August 2008
 Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, once said, “We don't accomplish anything in this world alone… whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.” This interweaving, or collaboration, happens every day at UC San Diego, making this an exciting and innovative campus. We are successful because our students, staff and faculty members work together as a team, with a common mission of higher education, research and public service.
UCSD Medical Center among Nation’s Best
The UC San Diego Medical Center demonstrates this teamwork every day, providing advanced patient care, innovative treatment and research. We are fortunate to have the best staff, physicians and researchers committed to caring for and improving the lives of our patients. Their dedication and service was recently reflected in a national survey by U.S. News &World Report, whichranked the UC San Diego Medical Center among the nation’s best hospitals in eight specialties – Respiratory Disorders, Cancer, Gynecology, Kidney Disease, Psychiatry, Rheumatology, Urology, and Ear, Nose and Throat. The magazine screened more than 5,000 medical centers for this year’s survey and only 170 hospitals achieved any rankings, and over half of these ranked only in a single specialty. With top rankings in eight specialties, UC San Diego Medical Center is among a distinguished few.
Meeting the Community’s Needs for Eye Care
Our community’s need for eye care continues to grow, so to keep up with the demand, the Shiley Eye Center has grown too. We recently completed an expansion project that added new clinical and research space, exam rooms, research labs and faculty offices. This new space will help us better serve our increasing number of patients. The number of patients visiting our Department of Ophthalmology has tripled since 1991, when the Shiley Eye Center first opened. The Shiley Eye Center is the only full-service eye center in San Diego, and it’s home to the Anne F. and Abraham Ratner Children’s Eye Center, the only dedicated eye facility in the region designed to meet the special vision needs of children. We appreciate the support of our generous donors, including Donald and Darlene Shiley and Anne F. Ratner and the Ratner family, who made the expansion possible. This expansion will help us continue our extraordinary success in clinical patient care, physician education, research of eye diseases and eye treatment.
Scripps Featured on Jeopardy
I’ll take Scripps Institution of Oceanography for $1,000. If you watched Jeopardy on July 24, you probably heard those words from one of the show’s contestants. Scripps was featured as its own category on the popular game show, and was introduced by the show’s hosts as “the world's premier center for understanding 70 percent of our globe.” The Clue Crew covered several topics including the Keeling Curve, Scripps coral research and its ice core samples. The answers and promos were filmed at Scripps Pier, Birch Aquarium, the Revelle Lab at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, and the ice core locker of Scripps geoscientist Jeff Severinghaus. To read more and watch the segment from Jeopardy, click here.
Annual All-Staff Picnic
In appreciation of our stellar staff, who make UC San Diego a great place to work and learn, we’re holding our annual All-Staff Picnic on August 22. This fun summer event, hosted by the UCSD Staff Association, is our way of saying thank you for all that you do. The picnic will be held on Muir Field from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. I always look forward to this event. It’s a chance to unwind, meet new people and have a good time. And, of course, the picnic is the place to be if you want to see the crowning of our next UCSD Staff Idol contest winner. We held our first-ever contest last year and it was a blast! For more information on this year’s All-Staff Picnic, click here.
I also want to take this opportunity to let our AFSCME union members know how much we appreciate them. It is our wish that the University of California Office of the President and AFSCME union representatives can continue to negotiate toward a mutually agreeable contract soon.
Welcome, UC President Mark Yudof
I’m pleased to welcome our new University of California President, Mark Yudof, who officially joined the UC team in June. He is the 19th president of the University of California system and previously served as chancellor of the University of Texas system. Over the next few months, Yudof expects to visit each UC campus to meet with faculty, staff and student leaders. He has said that he’s committed to fairness and consultative processes. At the July UC Board of Regents meeting, he described an accountability program he is launching to provide better information to the public and policy-makers about the performance of the UC system for the people of California. To read more about Mark Yudof in the Office of the President newsletter for faculty and staff, click here.
Congrats, New Grads
And finally, I’d like to congratulate the 55 men and women who will graduate in the Rady School of Management’s third FlexMBA class on August 24. They joined the Rady School in its infancy and played a significant role in defining its future. This accomplished class, composed of innovators and visionaries, represents the talent, leadership and strength of the Rady School. We wish you luck and hope you’ll stay connected with the university.
Our alumni, students, staff, faculty and university friends are what make UC San Diego one of the nation’s leading research universities. Together, we are a team and we are stronger when we work together. As Henry Ford once said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” Enjoy the rest of your summer.
With warm regards,
Marye Anne Fox
Chancellor |
