Dear Colleagues,
It is an exciting time with all the students on campus.
Today, we held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the North District 2 residential facility. Our partners from the Riverside Community College District (RCCD), UC regents, state, city, and community leaders joined us to celebrate the first-of-its-kind project in California, where physical and educational pathways converge.
By creating this shared space where university and community college students live side by side, we hope to foster connections that help RCCD students continue their education at UCR. By design, North District 2 is more than a building—it is part of a larger effort to make the journey to a UC degree more accessible.
Record-breaking Enrollment
With the start of the fall quarter, we reached another significant milestone by welcoming more students than ever before to campus. Riverside’s Mayor Lock-Dawson and I spoke to a packed house in the Student Recreation Center for the New Highlander Welcome, attended by first-year and new transfer students. I also had the opportunity to meet many of our newest Highlanders during Move-In Weekend. I invite you to view a short video of my interactions with some of them. Their energy and dreams are a powerful reminder of why we do this work.
No. 1 in Social Mobility, Again
The latest rankings reinforce that student success at UC Riverside is not just a goal—it is a demonstrated outcome. Last week, U.S. News & World Report named UC Riverside the No. 1 university in the country for social mobility—our fifth time holding the No. 1 position in the past seven years.
New Faculty
In addition to welcoming new students, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the 57 new faculty members who are receiving this message. As we grow in scale and stature, your contributions will help ensure that UCR's momentum will continue.
SoCal OASIS™ Park and UCR Health
As we move into the fall, we carry the momentum of other steps forward. In June, we broke ground on the SoCal OASIS™ Park, a research and innovation hub dedicated to sustainability and economic development. We also signed a letter of intent for the clinical expansion of UCR Health. Both initiatives extend UCR’s service into surrounding communities that rely on us for care, partnership, and economic development. Additionally, they help strengthen the ecosystem that sustains education, research, and scholarly work.
Building with Purpose, Values, and Vision
What we are building at UC Riverside is not accidental. It reflects purpose, values, and vision. Thank you for being part of that work—and for helping ensure that what we build today becomes a lasting foundation for tomorrow.