Interview with UC Davis Chancellor, Gary S. May

Today, we’re talking with UC Davis Chancellor, Gary S. May.  UC Davis is a broad institution with a distinguished history.  They made national headlines with their approach to navigating Covid.  Chancellor May says that when everything was shutting down fifteen months ago and everyone was uncertain, there were a lot of concerns about returning to campus in the Fall.  UC Davis combined resources, including money from the Cares Act, to develop a program that would address their own students as well as the surrounding community.  Healthy Davis Together was a program that offered free Covid testing and public health messages.

Chancellor May came on as Chancellor in 2017 and is said to have played a very calming role.  Many say he has steadied the ship and instilled a lot of confidence back in the institution.  When asked what advice he would give other presidents or chancellors, Chancellor May says it would be to be accessible, visible, and approachable.  He tries to over communicate and has a weekly newsletter as well as a strong social media presence.  Chancellor May says to show them you're a real person, get them to view you as one of them, and be humble about it because you never have all the answers.

The UC Davis system is often seen as the system of systems and has many defining characteristics, according to Chancellor May.  He says in UC all the chancellors meet bi-weekly, share best practices, and all campuses are viewed as equals.  On the other hand, the thing that surprised Chancellor May the most when he joined UC Davis was the amount of mistrust and negativity.  He went from being a beloved member of his last community to someone that had to prove himself.  A lot of that has dissipated by now, and Chancellor May has come to accept that not everyone is going to agree with every decision he makes.

The best advice Chancellor May has been given was as a youth, and that was that the two most important things in life were to learn to listen and to learn to wait.  He says empathy is critical in leadership, and you must be able to resist the temptation to jump in too soon.  There will be times you have to make decisions quickly, but the long view is very important also.  Chancellor May says above all, work hard, play hard, and pray hard.