opportunities for ideas
(12:46):
to flow and places
where people don't have to worry
about imposter syndrome — where
they wonder if they belong — where
they'll know that they belong.
A place where they don't have to
worry about stereotype threat, which
means that, you know, people may
not perform as well because they
perceive that they're thought of as
less than.
And so we want to make sure that our
(13:07):
environments are
showing people that they belong,
that we want them here, that they're
welcome, that we know that they are
brilliant, that they have
contributions to make.
And so if everybody can have that
way of thinking, and if everyone
can just remember that everyone
deserves to be here and deserves
to have all of the resources and
benefits of the university, then
(13:28):
that would be my ideal.
You know, I'm just sitting herethinking
how much our
mutual visions align.
So I'm very comforted by that,
listening to you talk.
... Well, you're my boss, so I guess
that works out. ...
That helps, doesn't it? Yeah.
I'm going to lighten it up a little
bit.
... OK. ... We have a feature that
we do in "Face to Face" we call the
"Hot Seat." ... Oh, my.
... And it's not
as bad as it sounds. ... OK. ...
(13:49):
I'm going to ask you some very
short, rapid-fire questions.
And we're looking for a one-word or
one-sentence answer.
Oh, OK.
So you ready?
I'm ready.
Here we go.
What is your signature dish that you
cook?
Pancakes.
Pancakes. OK.
East Coast or West Coast?
Now, be careful.
All of my family's on the East Coast
(14:10):
with the exception of my husband,
who works here. So I still have
to say East Coast.
And plus, you
know, the Eagles are in the Super
Bowl this year, and I'm from Philly,
so I got to go East Coast right now.
As a 49er fan, I don't support
that.
Favorite travel destination?
You've been all over the world.
I have been all over the world.
(14:31):
I cried when I was on
the plane touching down in Africa
for the first time, in South Africa.
And so
I just remember that experience.
I'll leave it there for now.
I had a similar, when I first went
to Africa, similar kind of emotional
experience. OK, so
in an alternate universe, what job
would you be doing other than the
one you're doing now?
(14:53):
Interestingly enough, I think that
I would be either a talk show host
or I would run a
bed and breakfast.
Pancakes, talking, right?
All of those things all fit together
for me — travel.
You're trying to take my job
here.
I ask all the guests this question.
... OK. ... What is at the top of
your playlist right now?
Oh.
(15:14):
So there was a
song, and I don't know how you
pronounce it, but it was the song
that won the Grammy
for Best Song for
Social Change.
And I listened to it this morning.
And they talk about women, life,
freedom, and the situation
in Iran.
And although I don't understand
(15:34):
all of the words,
I did look at the translation.
And so that was the one that
I listened to this morning.
Oh, interesting. OK.
I have to look that one up.
... Yes.
... Now it's your turn. You get to
ask me a question.
Ask me anything.
OK, so the first question,
Chancellor May, that I'd like to ask
you is sort of
along the same line of keeping it
(15:54):
light, I guess.
So you are the chancellor
of a very large university,
and I know you're very serious about
your work, because we're
in meetings, sometimes you're in
meetings on vacation and so forth.
But I know that you do other things
as well. You posted recently
that you were with your wife
at a women's gymnastics
(16:15):
game.
You posted your playlist on
Instagram recently.
So what are some things that you
want people to know about you
that they may not know
about you sort of in your chancellor
role?
You know, you hit on some of it.
I think people see that title,
and they have certain preconceived
notions about what the person is
(16:36):
going to be like. So I like to show
that I'm just a normal person.
And, you know, you mentioned
my wife, and I
remember one particular week a while
back when I had a pretty
good week. I had talked to one of
our Nobel laureates, and I had
had an interview with The New York
Times. And I was feeling myself.
And my wife said,
"You know, you got to do laundry
(16:56):
today, dude." So that
brings you right back
to normal, back to the ground.
So she's good at that.
My kids are good at that, too.
The other thing I would just mention
quickly is I want everyone to know
how much I care about people here.
I care about our faculty and our
staff and our students
and — even the ones who don't care
for me.
I care about their safety and
(17:18):
their livelihood and their
experience here.
