When Gary S. May took over as UC Davis chancellor 15 months ago, his priority was to hit the ground running.

Early on, his "To Boldly Go …" strategic plan laid out a five-element promise, addressing every aspect of institutional responsibility, growth, debt to its students, and faculty and campus life.

"Our success will rest heavily on our ability to leverage this great strength, identify priorities, and build academic excellence," said the former Georgia Tech College of Engineering dean.

"To Boldly Go' outlines the aspirations and methods for guiding the university to new heights of distinction over the next 10 years. The plan draws on our responsibility as a public land-grant university and maximizes our opportunities as a driver of innovation and economic growth for the public good."

In Strategic Plan 4, May addresses the university's "visibility and reputation."

In that regard, he promises to "leverage our 250,000 alumni worldwide" and to "enhance our prominence in athletics."

This week I had a chance to sit down for a one-on-one with Chancellor May. The focus of our conversation? All things Aggie athletics.

In today's first of a two-part Q&A with Dr. May, we'll look at how successful athletics affect the psyche of a student body and helps a community embrace a school. We'll also visit the revolutionary EVO program and talk a little about how athletics fit into a university's responsibility.

Ready? Here we go, boldly…

Q. What does a successful athletic program do for the psyche of a regular student at a university like Davis?
May: "I think it's a way to build spirit and community. Many people enjoy going out to cheer for the teams, see their classmates out there playing.

"It can give you a point of pride when teams are winning. But even if they're not, (athletics) is a nice way to entertain yourself, relieve stress from the academic environment.

"For the rest of the community — our alumni and the folks that live in the area — again, a nice way to have a diversion, some entertainment and build some spirit.

"I say this all the time about athletics in general. … For folks that are not aware of your university, (athletics) are a nice introduction.

"I use the analogy that athletics are the front porch of the university. If someone has never heard of UC Davis, they might see one of our teams playing — they might be on television … they might want to learn more about the university and it might cause interest among respective students.

"When we were on television at the NCAAs a couple of years ago, it generated quite a bit of interest for people who did not know about UC Davis prior to that. It was all positive."

Q. Given the exposure that athletics can provide, what would you as chancellor prefer to see coming from UC Davis — a Nobel Prize winner, best actress or actor at the Academy Awards or a national champion football team?
May: "I'd like to have all of those. First and foremost, the university is an academic institution, so you'd rather be recognized for academic achievements, so a Nobel laureate would be at the top of the list.

"But at the same time, recognition for any outstanding achievement by students or student-athletes, faculty, staff — anyone associated with the university — is a positive for the university.

"If one of our students or former students wins an Oscar or a Grammy or an Emmy, that's all good. And certainly if one of our teams performs well … that shines a bright light on us and reflects on the positive values that we have in terms of hard work, teamwork, camaraderie and excellence. So all of those are good, but first and foremost you want to be recognized for academics.

"When everybody is excited about the university, applications go up, it's easier to raise money. It's a halo effect."

Q. Director of Athletics Kevin Blue last year introduced the EVO program. I know you and he have had substantive talks about it. First, comment on EVO as it exists now, then is there a game plan to extend EVO beyond athletics?
(The Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Through a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better navigate the world of work after graduating from UC Davis.)
May: "I am very excited about EVO. The idea there is, obviously, we want our student-athletes be successful in the classroom and graduate. But that's not the end of it; we want them to go on and have success in their careers, whether that be as professional athletes — which will be a very small proportion of them — or most of the rest in some career.
"(Student-athletes) might do a lot of different things (upon graduation), but we want them to be successful when they graduate.

"EVO is designed to get them prepared after athletics ends. Most of their lives, their identity has been 'athlete' of student-athlete, right? It can be a rude awakening when all of that is over.

"So we want that not to be shock for UC Davis student-athletes. We want them to be well-prepared for professional careers."

Q. And do you see it, or a similar program, expanding to the general student population?
May: "All of that also applies to the student body at large. Our care for our students does not end when they get their diploma. We want them to be prepared to be leaders and to be successful professionals.
"We think that some of the concepts that Athletics is developing in the EVO program are applicable to the general student body as well. We'd like to see that expand to the scale … with the resources have."

Next week: Fundraising, facilities, Kevin Blue and "going boldly" into the future.

— Former Davis Enterprise sports editor Bruce Gallaudet writes "Inside Aggie Nation" each week. You can also read his "Aggie Corner" column every Friday or Sunday in The Enterprise (davisenterprise.com). Reach Gallaudet at 530-320-4456 or bgallaudet41@gmail.com