By Nicholas Ibarra | The Sacramento Observer
In June 2019, Walter A. Robinson died at age 66, nine months after retiring as associate vice chancellor (AVC) at UC Davis.
On Wednesday, Nov. 10, UC Davis held a naming ceremony that honored Robinson, former UC Davis enrollment executive who led the center’s development, by unveiling the new Walter A. Robinson Welcome Center. Formerly known as the Welcome Center, which officially opened in 2013.
Robinson began as the executive director of Undergraduate Admissions at UC Davis in 2011 and quickly ascended to AVC in 2015. As AVC, Robinson established and led the Office of Enrollment Management, which comprised four main units: Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid and Scholarships, University Registrar, and Enrollment Management Analytics. With the help of his leadership, he was able to provide high level administrative support for outreach and recruitment programs.
After almost 40 years in student services and admissions in higher education, Robinson retired. He is remembered at Davis and elsewhere for his commitment to increasing diversity enrollment and as the “Random Acts of Kindness King”, which has influenced the community to perform random acts of kindness in his memory.
The Walter A. Robinson Welcome Center provides a spacious digital lounge for people to sit and wait while watching UC Davis videos and social media feeds, as well as a 135-seat assembly room that will host pre-tour presentations. A Walter A. Robinson Welcome Center sign has also been added, which displays his photo along with a quote: “Pack your parachute and trust it will open when the time comes.”