Content Authored by: Imran Ghori
UCR receives grant to fund summer internships
UC Riverside has received a $50,000 grant from two groups that will provide summer internships for students with the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, or APLU, and the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities announced on Dec. 15 that UCR was among five universities selected to receive the...
Teaching in the round
When Abhijit Ghosh teaches in the in-the-round lecture hall at UC Riverside’s Student Success Center, he doesn’t stand still. With a microphone on his lapel and an iPad in hand that he uses to control the audio-video system, Ghosh walks the aisles of the 404-seat hall during his “Earthquake Country” course, in which he teaches the fundamentals of...
UCR plan anticipates next phase of campus growth
UC Riverside has completed its 2021 Long Range Development Plan, or 2021 LRDP, a guiding document that will set the stage for the campus to grow student enrollment to 35,000 by 2035. The plan, which was approved by the UC Regents on Nov. 18, also anticipates adding 5.5 million gross square feet in instructional and residential space to support the...
Bus shelters upgraded near campus
Riverside Transit Agency has installed new bus shelters and bays near UC Riverside that will ease travel for campus commuters. Six new bus bays and shelters were constructed on Canyon Crest Drive near Bannockburn Village, giving riders more space to board four bus routes. The stops had benches before but no bays or shelters prior to the project...
UCR recognized for boost in student voting
UC Riverside received a Silver Seal from the All In Campus Democracy Challenge for having a student voting rate of about 69% in the 2020 presidential election. The campus saw a 29% increase from the 2016 election and, for the first time, surpassed the national average, which was 66% last year. The voting rate reflects the percentage of eligible...
The Stable opens at the Barn
The Barn has moved to its next phase of reopening as it began service this week at the Stable dining lounge. The opening Monday, Nov. 29, was the first opportunity for the UC Riverside campus to experience the Stable, added to the Barn venue during its renovation and expansion project completed last year. The Stable is open Monday through Friday...
Pop-up pantry provides staff members with free groceries
UC Riverside staff members with basic food needs can now make use of a new pantry program providing free grocery items for UCR employees. UCR Staff Assembly, R’Pantry, and UCR’s Basic Needs department are partnering on the effort, which launched Nov. 19 with a pop-up pantry where volunteers distributed bags of non-perishable grocery items and...
UCR will take part in Giving Tuesday on Nov. 30
UC Riverside will join Giving Tuesday on Nov. 30 with opportunities for donors to double their impact with matching dollars. This year, donors can choose from 60 different student programs, scholarships, and initiatives to support during the 24-hour window that begins at midnight. The campaigns represent a variety of campus groups. As part of the...
Back on the road again
It was a rare occasion for members of the UC Riverside vanpool group from Palm Springs. For the first time since the pandemic began, all five were together on a recent day in November for their daily commute. “It was fun,” said Dawn Loyola, a student services supervisor and member of the vanpool group. “I feel like I have a good group of friends.”...
Native American garden planned near the HUB
UC Riverside is working on plans to create a learning and living garden in the center of campus honoring the area’s Indigenous tribes. The Native American Garden is planned for a 20,000 square-foot area in the upper mall outside the Highland Union Building, or HUB. The mall is near Pierce Hall, which was recently renovated. “It’s in the campus core...
Employee COVID-19 testing center moves to Pentland Hills
UC Riverside’s employee COVID-19 testing center has moved to a new location and is now available to all faculty and staff members and their families. Formerly at HUB 302, the testing center moved Monday, Nov. 15 to the Bear Cave meeting room at Pentland Hills. It is open Monday and Thursday from 8-11 a.m. and 12-4 p.m. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and...
New projects create a changed campus landscape
UC Riverside’s campus is a changed landscape for many students and employees who returned last month. Several major new buildings and projects have been completed over the last 18 months, including housing, instructional, parking, and research facilities. “Students and employees came back to a completely different campus,” said Drew Hecht, co...
Centering the human experience
Daryle Williams has been a visible presence at UC Riverside since becoming dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences on Sept. 1. Whether welcoming students on their first day of class, getting to know faculty members, or even joining athletes for push-ups, Williams has taken to his new position with an enthusiastic energy. A prominent...
Let the burros be
Wild burros, long a part of the foothill landscape, have increasingly ventured on or near the UC Riverside campus in recent years. As students and employees returned to campus this fall, they have reported sightings and posted photos and videos of their encounters in areas including parking lots, student residence halls, and Watkins Road. Jason...
COVID-19 cases low on campus
UC Riverside’s COVID-19 cases remained low in the first two months of returning to mostly in-person work and instruction on campus. Seventy positive COVID-19 cases were reported among faculty, staff, and students between Sept. 5 and Oct. 27, according to the campus COVID-19 Management group. Students accounted for 40 cases while 30 cases were...
Professor emeritus wins UC award for post-retirement contributions
Carlos Cortés, a professor emeritus of history at UC Riverside, is one of two professors to be honored by the University of California with the 2020-21 Constantine Panunzio Distinguished Emeriti Award. The award recognizes professors for outstanding scholarly or educational work performed since retirement in the fields of humanities or social...
Employee COVID-19 testing center opens on campus
UC Riverside is opening a COVID-19 testing site on campus where employees can get tested regularly at no cost. The employee testing center held a practice run with a small number of volunteers Wednesday, Oct. 20 and is expected to open next week. Located at HUB 302 North, the center will operate Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m...
Renovated Pierce Hall now open to students
Pierce Hall has opened to students for the fall quarter with a whole new look. One of UC Riverside’s oldest buildings, it underwent a nearly two-year renovation that was completed earlier this summer. Faculty and staff members finished moving into the building a few weeks ago. The outside building now features a fresh coat of paint and new lighting...
The Patio Bar reopening at the Barn is the start of more to come
After a temporary closure due to the pandemic, The Barn’s Patio Bar is once again serving up ice-cold beers, and plans are underway to fully reopen UC Riverside’s iconic dining and entertainment venue in the coming months. Located in the Barn’s courtyard, the Patio Bar reopened Oct. 4 and is operating Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m...
COVID-19 testing lab moves to larger space
UC Riverside’s COVID-19 testing lab has moved to a larger space at Webber Hall, where the lab team has more than doubled the number of samples it can process. The move was completed Sept. 15, a day before move-in weekend, when the lab tested around 7,000 samples from incoming student residents over a five-day period. The diagnostic lab was created...