UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS AND STANFORD UNIVERSITY 1

Institutional Comparison: University of California, Davis and Stanford University

Noel Fernandez

Higher Education Administration and Leadership, California State University, Fresno

HEAL 227

Dr. Yi

October 8, 2021
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University of California, Davis and Stanford University

The University of California, Davis, and Stanford University holds some of the best-

ranking programs in California, located in Northern California near the bay area. The University

of California, Davis, is well known for being the leading agricultural institution. It is also

ranked among the top institutions for medical school, side by side with Stanford University. On

the other hand, Stanford is known nationwide for having the best law and business schools.

When it comes to attending a private institution such as Stanford University is a lucrative

opportunity to attend because of how hard it is to get accepted into that university. Stanford's

acceptance rate is 4.8% (Stanford University, n.d.-e) compared to UC Davis's 49% (UC Davis,

2021-b). In addition, the Carnegie Classification (2017-a, b) recognizes them for very high

research activity. I will compare these two institutions by analyzing the historical background,

demographics, local city, organizational structure, enrollment, graduation statistics, and tuition

and review the websites. Considering all these factors, I will conclude if either institution falls

in line with the mission and vision statement. This comparison also aims to determine if

attending a private institution such as Stanford University is worth the high-priced tuition

compared to attending UC Davis.

Public University: University of California, Davis

Background

The first university ever established in California was the University of California in

1868, located in Oakland. It was moved to Berkeley in 1873 and has remained at that location

since changing its name to the University of California, Berkeley. It was the first land-grant

university and the first campus of the University of California system to open in California (UC

Davis, 2021-c). The University of California, Davis opened its door in 1908 as the University
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Farm School with 18 students, a research and science-based institution extension of UC

Berkeley. In 1959, UC Davis grew into its general campus, becoming its public university. UC

Davis has expanded its presence into Tahoe, Sacramento, Bodega Bay, Tulare, San Diego, and

China to serve the public through research, academics, and public services. UC Davis is also a

big sponsor of non-profits that focus on providing resources to prominent people involved in the

agriculture industry and giving back to those communities.

Demographics

California is a popular destination in North America. It’s known for its Golden Gate

Bridge, Disneyland, Hollywood, and National Parks. According to the U.S. Census, it has a

population of 39,512,223 in its most recent numbers. The people in California consist of (White

(71.9%), African American (6.5%), Asian (15.5%), and Hispanic (39.4%)). The average median

income per household in California is $75,235, with 83.3% of adults obtaining a high school

degree and 33.9% having a bachelor’s degree or higher (United States Census Bureau, 2019-a).

In contrast to the demographics in the City of Davis, California, the local city of UC Davis has

different demographics, with there being (White (64.6%), Asian (22.9%), Hispanic (13.6%),

and African American (2.2%)). The median income per household is $69,379, with 97.3% of

adults having a high school degree and 73.8% of adults with a college degree (United States

Census Bureau, 2019-b). These numbers show how the city is school orientated, with many

people getting a college degree.

The only public university in Davis, California, is UC Davis, which has 39,629 students.

There were 78% of undergraduate and 22% of graduate students who attended the institution in

(2019) with 61% women and 39% men. The student demographic in this institution is Asian

(32%), Hispanic (23%), White (23%), and international (17%). Although there are more women
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students in the institution, only 40% of the faculty are women, and 60% are men. There are 20

faculty members per student on campus. UC Davis is ranked first nationwide for its diversity,

inclusiveness, and internationalization (UC Davis, 2021-b). UC Davis prides itself on having a

diverse campus, exposing its students to different ethnic groups, and becoming more culturally

aware. There is a tuition section for visitors with a tuition breakdown. It is $14,646 for the

school year of 2021-2022. Scholarships and grants are available for students who can apply as

UC Davis is ranked the second most affordable among all elite universities (UC Davis, 2021-b).

More than half of the students who graduate from this institution end up debt-free because of all

the resources available to students.

Institution Identity

Institutional identity is an institution's mission, values, and uniqueness by embedding its

identity message in all the means through which it presents itself to the public. While browsing

through it, you can immediately notice their commitment to their students, faculty, and the

university. UC Davis is committed to serving its city, the state, and everywhere to make a

difference and leave a footprint. The moment you bring up their website, you have an automatic

video showing campus highlights. When looking at the news displayed on their website, you

can see everything this institution is doing to improve current problems that people are facing.

