University of California, Riverside: Difference between revisions

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The University of California, Riverside is a public, coeducational university situated in Riverside, California beside Box Springs Mountain. It is one of ten University of California (UC) campuses and is popularly known as UCR or UC Riverside.

Since its opening, UC Riverside has expanded significantly, with a peak undergraduate enrollment of 15,399 students in 2003. However, for each subsequent year, total enrollment of students has declined to its current number of 14,649 ^[1]. Despite this recent decline, UCR has been projected to grow to 17,250 students by Fall 2006, 18,100 by Fall 2007, and 25,000 by 2015. ^[2][3]. Financially, UCR has received sufficient funding to become a comprehensive university, but has lagged behind other UC schools with respect to growth in this area. Despite being the fourth University of California campus to open, today it ranks the lowest in "financial resources," according to US News and World Report.^{[4] [5]}

UCR provides 78 majors and 45 minors, 50 Master's degree programs, and 38 Ph.D programs. It is the only UC campus to offer an undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and, along with the Berkeley campus, one of only two UCs to offer an undergraduate degree in Business Administration.

Overall, US News & World Report ranks the University of California, Riverside undergraduate program #85 among national universities and #37 among public institutions. Compared to other UC schools, UCR has the lowest peer assessment score, selectivity rank, and ranking overall. Most of its graduate programs do not rank as high as their respective UC counterparts ^[6]. UC Riverside does not have any Nobel laureates on its current faculty, joining Merced and Santa Cruz. In 2005, the Princeton Review ranked UC Riverside among the bottom twenty universities for "Professors Get Low Marks [for Teaching]," "Professors Make Themselves Scarce," and "Teaching Assistants Teach Too Many Upper-Level Courses."

Currently, all UC-eligible high school seniors in California who apply to the Riverside campus will be offered admission.^[7] As such, UCR's acceptance rate has always been amongst the highest (79% for 2004-05) and average GPA/SAT (3.48 and 1074, respectively) amongst the lowest, compared to the other UC schools. In order to attract more competitive applicants, UCR has invited home-schooled and other nontraditional students to submit a portfolio of their work in addition to test scores.^[8]

The Thomas Haider (pronounced 'hayter') Program in Biomedical Sciences offers a joint medical degree program with UCLA. The first two years of medical instruction are taught on the UCR campus, and the biomedical teaching complex consists of two trailer-sized classrooms located adjacent to the campus greenhouses.^[9] Third and fourth year clerkships are conducted at UCLA and its affiliated hospitals along with the rest of the UCLA medical school class. Students admitted in the program receive a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from UCR and an MD degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. In the past, the UCLA program was only offered to biomedical science majors, but effective 2002, all qualified majors may apply to the program during their senior year. Up to twenty-four of each year's applicants are chosen to attend medical school at UCR and UCLA. Students not selected are still eligible (and encouraged) to apply to other medical schools, but are frequently limited to D.O. and third-tier programs, according to MDApplicants.com statistics.^[10]

UCR's library system is divided into general collections, music, media, and science specialties. General collections reside in the Tomás Rivera library, and science and technology literature are stowed in the Science library building. Of note, UCR is host to the world's largest academic collection of Star Trek material^[11], and houses the 80,000 volume Eaton Collection of science fiction, horror, fantasy, and utopian literature - the world's largest such compilation available to the general public. Nevertheless, UCR lacks a dedicated medical library to provide health education resources to the 48 UCR/UCLA medical students on campus.

UCR is also a primary partner in the Riverside Regional Technology Park, which also includes the City of Riverside, the County of Riverside, and various private industry members. The park is intended to assist entrepreneurs in developing new products and help move UCR discoveries into the marketplace. ^[12]

The 2006 U.S. News & World Report College Rankings place UC Riverside #4 nationwide for campus diversity.

According to 2003-05 data published by the UC Office of the President [Merced excluded], UCR had the highest percentage of low socioeconomic status (SES) students compared to other UC's. Low SES was defined as family income below $30,000 per year and first generation college. Based on Academic Performance Index data, the freshman classes at UCR are composed of the highest percentage of students graduating from low-performing high schools. The retention rate for freshmen is 85%, the lowest of any UC.^[13] Additionally, 95% of UCR alumni do not give back to their alma mater, which corresponds to an alumni giving rate of 5%. This figure is the lowest of all the UC campuses (UCLA and UC Davis are 16% and 10%, respectively), and it is also the lowest of any university in the nation.^[14]UC Riverside ranked #12 nationwide for "least happy students" according to The Princeton Review's 2004 publication of "Best 351 College Rankings." Nearly 50% of students surveyed at StudentsReview.com would not return to UC Riverside if they were given the choice.

