A new UC Davis Chancellor's Forum Series will explore "The Role of the Research I Universities in the Future of K-12" with a series of events this spring and fall that will feature national, state and local education-reform leaders. The forums -- May 1, May 30 and Oct. 23 -- will each be held 4:10-6:30 p.m. at the University Club. "The quality of K-12 education is viewed increasingly as inadequate at a time when our society and economy depend far more on knowledge for our well being and the creation of wealth," said William Lacy, vice provost for university outreach and international programs. "While colleges and universities cannot by themselves address all the inadequacies of our nation's elementary and secondary schools, they have very significant roles to play. These forums will focus attention on how research universities, like UC Davis, can continue and enhance their important contributions to strengthening our schools." The series begins this Monday with a look at federal and state government perspectives on the role of universities. Speakers will be Gary Hart, co-director of the California State University Institute for Education Reform, former education secretary for Gov. Gray Davis and a former state legislator; and Michael Baer, senior vice president of the American Council on Education, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. Baer's talk, "It Takes the Whole Campus to Touch the K-12 Future" will build on the recent ACE report "To Touch the Future: Transforming the Way Teachers Are Taught -- An Action Agenda for College and University Presidents." The Monday forum will also feature a panel discussion by educational leaders and scholars. Panel members include Sen. Deidre Alpert, D-San Diego, chair of the Senate Education Committee and the Legislature's Joint Committee to Develop a Master Plan for Education -- Kindergarten to University; Carl Mack, superintendent of the Del Paso Heights School District; Nancy Aaberg, director of secondary education and teaching for Yuba City Unified School District, and regional coordinator for the Sacramento County Office of Education Math Matters teacher-training project; and Jonathan Sandoval, professor and interim director of the UC Davis Division of Education. Other forums will be held: -- Tuesday, May 30. Jeannie Oakes, associate dean of the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. -- Monday, Oct. 23. Lee Shulman, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.