He said he believes supporting civil rights doesn't always call for dramatic action, but requires an intolerance of discrimination and acts of hate. It is more than personal respect for civil rights. It is speaking out, taking action when necessary, when others abuse civil rights. During his administration, UC Davis has also launched partnerships with inner-city Sacramento public schools in an effort to help improve educational quality and increase the number of students going on to college. Vanderhoef said such long-term efforts are integral to protecting civil rights.
Universities are about education.
We have become more involved in K-12 education in the past two years than ever before in our history. Our engagement is in those schools where student failure is most likely. It's there, where students from third-grade on are least likely to make it finally into a university, that our efforts will grow. Vanderhoef became chancellor five years ago after serving a decade as executive vice chancellor, a post expanded during his tenure to executive vice chancellor and provost. A plant physiologist, he earned his doctoral degree from Purdue University after getting his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.