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...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR alumna and grad student awarded $40,700 grant to fund campus composting

Vanessa Gomez-Alvarado, alumna and public policy graduate student, secured a $40,700 grant in October 2020 to purchase a woodchipper and build the university’s first Aerated Static Pile, or ASP, to reduce green waste and carbon emissions, and fertilize green spaces on campus. Her Aerated Static Pile Compost Project, or ASPCP, gives a nod to UCR’s...

By Erin Staley |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

Campus celebrates Homecoming 2021

Highlander spirit was back in force for UC Riverside’s Homecoming 2021, the largest in-person celebration since the beginning of the pandemic and the return to campus this fall. The festivities included a men’s basketball game, Scotty’s birthday celebration, presentations, networking events, fireworks, a concert, and a bonfire. Several virtual...

By University Communications |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

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.”...

By Imran Ghori |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

New School of Medicine building begins construction

UC Riverside began construction Friday, Oct. 22 of a new School of Medicine building that will allow for growing class sizes and increasing the number of physicians trained in the underserved Inland Southern California. Campus and community leaders celebrated the start of the project at a groundbreaking ceremony at the project site south of the...

By University Communications |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

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...

By Imran Ghori |

Campus expands electric vehicle charger access

UC Riverside has more than doubled the number of electrical vehicle charging spaces on campus with the recently opened Big Springs Parking Structure 2. The new structure has a total of 93 level 1 chargers available to faculty, staff, and graduate students. In addition, the campus has had 64 level 2 chargers at various lots available to all students...

By Imran Ghori |

VA Secretary hears from UCR student veterans

U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough met with UC Riverside campus leaders and student veterans Tuesday, Oct. 5 to hear how the federal government can do more to support veterans. McDonough visited the campus at the invitation of Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. They were joined by Erica...

By Imran Ghori |