UCR honors three graduates with 2020 Alumni Awards of Distinction

Three UC Riverside graduates were presented with the 2020 Alumni Awards of Distinction in an online ceremony Saturday, Oct. 17. Anthea Hartig M.A. ’89, Ph.D. ’01, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, received the Distinguished Alumnus Award; Dr. Pedram Salimpour ’90, CEO and co-founder of Pierce Health Solutions...

By University Communications |

UCR Staff Assembly reimagines its role during the pandemic

Since the UCR Staff Assembly first formed over 35 years ago, it has brought together campus employees through its general meetings, fairs, and holiday events. The switch to remote work due to the pandemic has resulted in a reimagining of how the volunteer organization connects with the campus, said Dennis McIver, a University Honors counselor and...

By Imran Ghori |

Major housing and dining complex opens to students

After nearly two years of construction, UC Riverside has opened a major new student housing and dining complex at the north end of campus. The Dundee Residence Hall is the first new student housing project completed in six years. Together with the nearby North District housing project under construction, the project will help UCR meet its...

By Imran Ghori |

Education researchers create anti-racism guide

Racism is not an easy topic for teachers to tackle, especially when it comes to younger children. But it is important to begin that conversation at an early age, according to education researchers at UC Riverside. A new anti-racism teaching guide titled “Addressing Race and Racism in the Early School Years,” released in September, provides teachers...

By Imran Ghori |

On the COVID-19 frontline

William Rall, senior administrative director of Student Health Services, or SHS, at UC Riverside, arrived on campus in August 2020 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Rall, who has 16 years of health care experience at UC Irvine Health and Kaiser Permanente, began his new role with no first-hand knowledge of SHS operations before the...

By Iqbal Pittalwala |

Highlanders move into campus housing under new safety rules

It was a different kind of moving day experience for UC Riverside students beginning the fall quarter. Instead of crowds of students and their families packed into parking lots amid a buzz of activity, a small number of students and their families unloaded their belongings in staggered 30-minute intervals over four days from Sept. 25-28. Their...

By Imran Ghori |

Emergency fund created to help employees during pandemic

UC Riverside is launching a program to aid employees hardest hit by the coronavirus with grants of up to $1,000 to help cover unexpected expenses. Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox announced details of the UCR COVID-19 Employee Emergency Fund in an email to campus employees on Thursday, Sept. 24. “Understanding that COVID-19 is inflicting great medical and...

By Imran Ghori |

Reduced numbers, regular testing planned for fall student housing

UC Riverside will have fewer students living on campus and will test them regularly for the coronavirus as part of its fall quarter housing plan. About 900 students are expected to move into the residence halls this weekend, compared to 4,200 in a typical year, said Robert Brumbaugh, senior director of Housing Services. Symptom monitoring and...

By Imran Ghori |

Creating a signature UCR beer

For decades, UC Riverside-grown citrus has inspired a variety of products around the world. Now it can be found in signature beers sold only on campus. As many as five signature varieties including a lemon lager, mandarin ale, and grapefruit IPA, are on tap at the Barn’s Patio Bar, which reopened this summer after an expansion. The brews are the...

By Imran Ghori |

COVID-19 lab begins testing campus community

UC Riverside has begun testing students, staff, and faculty members for the coronavirus with the opening of a new diagnostic lab on campus this month. The lab, located at the Multidisciplinary Research Building, or MRB, began operations in early September. The facility allows the campus to conduct its own independent testing at a faster rate and...

By Imran Ghori |

Creating a healthier campus

Historically, when creating healthy campuses, universities have focused on the health of students but not of administrators, faculty members, and staff. A team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside, has challenged this trend by focusing on the health of the entire campus community. Reporting in Progress in Community Health...

By Iqbal Pittalwala |

YuJa has become a major platform for UCR’s remote instruction

UCR faculty members and students have turned to a number of online platforms for remote instruction and learning in the last several months. This summer, integrated video platform YuJa has gained popularity. The campus began using YuJa in June after searching for a single platform that could cover all instructional needs, said Israel Fletes...

By Imran Ghori |

Money magazine ranks UCR among nation’s top 50 universities

UC Riverside ranked No. 48 of 739 U.S. colleges in Money magazine’s Best Colleges for Your Money 2020, published Aug. 25. UCR was No. 32 among public universities. Among universities that accept half of their applicants, Money ranked UCR No. 13 in the country. And on its “Most Transformative Colleges” sublist — which weighs graduation rates...

By John Warren |

Pierce Hall renovation progresses

A $62.3 million renovation of Pierce Hall is nearing completion of its first phase while work on the second phase is underway. The first phase improvements can be seen in the north and south wings, which now feature freshly painted hallways, brighter lighting, and modernized class and research laboratories. The 114,000-square-foot facility, built...

By Imran Ghori |

Campus COVID-19 testing lab to open

UC Riverside is opening a diagnostic lab that will allow for expanded and rapid testing of students, staff, and faculty members for the coronavirus. The COVID-19 testing lab, located at the Multidisciplinary Research Building, or MRB, successfully tested its first sample on Aug. 12 and opened in early September. The lab will allow the campus to...

By Imran Ghori |

UCR Career Center creates new internship opportunities

The UC Riverside Career Center is partnering with the University Innovation Alliance, other campus partners, employers, and community organizations in creating an internship program offering students real-world job skills before they graduate. In a pilot program this summer, six UCR students from multiple disciplines are working together on a U.S...

By Imran Ghori |

SOM dean honored on Riverside mural

Dr. Deborah Deas, vice chancellor for health sciences and dean of UCR’s School of Medicine, is one of the subjects honored as a Riverside influencer on a new series of murals. Deas was nominated for the recognition by Arts for IE, a regional arts collaborative made up of the Riverside Arts Council, Arts Connection, and Music Changing Lives. She is...

By Imran Ghori |

A busy summer for campus construction

Summer has been busy at UC Riverside as new buildings continue to take shape. Several major projects are nearing completion or have reached significant milestones. They include: • The Dundee Residence Hall and Glasgow Dining Hall, which is expected to open this fall. The project consists of three buildings: a 51,000-square-foot, two-story dining...

By Imran Ghori |

Early Childhood Services reopens with enhanced safety protocols

UC Riverside’s Early Childhood Services welcomed children back on Monday as it reopened its center almost five months after it closed due to COVID-19. The child care center will operate at a reduced capacity for the summer and has put in place enhanced safety and hygienic protocols, said Davina Bailey, director of Early Childhood Services. “The...

By Imran Ghori |

New campus signs and posters help navigate COVID-19 safety rules

A new signage program at UC Riverside will provide an easier way to navigate health and safety rules on campus due to COVID-19. The visual cues and wording reinforce public health information with messages such as “Face Covering Required” and “Keep Yourself Healthy.” Posting of more than 5,000 signs on campus buildings began in late July...

By Imran Ghori |