In the summer of 2018, the appearance of Bird and Lime scooters on campus and across Southern California reinvigorated the campus discussion regarding the use and regulation of all types of wheeled devices on the UCR campus, to include skateboards, scooters and bicycles. The most critical concern related to safety was voiced by the many staff...

Due to technical difficulties on Nov. 29, the UC undergraduate application deadline for fall 2021 has been extended to 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, Dec. 4. However, we do encourage applications to be submitted as soon as possible.

Dear Campus Community, The process for accessing UC travel discounts for personal travel has changed. The “Find It” tool will no longer be supported after 11/30/2020. Office of the President is working on a replacement personal travel portal for future deployment. In the meantime, there are two options available to assist active UCR employees with...

Dear UCR Community, We are now one month away from the start of winter quarter and I am writing to provide updates on our winter instruction plan. A total of 50 courses have been approved for in-person instruction with remote options for winter. This represents only 2-3% of UCR’s overall course offerings. Consistent with state guidelines, the...

Dear Campus Community: Like many holidays, Thanksgiving has a complicated history. Its existence suggests we pause, enjoy a meal with friends or family, and make a gratitude list—three behaviors routinely lauded by mental health experts for contributing to wellbeing. However, the storytelling and imagery about Pilgrims and American Indians is a...

Dear Campus Community: I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Elizabeth Watkins as UCR’s next provost and executive vice chancellor, subject to approval by President Drake. Dr. Watkins is dean of the graduate division, vice chancellor of student affairs, and professor of history of health sciences at UC San Francisco. Dr. Watkins’...

Dear Campus Community, I am writing to provide a brief update on our Strategic Planning efforts as our timeline for publishing our penultimate draft and hosting community forums has changed. Over the past several weeks, we have incorporated some initial feedback and details from the working groups’ final reports into our latest draft of UCR’s...

Dear Campus Community, This week, the United States saw its deadliest day for COVID-19 while California’s 102% increase in positive cases over the last two weeks triggered a return to broader restrictions statewide and implementation of a limited stay-at-home order. Additionally, last Friday, the State of California issued a travel advisory stating...

Dear Campus Community, We write to provide an update on the annual budget process and campus planning over the next two years. The impact of the COVID pandemic and ensuing budget crisis cannot be overstated. While the campus has built robust health and safety protocols to address the pandemic, we must be equipped to navigate our collective budget...

The UC Systemwide Title IX Director is requesting assistance with the draft Guidelines for Responsible Employee Investigations. An important provision in the systemwide Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment (SVSH) Policy requires that all University employees who are not designated as confidential report possible sexual harassment (and other...

Dear Campus Community, UC Riverside has joined other University of California campuses and the California Department of Public Health to pilot a program aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19. All you need is your cell phone to activate the California COVID Notify exposure notification system. The technology, developed by Apple and Google, is...

As in previous years, UC Riverside plans to observe a Winter Holiday Closure during the 2020-2021 holiday season. This year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the closure will be extended to include three additional days, which will allow for a two-week closure. Similar actions are being taken at other University of California campuses. To be...

All members of the UCR campus community are encouraged to participate in a Nov. 12 (3 p.m.) virtual town hall. You can register here. The purpose is to solicit broad campus input on the task force’s charge and possible recommendations. Task force members will be available to answer questions and collect feedback. For more information about the task...

Dear Campus Community, In late August, the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) provided a series of recommendations to bring our budget into balance. As all of you know, we are addressing permanent reductions from state funding and loss of other revenues while also incurring increased expenses for responding to COVID-19. One of the areas identified for...

Dear UCR Community, The upcoming national, state, and local elections are just days away. While this has been a contentious election season, we must remember that elections are more than a chance to voice our political preferences. Elections are also opportunities for us to reaffirm a commitment to treating one another with respect and honoring one...

Because of expected budget shortfalls related to the COVID-19 crisis, the University of California is considering a new systemwide program to achieve additional operational and salary savings. This program would expand the existing winter curtailment period, which is currently tentatively scheduled from December 28th to December 30th, or add new...

Dear Campus Community, Earlier this month, I sent a video message about the importance of taking care of ourselves and staying in communication with our friends and colleagues. It’s been more than seven months since we moved into modified operations while learning how important hand washing, face coverings, and physical distancing were to our...

While remote learning, teaching, and working remains the default mode of operation, there are some essential functions approved to continue working on campus at this time. The recently updated state requirements mandates that each department or operation with employees working on campus (or campus owned/lease space) for any length of time...

Dear Campus Community, UC Riverside remains in phase 2 of our COVID-19 recovery plan, and we are announcing today that we will continue the same modified operations for winter quarter that have been in place for fall quarter. This means classes will continue to be available in remote formats at least through winter quarter, and any class that is...

Dear Highlanders, As we near election day on November 3rd, I am writing to encourage the UCR campus community to register to vote, plan how and where you will vote, learn about the candidates and issues on next month’s ballot—and, then, vote. Register TODAY The last day to register in California is TODAY, Monday, October 19, 2020. You can register...