It's prime campus-tour time. Among the thousands of prospective students and their families expected to visit the campus next week will be a group of special note -- the UC Board of Regents.

The campus will host the regents for a get-to-know-us-a-bit-better visit April 11-12, the first such visit in several years by the governing body of the UC system.

"We're very pleased to have the regents as our guests," said Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef. "Next week's visit provides us with a welcome opportunity to introduce the board to a sampling of the programs and people that make our campus so special."

The regents arrive in Davis mid-afternoon on April 11, and begin their formal visit with a 3:30-4 p.m. public comment period at the Cancer Center of the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.

From 4 till 5 p.m., the board will be briefed on the UC Davis Health Science Education and Clinical Program, featuring presentations on the medical technology program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, joint ventures with the community, telemedicine and the M.I.N.D. (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute. They'll end their Sacramento stay with a 5 p.m. driving tour of the medical center campus.

Day two begins bright and early with a 7:30 a.m. breakfast with local elected officials and campus leaders.

An 8:30-9 a.m. public comment period follows at the University Club. Regents will be briefed on the campus's Long-Range Development Plan from 9:15 to 10:45 a.m., and then head to Olson Hall for a presentation on the use of technology in recruitment, in tracking a student's progress toward completing a degree, and in Web page development.

The board will break for lunch with undergraduate honors students, graduate students, chancellor's fellows, and other campus and community leaders before touring the campus's health sciences district. From 1:15 to 2:05 p.m., regents will observe a demonstration of a horse treadmill, be briefed on the district's building plan, and visit the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

Then it's off to Meyer Hall for a 2:25-3:10 p.m. presentation by this year's winner of the UC Davis Prize for Teaching and Scholarly Achievement -- fisheries professor Joseph Cech. Cech's topic is "Teaching, Research and Mentorship: Pipeline to the Future."

The regents' visit concludes with a 3:30 p.m. presentation at the Alumni and Visitors Center on UC Davis' K-12 outreach program "Reservation for College." The board will view a video showcasing partner schools and meet fourth-graders enrolled in the program.

Media contacts:
-- Maril Revette Stratton, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-3683, mrstratton@ucdavis.edu
-- Lisa Lapin, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-9842, lalapin@ucdavis.edu
-- Bonnie Hyatt, UC Davis Health System Public Affairs Office, (916) 734-9045, blhyatt@ucdavis.edu
-- Trey Davis, UC Office of the President, (510) 987-0056, trey.davis@ucop.edu