At UC Davis, the campus isn’t just a pretty backdrop — it’s a public garden and living laboratory. The GATEways Project (short for Gardens, Arts, and The Environment) transforms UC Davis into a place where nature, knowledge and community come together. 

This visionary effort behind the GATEways project traces back to the Kellogg Commission’s call for land-grant universities to reimagine their public mission for the 21st century. UC Davis took to that mission to heart and created an institution that doesn’t just teach within its walls but also extends its mission into its landscapes. 

The engine driving this transformation is the award-winning Learning by Leading™ program. In the program, student interns become stewards, educators and changemakers. They help design and care for the gardens, lead tours and create educational events. It’s hands-on learning that makes a real difference in the real world. 

The organization behind this innovation is the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, formed in 2011. After witnessing the GATEways Project’s powerful potential, the university united its land management teams — the Arboretum, Grounds and Landscape Services, and the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve and Naturalized Lands — into one integrated unit. This unique configuration enables co-creation with academic departments and community partners to expand the GATEways model across campus. 

Each GATEway garden tells its own story. Here are a few of the standout GATEway Gardens: 

Native American Contemplative Garden: Created in partnership with the Native American Studies Department and local tribal elders, this sacred space invites reflection and honors Indigenous connections to the Patwin land UC Davis occupies. 

California Rock Garden: In collaboration with Earth and Planetary Sciences, this garden showcases our state's geological and floral heritage with large boulders and native plants, serving as a living exhibit and teaching tool. 

Animal Science GATEway Garden: Completed in partnership with the Animal Sciences Department, visitors can enjoy watching the animals and learn more about the science of animal husbandry. 

Landscape Lab GATEway Garden: Developed with Landscape Architecture professor Haven Kiers (whose creative “Sheepmowers” propelled her to celebrity status), this space allows students to prototype sustainable landscape ideas in the landscape. 

Other beloved spots include the Arboretum GATEway Garden which connects campus to downtown Davis and features local California native plants; the Hummingbird GATEway Garden, alive with pollinators and zipping hummingbirds; and the Climate Adaptation Living Laboratory experimental plots, where researchers and students explore climate change through the lens of phenological changes in plant and insect life cycles. 

Whether you’re a student, staff member, faculty member, or visitor, the GATEways Project invites you to slow down, explore, and reconnect—with nature, with learning, and with one another. 

Want to learn more or plan a visit? Check out the UC Davis GATEways Project.