There are more than 11,000 career staff at UC Davis, including the Health System. There are counselors and custodians, food service workers and farm workers, artists and analysts, office workers and research associates, programmers and patient services workers. The work that each of these employees does, and who these employees are as individuals, add richness and diversity to the fabric of the institution. While we often hear the university described only in terms of its students and its faculty, staff provide the infrastructure on which the system stands. It is true that the institution would not exist without students and faculty, but it is also true that the institution could not continue without the support of staff.
Staff are usually the first contact for students, patients, clients, and potential donors.
They guide faculty, students, clients, and sometimes other staff, through the bureaucratic mazes that seem to be inherent in the university system. They pay the bills and balance the budget, run the machines and maintain the facilities, program the computers and cook the meals. They all contribute in some way to the university s mission of teaching, research, and public service. One of the ideas unique to the university is the concept of shared governance. Simply stated, this means government that is delegated by the regents and shared between the faculty and the administration.