Gary May: “George Floyd could have been me”

EECS alumnus Gary S. May (M.S. ’88/Ph.D. ’91, advisor: Costas Spanos), the first Black chancellor of UC Davis, has penned an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle titled “UC Davis chancellor: George Floyd could have been me” in which he observes that “at a traffic stop, no one knows I am a chancellor. No one knows I have a doctorate.”  He explains that building an inclusive society that recognizes and respects people of all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, and a wide variety of political views, gender identities, and personal experiences, will increase our capacity to “make discoveries and solve problems.”  “It requires collective effort,” he writes.  “It requires each one of us, in our own way, working to make a difference, whether that’s through video recording, peaceful protest or working to change procedures that reflect bias.”