Dear UCR Community,

On April 1st, Riverside County extended the school closure order through at least June 19th. Unfortunately, this will preclude any of our commencement exercises from taking place as currently scheduled and configured. While we share the disappointment of our students and their families, we appreciate the County’s leadership and share their commitment to protect the health and safety of our community.

Last year, Chancellor Wilcox asked us to co-chair a broadly representative working group on commencement (see membership below) to address capacity, resource demands, and a desire to make graduation a memorable, enjoyable experience for all. The Chancellor has asked the working group to discuss how we might honor and celebrate our graduates while complying with the amended County closure order.

We will convene the working group next week to review the current situation, discuss options, and submit recommendations to Chancellor Wilcox by April 15th. As UCR adjusts to the instructional, operational, and financial challenges of our new reality, we remain committed to stakeholder consultation and open communication. Ultimately, our goal is to appropriately recognize the accomplishments of our graduating students and we welcome your input on how to achieve this goal.

Please take this online survey if you’d like to provide input or feedback to the Commencement Working Group.

Sincerely,

Brian L. Haynes, Co-Chair

Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Kathryn E. Uhrich, Co-Chair

Dean, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Commencement 2020 Working Group:

Brian Haynes – Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs (Co-Chair)

Kathryn Uhrich – Dean, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (Co-Chair)

Alicia Arrizon – Associate Dean, CHASS

Aaron Bushong – Administrative Director, University Honors

Thomas Cogswell – Professor, History

Stephanie Dingwall – Assistant Professor of Teaching, Biochemistry

Julian Gonzalez – ASUCR President

John Haberstroh – GSA President

Peter Hayashida – Vice Chancellor, University Advancement

Victor Marroquin – Diversity Council

Jessica Moronez – GSA Representative

Rocio Munante Navarro – Diversity Council

Marko Princevac – Associate Dean, BCoE 

Julie Salgado – Event Services Coordinator, CHASS

Thomas Stahovich – Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Pablo Unzueta – GSA Representative

Katherine Van Horn – Graduate Student Services Advisor, CNAS

Staff Support:

Jorge Ancona – AVC, Alumni and Constituent Relations

Christine Mata – AVC and Dean of Students

Ellen Whitehead – Director, Student Life