And I really do take that to heart.
OK, great.
Thank you.
And I have another question for
you.
And even though you're a fairly
young chancellor I would say
in this role — and so
you're probably not going to retire
for many, many, many years — but
(17:38):
are there certain things that
you would like to see
happen before
you retire, whether it's leaving
UC Davis or sort of retire from
at least this phase of higher
education leadership?
I do think I'm too young to think
about retiring, but I do get this
question of every now and then.
And I don't
(18:00):
have a specific list of things that
I want to accomplish, but my
general way of doing things
is I like to leave things better
than I found them.
So I want people to say
UC Davis was better
after Gary May left
his role as chancellor.
And that's really the goal.
OK.
(18:20):
Those are good questions, though.
Thank you. Thank you.
And really just thanks for joining
me. This was a fascinating
conversation. We're
grateful for your leadership in the
DEI office.
I hear that from many different
sources.
So thank you for that.
Thanks to everyone for listening.
(18:40):
Tune in next time on “Face to Face.”Go, Ags!
Hi, everyone.
Welcome to “Face to Face,” a UC Davis podcast
featuring students, staff and faculty innovators.
I’m your host, Chancellor Gary May.
Stay tuned for my next guest.
Hello. I'm Renetta Garrison
(00:23):
Tull, and I'm the vice chancellor
for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
I came to UC Davis from the East
Coast on the cusp of the pandemic,
and I'm finally having a chance
to fully see and experience
UC Davis and the state of
California.
I've traveled all over the world —
all continents but one —
(00:44):
and I am passionate about
fostering inclusion through
connections and honoring
rich cultural values
globally to increase
understanding, appreciation
and success for all
in our community.
Welcome to "Face to Face," Renetta.
Oh, thank you, Chancellor May.
(01:05):
Happy to be here.
Thanks for joining us.
We're happy to have you.
I'm glad you were able to come and
talk, especially during this period
of time, for two reasons.
One, this is Black History
Month.
And two, we're coming
up on Principles of Community Week,
which I know you're heavily involved
in. This is a time we reflect and
celebrate our collective
values as a university.
(01:27):
So I guess my first question
is (01:29):
Beyond what we do this week
and this month, how
can we turn those values
into actions on a regular basis
at UC Davis to improve
equity for all?
OK.
Well, first of all, I'm very happy
to be here. And then with regard to
Principles of Community, you know,
our Office of Campus Community
Relations really helped to set
the stage for that
(01:51):
programing.
And we have people who are doing
things here at Davis and in
Sacramento.
I think that a key thing related
to Principles of Community is to
remember that
these principles are not things
that are just aspirational,
although the statement itself seems
that way.
There are policies that
(02:12):
are connected to it, and so there
are consequences for violating
such policies.
And I think sometimes people don't
remember that. So when we talk about
issues related to discrimination,
or when we talk about rejecting
violence in all forms,
those are things that are not
just things that are sort of out in
the ether, but they're things that
we really should hold on to.
(02:33):
And I really want to make sure that
our community is united around that
and that they are holding on to
the principles, knowing that
there's something behind it.
And it's not just something that we
put out there as a campus.
Yeah, it's important foraccountability
to make sure that there's a backbone
behind the principles. ... Yes. ... Iagree. ... Absolutely.
... I also just mentioned that this
is Black History Month, and
(02:55):
I think the audience will be curious
about any programing or activities
or efforts in your office
that center around
improving the quality of the
experience of our African American
students and staff and faculty.
Yes. So we have a
newer initiative called Aggie Black
Excellence, and it's addressing
(03:15):
anti-Blackness.
But the key to Aggie Black
Excellence is that it connects and
partners with a lot of the other
initiatives on campus.
So we have our retention
center, our Center for
African Diaspora and Student
Success, for example.
And there's the African Continuum.
There are a number of different
kinds of programs that
(03:36):
are happening not only in the month
of February but throughout the year.
The center provides counseling
services and career services
and those kinds of things.
And so our office really
tries to uplift those
kinds of activities.
We try to amplify the activities
that are happening for students, and
we also serve as
(03:56):
sort of a welcoming for students
who often come on campus.