Their primary focus is helping with education on why people must get vaccinated and recent

updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (UC Davis 2021-e). In addition,

they focus on keeping their people on campus updated with any news that may pertain to

anyone attending the institution. Communication is vital for any institution, and they also share

any achievements they accomplish on behalf of the institution. This institution is a public
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university institution, so its primary goal is to serve its community and give back in any way it

can make a change.

While exploring the website, it was easy to find any information, for example, the

organizational chart that can be viewed (Appendix 1). UC Davis has two Vice-Chancellors

dedicated to making the campus more inclusive than any other department in their chart. They

want to embrace all the different ethnicities on campus and ensure students succeed. They thrive

on diversity and show it with their student enrollment data reports. The institution's goal is to

grab students' attention by showing them that they are affordable and offer some of the top

programs in the nation. They display all their achievements on their homepage, which goes

hand in hand with the mission and vision statement they preach throughout their website.

Mission / Vison Statement

One of the main focuses of exploring their website was locating the mission statement

because it should capture what the institution believes in a few sentences. "To enable excellence

in research and innovation by facilitating and enhancing partnerships and collaborations

between researchers, government, and industry, providing infrastructure and training that

promotes creativity and entrepreneurship, ensuring our policies and programs advance a culture

of innovation while ensuring ethical compliance, and fostering a diverse and inclusive work

environment" (UC Davis, 2021-d). UC Davis's mission statement illustrates everything they

have been doing and everything it will do to impact its students and faculty to improve its

campus environment. It is similar to the vision statement" Excellence through innovation,

creativity, and discovery" (UC Davis, 2021-d). They want to ensure their students get the best

education, have the knowledge to succeed after college, and become proud ambassadors of their

mission to make a difference in the world and leave a footprint.

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Private University: Stanford University

Background

In northwestern Silicon Valley lies Stanford University, a private non-profit institution,

according to the Carnegie Classifications (2017-a). Leland Stanford, Governor and United

States Senator of California and leading railroad tycoon, and his wife founded the university in

1885 in memory of their only child, Leland Stanford Jr., who died of typhoid fever at the age of

15. Stanford concluded that he couldn't do anything for his child anymore, so his goal was to

give back to the children in California and utilize his wealth. The university offered free

education until the mids-1930s. Stanford decided to make its university different from all the

other private universities because it was untraditional during its creation, for there is to be a

coeducational private institution. Most private universities were all male, and most were

associated with religious organizations. Stanford's vision for the university was to produce

cultured and valuable citizens. On Oct. 1, 1891, Stanford opened its door with around 555

students enrolled in the first year compared to UC Davis's students to start an institution that

would produce some of the most successful figures known worldwide (Stanford University,

n.d.-e).

One of the reasons this institution stood out among all the institutions in California is the

alumni's global footprint. There is a well-known figure (Bob Mathias), a two-time Olympic gold

medalist who later became a congressman representing the state of California from my

hometown Tulare, California, who attended this institution and a football athlete that I grew up

in the same town as me. Stanford's faculty and alums have founded many prominent companies,

including Google, Netflix, Nike, Instagram, General Motors, GAP, Firefox, PayPal, Yahoo!,

and others. Companies founded by Stanford alums generate more than $2.7 trillion in annual
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revenue, the same as the 10th largest economy in the world. Stanford students have won medals

in every Olympic Games since 1908, winning 244 Olympic medals total, 129 of them being

gold (Stanford University, 2021-b). Stanford is an institution that prides itself on all the

exceptional individuals who attend its institution.

Demographics

Stanford is 35 miles south of San Francisco and 20 miles north of San Jose. Stanford is

the heart of Northern California's dynamic "Silicon Valley." Although the university is virtually

a community and even has a zip code of 94305, its city is Palo Alto. The city demographics

differ entirely from those of California and the City of Davis. The City of Palo Alto has a

population of 65,364. The city's ethnicities consist of (White (58.9%), Asian (32.5%), Hispanic

(5.6%), and Black (1.8%). Of the population, 97.2% obtained a high school degree or higher,

and 82.4% received a bachelor's degree or higher (United States Census Bureau, 2019-c).

