Kathryn Uhrich has been appointed as UCR’s faculty athletics representative, or FAR, effective Oct. 1. She will work closely with intercollegiate athletics as a faculty voice in promoting the academic, health, and social welfare of student athletes.

She will serve as an important leader and mentor for our student athletes and will play an integral role in their academic support. The FAR, which monitors campus compliance with NCAA rules, will be a key representative on the Big West Council and with the NCAA. The position reports to the chancellor.

A distinguished professor of chemistry, Uhrich is the former dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, which she led for more than seven years until 2023. Under her leadership, undergraduate rates and the number of degrees awarded increased, and the college increased its amount of extramural grants and philanthropic gifts.

Prior to joining UCR, Uhrich was dean of mathematical and physical sciences at Rutgers University. At Rutgers, she was a member of the Academic Oversight Committee for Intercollegiate Athletics and part of its search committee for selecting a director of intercollegiate athletics.

An internationally acclaimed chemist, Uhrich was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the National Academy of Inventors.

She replaces Walter Clark, a distinguished professor of music, who stepped down after a decade of service in the position, starting in September 2015.