According to the 2005 College Board profile, 28% of all undergraduates live on campus. UC Riverside has a reputation for being a "commuter school," although housing is available to all students for their first year. Additional housing is being constructed, but even so, only 30% of students choose to remain on campus during weekends.^[15]

Riverside is sometimes referred to as "The 909," which makes reference to the region's former primary area code but also carries somewhat of a negative connotation (compared to wealthier nearby Los Angeles and Orange Counties). Despite the 2004 prefix change to "951," the nickname remains in use.

On the other side of the Pomona Freeway, the University Village (UV) services mainly students with an array of shopping and dining opportunities. University Village's movie theaters also serve as lecture halls during the day, with a shuttle taking students every 15 minutes. The Commons serves as a small student center for the campus and includes study rooms and restaurants with benches for dining. Construction is underway to more than double the size of the Center from 65,000 square feet to 140,000 square feet.[16] The new 50 million dollar Student Commons (slated for completion in 2008) is expected to include large buildings containing expanded meeting rooms, dining, and places to study.[17] The university has attempted to institute new instructional technologies such as online discussion groups, and its free wireless internet coverage has been praised by Intel^[18]

Environment is also a key factor that influences student life. The Riverside area is referred to as a “smog belt” because of its above-average level of air pollution. In a comparison by the National Campaign Against Dirty Air Power (2003), the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area was found to be the most polluted region based on year-round soot measurements when compared to other U.S. cities. In fact, the New England Journal of Medicine (2004) published results from a longitudinal study comparing pollution in southern California communities with lung health in children. Not only did the authors find that Riverside pollution levels were amongst the highest, but they also discovered that air in this region can damage childrens' lungs. ^[19]. [NEJM 2004;351:1057-1067]. The associated brown haze can be seen in the Carillon Tower photo on the right, where it obscures the bottom third of the sky.

• Gordon S. Watkins (Provost 1949-1956)
• Herman Spieth (Provost 1956-1958/ Chancellor 1958-1964)
• Ivan Hinderaker (Chancellor 1964-1979)
• Tomás Rivera (Chancellor 1979-1984) First Minority UC Chancellor
• Daniel G. Aldrich (Acting Chancellor 1984-1985)
• Theodore L. Hullar (Chancellor 1985-1987)
• Rosemary S.J. Schraer (Chancellor 1987-1992) First Female UC Chancellor
• Raymond L. Orbach (Chancellor 1992-2002)
• France A. Córdova (Chancellor 2002-present )

UCR's academic departments and programs are organized into five colleges and schools:

• UC Riverside College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences;
• UC Riverside College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences;
• UC Riverside Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering;
• UC Riverside A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management;
• UC Riverside Graduate School of Education.

UCR's University Extension program provides continuing education to community members of the Inland Empire.

• UC Riverside would like to establish a traditional medical school, and is currently planning a a proposal to UC.^[20]

• UC Riverside has proposed a Law School that the Regents of California have put on hold due to the budget crisis^[21]

School Mascot.

UCR competes in NCAA Division I of the Big West Conference, although it lacks a football team. The volleyball and basketball teams currently play in the 3,168 seat Student Recreation Center. The athletic director has advocated construction of a 12,000 seat arena on the western edge of the campus. However, the campus newspaper has editorialized against the arena, noting that UCR athletic attendance ranks near the bottom of all Big West schools, and that a location away from the center of campus will discourage student attendance. ^[22]

Unlike every other undergraduate UC campus, UC Riverside does not have a marching band, but instead features a rock band with horns, a guitar, and a drummer. During many athletic events, UCR brings its kilted bagpipe and drum ensemble. Due to NCAA's restriction against amplified instruments, UCR is sometimes forced to "rent" a marching band from other colleges, including UCI and UCSB.^[23][24]

The official UCR mascot is "Scotty," a Highlander tartan-wearing bear.

• Ivan Strenski - Ph.D., Holstein Family and Community Professor of Religious Studies
• Jorge Silva-Risso - Ph.D., Professor of Marketing and Director at marketing research firm J.D. Power and Associates.
• David Pion-Berlin - Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Specialty in Latin American Studies
• John V. Tunney - Professor of Business Law, former United States Senator and Representative
• Carl Cranor - Ph.D., Professor of Legal Philosophy, Philosophic Issues in Science and the Law, Moral Philosophy, Regulatory Policy, Political Philosophy, and Pioneer of toxic tort litigation, serving as reference to Federal Judges, elected to U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, the Collegium Ramazzini (International Headquarters in Carpi, Italy), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Paul Hoffman - Ph.D., Professor of Early Modern Philosophy, Moral Psychology, Philosophy of Mind, and considered to be one of the most prominent leading scholars on the Metaphysics of Descartes in the philosophy community
• Richard Cardullo - Professor of Biology, Expert on mammalian fertilization, biophysicist
• Umar Mohideen - Professor of Physics, measured the Casimir Effect
• George Edgar Slusser - Professor of Comparative Literature, science fiction expert
• John Baez - Professor of Mathematics, mathematical physicist
• Victor Rodgers - Professor of Bioengineering
• Susan Straight - Writer and Professor of Creative Writing
• Clifford Trafzer - Writer and Lecturer of Native American Studies and History Departments.
• Austin Turk - Noted Criminologist and Professor of Sociology.
• Emory Elliott - Noted American Literature scholar and Professor of English
• Frank Vahid - Noted Computer Scientist and Professor of Computer Science
• Walid A Najjar - Noted Researcher in the field of Compilers and Reconfigurable Computing and Professor of Computer Science
• Bob Toledo - Former UCR football coach; 13th head coach of UCLA