People in this city take education very seriously since they have many opportunities for a

successful future. People from Palo Alto city have to compete with people from the outside

areas for a profession in the Silicon Valley region since it is among the wealthiest in the world.

The median household income in the City of Palo Alto is $158,271, more than double that of

the City of Davis (United States Census Bureau, 2019-c).

When it comes to looking at the ethnic diversity on the Stanford campus, there is White

(29%), Asian (25%), Hispanic (17%), International (11%), and Black (7%) who attend this

institution in 2020 (Stanford University, n.d.-e). They strive to have as many men as women, as

the institution has 51% women and 49% men. Like UC Davis, this institution brings different

ethnicities worldwide to the university and exposes students to different demographics. Stanford

has a 4.8% acceptance rate, but 16.2% of university students are children of Stanford graduates,
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also known as "Legacy." Attending Stanford university with tuition and fees comes out to

$55,473 for the academic year 2021-2022 (Stanford University, n.d.-e). The institution still

finds a way to support their student financially. Nearly half of the students receive need-based

aid from Stanford and receive university scholarship support that averages more than $52,000

per year, varying by income, family assets, number of family members in college, and other

factors. Citation). They strive to make it accessible and affordable for students despite having a

high tuition cost.

Institutional Identity

In today's day and age, an institution's website is the "face of the institution " because it

is used now to see an institution. When exploring Stanford's website, it was very similar to UC

Davis's. The first impression from both institutions having visuals of their campus. Stanford's

website makes it easy to explore different aspects of their college regarding sections for

students, faculty, events, news, and many other sections that would interest visitors and

students. They are data-driven, with each section having an interesting statistic of each

department so people can have a takeaway that makes it easy to remember.

When looking at their organizational chart, the section that pertains to students is labeled

"Vice Provost, Institutional Equality, Inclusion, and Community," which can be viewed

(Appendix 2). Not only do they focus on having an inclusive campus, but they also have Senior

Advisor who focuses on equity and inclusion for faculty. This institution understands that if

they want its campus to be welcoming to all ethnicities, it starts with the top of the organization

and then goes to faculty and students. This shows that Stanford's vision is still living on his

campus, as he wanted a diverse university that could produce cultured and valuable citizens.
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Exposing students to different ethnicities leads to students being more culturally aware before

they enter their professional careers.

Stanford has recorded this year as the largest incoming undergraduate class in its history,

with 2,131 first-year students and 66 transfer students. This has been because the courses moved

online was one of the highlights in their news section (Stanford University, n.d.-d). One of the

news head titles that stood out the most was Stanford professors asking the Department of

Justice to stop looking for Chinese spies at universities in the United States. A group of more

than 150 professors from Stanford University signed an open letter to U.S. Attorney General

Merrick Garland. The letter states the program has since "deviated significantly from its claimed

mission" (Reichman, 2021). The professors believed the "China Initiative" harmed the United

States since it related to research and technology competitiveness, fueled biases, and raised

concerns about racial profiling.

Mission and Vision Statement

When analyzing the mission statement of Stanford, it doesn’t state anything regarding

diversity or inclusion. The mission statement stays, “To extend the frontiers of knowledge,

stimulate creativity, and solve real-world problems, prepare students to think broadly, deeply

and critically, and to contribute to the world, and deploy Stanford’s strengths to benefit our

region, country, and the world” (Stanford University, 2019-a). It seems their goal is to make

sure they have problem-solving graduates who can become world leaders and help show that

students who graduate from their institution are well-known figures. The vision statement says,

“Fueled by optimism, ingenuity, and a sense of responsibility, we seek to accelerate our

purposeful impact in the world” (Stanford University, 2019-a). Their focus is to provide the
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world with students ready to make a difference but compared to UC Davis, they focus on

ensuring that their students are culturally aware.

Conclusion

UC Davis and Stanford are great universities to attend when they are put side by side.

