Dear Colleagues,

Around this time of year, we seem to be gathering speed as we roll toward commencement and the end of the academic year. But when I look back, it seems we’ve had that momentum all year long. Here’s some of what we have accomplished this year.

Our unique combination of academic excellence and student success was apparent in national rankings. For the fourth time, UCR was named the nation’s No. 1 university for social mobility by U.S. News & World Report. This was our sixth year in either the No. 1 or No. 2 spot. At the same time, we maintained our position as the No. 36 public university and rose to No. 22 nationally for innovation.

In the Wall Street Journal’s 2025 Best Colleges Rankings, we climbed 73 spots to No. 45 among public institutions and No. 12 for social mobility.

We continue to address the most pressing societal issues, from AI's water consumption demands to the role of forgiveness to how a father’s diet can impact a daughter’s heart health.

UCR faculty members secured 10 NSF CAREER Awards—two more than last year. And the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list included eight of our colleagues, also two more than last year.

In late March, UCR hosted for the first time ever a National Book Awards event, a complement to the annual UCR Writers Week Festival returning Monday, May 5 to Thursday, May 8 for the 48th year.

And in the not-so-distant past, UCR had to lease a movie theater to have enough classroom space for our community.  The latest investment in changing that history is our new School of Business building, with the anticipated opening of the University Teaching and Learning Facility (UTLF), only a year away.

Of course, I would be remiss if I only painted a rosy picture of the last 12 months and didn’t acknowledge the uncertainty caused by a series of federal actions that threaten both the long-standing relationship between research universities and the government as well as many of our basic institutional values.  While little is resolved at this time, we will continue to fight for our values in support of our students and the state. 

Commencement 2025

Once again, our graduating students will have the opportunity to celebrate with friends and family as they receive their new titles as graduates, teachers, masters, doctors, and alumni.  Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and teaching credentials will be conferred on Monday, June 16, and Tuesday, June 17, organized by school or college, with the School of Medicine Commencement Ceremony and the Graduate Division Hooding Ceremony on June 6 and June 7, respectively.

For more information, including exact dates and times of ceremonies, please visit the Commencement website.

Thank you for all your work to keep moving UCR and our students forward.