So I think one of the nicest things
that happened recently is one of our
colleagues from the library
happened to see a group of Black
students who were on campus with
their high school leader.
And so she said, oh, well, let me
take you over to the DEI office.
Brought them over to the office.
We were able to give them some
(04:17):
snacks and some swag and just say,
welcome to campus.
We want to see you here.
So we try to be that for
people in the community.
I love to hear that.
Representation is so important, and
the fact that that particular
individual could see themselves
represented through the efforts of
your office is just really
outstanding.
Speaking of Black history, you and
I have a history.
(04:38):
We're both STEM professionals.
Most people don't know about our
history. Can you tell people about
when we met?
Or when you first met me maybe is
a better way to say it because I
didn't even know about it, so.
Right. So I
think, Chancellor, as many people
know, you are an icon
for many of us who
are Black in engineering.
I went to Howard University as an
(04:59):
undergrad, and as an undergraduate
student I went to my first
conference for the National Society
of Black Engineers — when I was a
first-year student, as an undergrad.
And I remember going to the
national conference and
seeing you on stage
as an officer in
that organization, and I think you
were doing your Ph.D.
(05:20):
at the time or finishing, and
it was that idea
that, wow, there are
Black folks who go and get their
Ph.D.s in engineering.
That was the first time that I had
seen that. And so you talk about
representation. It really
helped to launch for me and many,
many others that notion
that we could move forward.
We could go on to get master's
(05:41):
degrees and Ph.D.
degrees, and we could do
things in engineering and other STEM
fields. And it made us want to do
that thing for others.
So I can take a little credit for
you going to get your Ph.D.
as well. Because first impressions
matter, right?
They certainly do.
So I'm really happy the way it
worked out.
And as a STEM professional,
how do you think UC Davis is doing
(06:01):
in that area with regard to
diversity in STEM?
And are there things that we can do
differently in the future or better?
Can we improve?
So we can always improve.
One of my former mentors would
always quote
a person — I think it was Aristotle
— would say, success is never final.
And so there are always
things that we can continue to do.
(06:22):
Among those, I do think
that we can continue to take
advantage of some of the things that
the UC has related
to HBCU funding;
to bring students from HBCUs
to campus; to bring students from
HSIs, or Hispanic-serving
institutions, to campus; to make
sure that more students from Native
backgrounds, for example, are
involved in STEM and supporting
(06:44):
their participation in some
of the national organizations.
We mentioned NSBE as an example.
But there's also SHPE, the
Society of Hispanic Professional
Engineers. We do take a lot of
students to the SACNAS conference,
the Society for Advancement of
Chicanos and Native Americans in
STEM, and promoting their
professional development.
So doing more of that —
(07:05):
I believe that those kinds of
experiences also help with retention
— and then making sure that every
student is recognized for the
brilliance and the contributions
that they're going to make, no
matter what their background is.
Absolutely. That's our goal, for
sure. And I'm happy to see what
your office and your efforts are
doing to promote that.
So many years after that first
encounter when you were a freshman
(07:25):
at Howard, you came to UC
Davis — 2019 in particular — in the
middle of the pandemic as your intro
stated.
You became our first vice chancellor
for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
I created the position and the
office.
So as you've navigated this new
position over these past three or
four years,
what advice would you share
(07:46):
with the audience or with
other diversity leaders about
that experience and what higher ed
needs to do in this space?
So you know what's interesting about
that? People often ask me if
I had known that this would be the
cusp of the pandemic —
the whole situation with the
horrific murder of George Floyd,
all the different things that we've
been dealing with — would I still
(08:06):
have come to be part of
the enterprise?
And I tell them if I was going to
do it anywhere, I'm so
glad that I'm here doing it at
UC Davis, because I do believe
that we're doing a lot.
We have the support that we need
to move forward to work on these
things. But in terms of
things that I would share for my
(08:27):
colleagues, and things that I do
share with my colleagues,
now that I'm also working with our
colleagues across the UC —
with all 10 of the institutions —
you have to have a good and strong
staff.
Our staff in DEI is fantastic
because they are experts.
They are professionals.