The only problem is that getting accepted and attending UC Davis is more manageable than

attending Stanford. Regarding tuition, Stanford does cost about three times a year than UC

Davis, but Stanford has several scholarships available for students to whom they can apply. UC

Davis focuses more on making their campus inclusive and diverse. Stanford has that in their

organization chart, but it doesn’t have it in its mission or vision statement. It seems that they are

more focused on getting significant figures to attend their institution and Olympic athletes since

they have had students who have received medals and big company owners for over a hundred

years. If someone wants to participate in a school focused on its community, then UC Davis is

the school to attend. Still, if someone wants to attend a college that focuses on making an

individual the best possible version of themselves, then Stanford is the university. They focus

on making their students become great critical thinkers and well-prepared to give back to the

world.
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References

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. (2017-a). Stanford University - Palo Alto,

CA. https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=243744

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. (2017-b). University of California, Davis -

Davis, California.

https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=243744

Reichman, H. (2021). Stanford Professors Urge End to US Government’s “China Initiative”. Academe

Blog. https://academeblog.org/2021/09/13/stanford-professors-urge-end-to-us-governments-

china-initiative/

Stanford University. (2019-a). Our Vision. https://ourvision.stanford.edu/

Stanford University. (2021-b). Alumni. https://facts.stanford.edu/alumni/

Stanford University. (n.d.-c). About Stanford. https://www.stanford.edu/about/

Stanford University. (n.d.-d). Academics. https://www.stanford.edu/admission/

Stanford University. (n.d.-e). Admission Statistics.

https://admission.stanford.edu/apply/selection/profile16.html

UC Davis. (2021-a). Academics. https://www.ucdavis.edu/academics

UC Davis. (2021-b). Admissions. https://www.ucdavis.edu/admissions

UC Davis. (2021-c). "History ". https://www.ucdavis.edu/about/history.

UC Davis. (2021-d). "News." from https://www.ucdavis.edu/news.

UC Davis. (2021-e). Vision, Mission, and Goals. https://ue.ucdavis.edu/vision-mission-and-

goals

United States Census Bureau. (2019-a). QuickFacts - California.

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/CA/PST045219
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United States Census Bureau. (2019-b). QuickFacts - Davis, CA.

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/daviscitycalifornia/PST045219

United States Census Bureau. (2019-c). QuickFacts - Palo Alto, CA.

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/paloaltocitycalifornia/PST045219
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Appendix 1

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS

Chancellor Associate Chancellor

& Chief of Staff
Gary S. May Karl M. Engelbach

Vice Chancellor -
Vice Chancellor - Vice Chancellor - Vice Chancellor –
Provost & Executive Human Health Vice Chancellor - Vice Chancellor -
Finance, Operations Development and Diversity, Equity &
Vice Chancellor Sciences & CEO of UC Research Student Affairs
& Administration Alumni Relations Inclusion
Mary Croughan Davis Health Prasant Mohapatra Pablo Reguerín
Kelly Ratliff Shaun B. Keister Renetta Garrison Tull
David Lubarsky

Interim Director - Chief Compliance Officer

Intercollegiate Athletics Wendi Delmendo
Dean - College of Agricultural Rocko DeLuca
Dean - College of
and
Biological Sciences
Environmental Sciences
Mark Winey Chief Marketing &
Helene Dillard Chief Campus Counsel -
Communications Officer
Campus Counsel
Strategic Communications
Interim Dean - College of Michael Sweeney
Dean - School of Education Dana Topousis
Engineering
Lauren Lindstrom
Jeffery Gibeling
Director - Audit and
Management Advisory
Dean - Graduate School of Interim Dean - College of Services
Management Letters and Science Leslyn Kraus
H. Rao Unnava Ari Kelman
Chief Operating Officer - UC
Davis Medical Center
Dean – Division of Professional Brad Simmons
Dean - School of Law
& Continuing Education
Kevin R. Johnson
Susan Catron
Dean – School of Medicine
Vice Provost - Graduate Allison Brashear
Dean - School of Veterinary
Education &
Medicine
Dean – Graduate Studies
Michael D. Lairmore JP Delplanque Dean - School of Nursing
Stephen Cavanagh
CIO & Vice Provost -
Vice Provost -
Information
Academic Affairs
and Educational Technology
Phil Kass
Viji Murali

Interim Vice Provost & Dean - Vice Provost & Dean -

Undergraduate Education Global Affairs
Cynthia Ching Joanna Regulska

University Librarian & Vice Vice Provost – Public

Provost - Digital Scholarship Scholarship and Engagement
MacKenzie Smith Michael Rios

Director - Mondavi Center

for the Performing Arts
Don F. Roth January 28, 2021
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Appendix 2