Content Authored by: Imran Ghori

North District 2 opening celebrated at ribbon-cutting ceremony

UC Riverside celebrated the completion of its North District 2 student housing complex Monday, Sept. 29, with more than 200 guests gathered at a courtyard outside one of the apartment buildings. The ribbon-cutting ceremony featured about a dozen speakers including UC Riverside Chancellor S. Jack Hu, Riverside Community College District Chancellor...

By Imran Ghori |

Market, Indian and Mediterranean cuisine among new fall dining options

UC Riverside students and employees can look forward to more dining options this fall with a new market, coffee vendor, and Indian and Mediterranean-focused cuisines at two locations among the changes. Diners will also see new offerings at favorite spots, such as milkshakes at the Scoops Ice Cream shop and Wagyu cheeseburger sliders at the Stable...

By Imran Ghori |

Native American community celebrates new life for oak trees

Seven years ago, UC Riverside’s Native American community mourned the loss of several oak trees on campus. On Tuesday, Sept. 23, they gathered to celebrate those oaks as part of a new art display. The oak tree art display, installed in July, was formally unveiled at the Student Success Center at a ceremony that included a blessing and performances...

By Imran Ghori |

How UCR manages its campus trees

When a huge tree toppled down near UC Riverside’s Student Services Building earlier this month it was unexpected. But it’s the type of problem the campus is better prepared to deal with in recent years due to its tree maintenance and inventory programs. The tree came down during a strong windstorm on Sept. 2, where gusts blew more than 50 mph...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR welcomes its largest group of student residents

UC Riverside kicked off its fall quarter by welcoming its largest group of student residents during move-in weekend from Sept. 18 to Sept. 21. Over 15,000 students and family members assisting them moved in to one of the six campus residence halls over the four-day period. Students were assigned check-in days and times so their arrivals were...

By Imran Ghori |

Oak tree art display honors Native American history

A new art display at UC Riverside’s Student Success Center pays tribute to the region’s Indigenous tribes and the trees sacred to them with a wood carving made from oak trees that once stood at the site. A celebration and unveiling for the oak tree art display, which was installed in July, will be held Sept. 23. The installation, mounted on a wall...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR tops ratings in sustainability report

UC Riverside has earned top ratings along with an overall gold award from an organization that tracks the sustainability efforts of the nation’s colleges and universities. The 2025 Sustainable Campus Index, a publication of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, or AASHE, recognizes top-performing colleges and...

By Imran Ghori |

North District 2 welcomes its first group of student residents

UC Riverside opened its newest student residential community Saturday, Aug. 23, welcoming close to 250 students from Riverside Community College District, or RCCD. They were the first to move into North District 2, which was completed after 22 months of construction last month. In a first-of-a-kind partnership, the complex will include community...

By Imran Ghori |

Artist awarded prestigious fellowship

Gerald Clarke, an artist and professor of ethnic studies at UC Riverside, is one of 15 recipients of the 2025 Joan Mitchell Fellowship, which supports artists making important contributions to artistic and cultural discourse. The New- York-based Joan Mitchell Foundation, which announced the honorees on Aug. 13, selected U.S.-based artists working...

By Imran Ghori |

Room to write

Writing is often a solitary activity, but Myisha Cherry believes it doesn’t have to be. An associate professor of philosophy at UC Riverside, Cherry put that idea into practice with a summer workshop that gave writers a space to encourage each other. Cherry invited faculty members and graduate students from different disciplines to meet weekly for...

By Imran Ghori |

Professor honored for theatrical designs

UC Riverside assistant professor of teaching Christopher Scott Murillo has been named “Scenic Designer of the Year” by a Southern California website for his work on several theatrical productions. Murillo, an assistant professor of teaching in production design for stage and screen with the Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production, is a...

By Imran Ghori |

Sproul Hall sculpture pays tribute to namesake

An old bronze bust of Robert Sproul, created by a sculptor with works displayed across the country, has found a new home at UC Riverside. The sculpture of Sproul, the first president of the University of California, was installed in June at Sproul Hall in a small courtyard between two wings of the building. The bust was donated to UCR and had been...

By Imran Ghori |

New student housing complex readies for opening

Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on UC Riverside’s new student housing complex project in advance of its opening next month. Major construction of North District Phase 2 is mostly complete with work expected to be wrapped up soon, said John Franklin, a project manager with the Office of Planning, Design, and Construction. The...

By Imran Ghori |

Transportation Services honored by international parking institute

UC Riverside’s Transportation Services was named an organization of the year by an international parking and transportation organization. The department was recognized by the International Parking & Mobility Institute, a world-wide association of professionals in parking, mobility, and transportation. UCR was nominated and won in its 2025...

By Imran Ghori |

ITS program manager wins tech award

Eric Martin, a technical program manager with UC Riverside Information Technology Solutions, is among the winners in the 2025 UC Tech Awards. The annual awards program celebrates individuals and teams within the UC system’s technology community for significant contributions to advancing the university’s mission through innovative tools and...

By Imran Ghori |

Higher ed planners honor SOM II design

UC Riverside’s new School of Medicine instructional building was recognized for excellence in architecture by the Society for College and University Planning. The School of Medicine Education Building II, which opened in fall 2023, received an honorable mention in the society’s 2025 awards, which recognized higher education projects completed...

By Imran Ghori |

Eaton Collection to be featured on Comic-Con panel

UC Riverside is going to Comic-Con. The UCR Library’s Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy will be represented on a panel at the annual San Diego gathering of comic book, genre, and pop culture professionals and fans. The event, which will be held July 24-27, drew over 135,000 attendees from around the world last year. Phoenix Alexander...

By Imran Ghori |

Highlander Farewells for summer 2025

Highlander Farewells is a recurring feature spotlighting faculty and staff members who recently retired or are retiring soon. Learn more about the contributions of UCR colleagues with about 25 years or more of service in the short profiles that follow. Retirees with fewer years or who did not provide profile information are listed below. The list...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR celebrates groundbreaking for innovation park

UC Riverside has begun construction of the SoCal OASIS Park™, a research and innovation hub near campus that represents a major step in promoting economic growth in Inland Southern California. Community and campus leaders celebrated the project at a groundbreaking ceremony Monday, June 23, at the 3.44-acre site on University Avenue near campus. The...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR ranked highly in world rankings

UC Riverside has been named one of the world’s top universities in the 2026 edition of the QS World University Rankings released June 19. The campus placed No. 66 in the United States in the 20th edition of the rankings, published by higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds and posted at TopUniversities.com. Among the nation’s public...

By Imran Ghori |