They are really good at their
(08:48):
jobs. And now we're just making sure
that everybody gets a chance to
connect and sort
of share what each other
is doing.
But having a strong staff is really
crucial to getting a
vision across, to making sure
that everyone is on the same page,
to making sure that when people need
to be autonomous that they're able
(09:09):
to do so and get things done
and move priorities forward — that
they're able to be team players.
And sometimes that balance has
to shift.
But I think the other thing is that
this work is really hard.
And people in this position — the
half-life for a person who
does DEI work can often
be very short, two to three years.
(09:30):
And people often contemplate
from week to week (09:32):
Am I still going
to do this?
And so I think you need a very
strong support system,
a support system that is sort of
within the work.
I'm very lucky to have that
not only in my office, which helps
to support me, but also
in the UC — but also outside
of that, you know, family,
friends, community.
(09:53):
And having that support is very,
very important.
But many times, many of us in these
positions are also part of affected
communities or historically
marginalized communities.
So when things happen, they
affect us as well.
And we have to learn how to be
resilient.
We have to learn how to continue to
move forward in the face of crises.
And we need something to
(10:14):
fall back on.
And for me, I'm glad that
at least I still have virtual church
to also help on Sundays.
So that definitely helps in
my case.
I second all of that.
The support system is so important
in these jobs, and people don't
realize how challenging they can be.
And, you know, teamwork makes the
dream work.
So the staff piece is also critical.
(10:35):
And speaking of dreams,
if you were to think about what DEI
looks like in the future at UC
Davis and elsewhere,
what's your dream situation
for diversity, equity and inclusion?
Yeah, so,
you know, we have the things that
are formalized.
So you have the "To Boldly Go"
strategic plan and goal
(10:56):
three, which talks about diversity.
And then within that we have
the Diversity and Inclusion
Strategic Vision where we're talking
about students, faculty,
staff; making
sure that we're recruiting and
identifying and attracting folks
from different backgrounds; that we
have a good climate that's going to
promote the things that they
(11:18):
want to do; working with neighboring
communities and having
accountability, which is something
that you mentioned before.
When I first came I said (11:24):
I want
people to get what they came for,
which is a very simple message,
right? I want students
to come — and
if they are coming for their
undergraduate degree, or graduate
degree, or people coming for a
certificate that they leave
with whatever their goal was.
They leave with that degree.
For staff who are coming to
(11:44):
not only lend their talents
but also to have mobility, to
provide for their families — I want
them to have that in a way
that is free of
barriers. And
for the faculty who are coming to
not only sort of profess
in their discipline or teach
in their discipline to share their
research, I want them to be able to
(12:05):
do that and sort
of have the freedom to do that.
And I will say something else about
this, because there's a little story
behind it.
Years ago, I went to a talk
by a
Nobel Prize winner, and
listening to him, he talked about
skiing in the Alps and having
these great ideas when he's skiing
(12:26):
with his family.
And sitting there in the audience,
it just made me think, wow, I wish I
could, you know, ski in the Alps and
have great ideas.
And I'm sure other people do as
well. And while many
people can't afford to have that
kind of opportunity,
I hope that the campus
can provide
opportunities for ideas
(12:46):
to flow and places
where people don't have to worry
about imposter syndrome — where
they wonder if they belong — where
they'll know that they belong.
A place where they don't have to
worry about stereotype threat, which
means that, you know, people may
not perform as well because they
perceive that they're thought of as
less than.
And so we want to make sure that our
(13:07):
environments are
showing people that they belong,
that we want them here, that they're
welcome, that we know that they are
brilliant, that they have
contributions to make.
And so if everybody can have that
way of thinking, and if everyone
can just remember that everyone
deserves to be here and deserves
to have all of the resources and
benefits of the university, then
(13:28):
that would be my ideal.
You know, I'm just sitting herethinking
how much our
mutual visions align.
So I'm very comforted by that,
listening to you talk.
... Well, you're my boss, so I guess
that works out. ...
That helps, doesn't it? Yeah.
I'm going to lighten it up a little
bit.
... OK. ... We have a feature that
we do in "Face to Face" we call the
"Hot Seat." ... Oh, my.