Academia, Science, Technology

• Charles E. Young - First UCR student body president and former chancellor at University of California, Los Angeles.
• Ed Gomez - Former Student Regent, currently Professor at San Bernardino Valley College.
• S. Sue Johnson - Regent, University of California and chair of the Board of Regents 2000-2002.
• Eric Mathur - Former Vice President of Scientific Affairs and Molecular Diversity at Diversa.
• Tim White - Professor, Integrative Biology and Research Paleo-Anthropologist. Internationally recognized expert in the field of paleo-anthropology.

Arts, Film and Literature

• Billy Collins - The eleventh U.S. Poet Laureate
• Linda - Cast, MTV's "The 70's House".
• Jamie Chung - Cast, MTV's The Real World: San Diego
• Johanna - Cast, MTV's The Real World: Austin
• Lindsay Ridgeway - Actress, "Boy Meets World" Sitcom.
• Nona Colorado - Actress, Save the Last Dance, Blue Crush films.
• Mark Andrus - Writer for "As Good As It Gets" Oscar nominated film.
• Stephen Breen - 1998 Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist.
• Susan Elizabeth George - Internationally acclaimed mystery writer.

Athletics

• Troy Percival - Professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.
• Pat Hill - Head football coach at Fresno State.
• Butch Johnson (football player)-Former professional football player for the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos
• Gary McCord - Professional golfer/CBS announcer and analyst.

Business and Politics

• Byron H. Pollitt, Jr - Executive Vice President and CFO of Gap Inc..
• Paul Niwa - Senior Vice President, Broadband and Chief Editor for Stockhouse.com.
• Ruben Barrales - Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, The White House.
• Ronald Neumann - Former U.S. Ambassador to Algeria.
• Rod Pacheco - California Assembly Member, 64th district.
• Gloria Romero - California Assembly Member, 49th district.
• Judith Valles - Mayor, San Bernardino.

Nobel Laureates

• Dr. Richard R. Schrock - Chemistry, 2005 and MIT professor

• University of California, Riverside, Botanic Gardens
• Student Recreation Center
• University Commons

University Village

• Main UCR site
• UCR Athletics
• Campus map
• Web tour
• Digital History Archive of UCR

1. ^ "The University of California Statistical Summary of Students and Staff, Fall 2005" (PDF).
2. ^ "UCR Facts and Impacts (4/06/06): UCR Fact sheet". Retrieved Apr 6. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
3. ^ "UCR Fact Sheet (4/02/06): UCR Fact sheet". Retrieved Apr 2. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
4. ^ "US News and World Report America's Best Colleges 2006, National Universities: Top Schools".
5. ^ "US News Best Colleges 2006". Retrieved November 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
6. ^ "MSNBC/Newsweek: UC Yourself in California?".
7. ^ "Wikipedia: List of Backronyms". Retrieved March 31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
8. ^ "UCR Campus map, zoomed in on Biomedical Teaching Complex, 2 small trailers".
9. ^ "UC Riverside puts out want ad for home-schooled".
10. ^ "MDApplicants.com (UC Riverside data)". Retrieved March 31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
11. ^ "J. Lloyd Eaton Collection". Retrieved November 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
12. ^ "UCR Technology Park (4/09/06): UCR Tech Park". Retrieved Apr 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
13. ^ "US News and World Report America's Best Colleges 2006, National Universities: Top Schools".
14. ^ "US News and World Report America's Best Colleges 2006: UC Riverside profile".
15. ^ "Wikipedia: Inland Empire (California)".
16. ^ "Classrooms@UCR". Retrieved November 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
17. ^ "UCR Newsroom release".
18. ^ "Air pollution and lung development". Retrieved Mar 17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
19. ^ "Press Enterprise (3/7/06): Panel to hone pitch for medical school". Retrieved Mar 31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
20. ^ "Major Step Toward Law School (4/09/06): UCR Law School". Retrieved Apr 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
21. ^ "Highlander Editorial: A more realistic proposal for a new arena at UCR". Retrieved April 8. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
22. ^ "Press Enterprise (3/16/06): UCR pep banned". Retrieved Mar 31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
23. ^ "Press Enterprise (3/20/06): UCR students deserve to join NCAA fun". Retrieved Mar 17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)