... And it's not
as bad as it sounds. ... OK. ...
(13:49):
I'm going to ask you some very
short, rapid-fire questions.
And we're looking for a one-word or
one-sentence answer.
Oh, OK.
So you ready?
I'm ready.
Here we go.
What is your signature dish that you
cook?
Pancakes.
Pancakes. OK.
East Coast or West Coast?
Now, be careful.
All of my family's on the East Coast
(14:10):
with the exception of my husband,
who works here. So I still have
to say East Coast.
And plus, you
know, the Eagles are in the Super
Bowl this year, and I'm from Philly,
so I got to go East Coast right now.
As a 49er fan, I don't support
that.
Favorite travel destination?
You've been all over the world.
I have been all over the world.
(14:31):
I cried when I was on
the plane touching down in Africa
for the first time, in South Africa.
And so
I just remember that experience.
I'll leave it there for now.
I had a similar, when I first went
to Africa, similar kind of emotional
experience. OK, so
in an alternate universe, what job
would you be doing other than the
one you're doing now?
(14:53):
Interestingly enough, I think that
I would be either a talk show host
or I would run a
bed and breakfast.
Pancakes, talking, right?
All of those things all fit together
for me — travel.
You're trying to take my job
here.
I ask all the guests this question.
... OK. ... What is at the top of
your playlist right now?
Oh.
(15:14):
So there was a
song, and I don't know how you
pronounce it, but it was the song
that won the Grammy
for Best Song for
Social Change.
And I listened to it this morning.
And they talk about women, life,
freedom, and the situation
in Iran.
And although I don't understand
(15:34):
all of the words,
I did look at the translation.
And so that was the one that
I listened to this morning.
Oh, interesting. OK.
I have to look that one up.
... Yes.
... Now it's your turn. You get to
ask me a question.
Ask me anything.
OK, so the first question,
Chancellor May, that I'd like to ask
you is sort of
along the same line of keeping it
(15:54):
light, I guess.
So you are the chancellor
of a very large university,
and I know you're very serious about
your work, because we're
in meetings, sometimes you're in
meetings on vacation and so forth.
But I know that you do other things
as well. You posted recently
that you were with your wife
at a women's gymnastics
(16:15):
game.
You posted your playlist on
Instagram recently.
So what are some things that you
want people to know about you
that they may not know
about you sort of in your chancellor
role?
You know, you hit on some of it.
I think people see that title,
and they have certain preconceived
notions about what the person is
(16:36):
going to be like. So I like to show
that I'm just a normal person.
And, you know, you mentioned
my wife, and I
remember one particular week a while
back when I had a pretty
good week. I had talked to one of
our Nobel laureates, and I had
had an interview with The New York
Times. And I was feeling myself.
And my wife said,
"You know, you got to do laundry
(16:56):
today, dude." So that
brings you right back
to normal, back to the ground.
So she's good at that.
My kids are good at that, too.
The other thing I would just mention
quickly is I want everyone to know
how much I care about people here.
I care about our faculty and our
staff and our students
and — even the ones who don't care
for me.
I care about their safety and
(17:18):
their livelihood and their
experience here.
And I really do take that to heart.
OK, great.
Thank you.
And I have another question for
you.
And even though you're a fairly
young chancellor I would say
in this role — and so
you're probably not going to retire
for many, many, many years — but
(17:38):
are there certain things that
you would like to see
happen before
you retire, whether it's leaving
UC Davis or sort of retire from
at least this phase of higher
education leadership?
I do think I'm too young to think
about retiring, but I do get this
question of every now and then.
And I don't
(18:00):
have a specific list of things that
I want to accomplish, but my
general way of doing things
is I like to leave things better
than I found them.
So I want people to say
UC Davis was better
after Gary May left
his role as chancellor.
And that's really the goal.
OK.
(18:20):
Those are good questions, though.
Thank you. Thank you.
And really just thanks for joining
me. This was a fascinating
conversation. We're
grateful for your leadership in the
DEI office.
I hear that from many different
sources.
So thank you for that.
Thanks to everyone for listening.
(18:40):
Tune in next time on “Face to Face.”Go, Ags!
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