Office of the Provost

The end of the academic year is on the horizon.  This is always such an exciting and hectic time of year – exams to prepare, papers to mark and final grades to upload.  For UCR students who will graduate next month, the end of the academic year marks a new beginning and point of pride for a lifetime.  Many graduates of UCR’s class of 2017 will be among the first generation in their family to achieve the aspirational goal of a college degree from the University of California. Faculty attendance at commencement is deeply appreciated by our students and their families.  I hope that you will make plans to attend the commencement ceremony for your college/area – you can register and reserve regalia before 4:00 pm on Thursday May 18th.

Student Success Center update: Thanks to all who participated in the Town Hall discussion and surveys to inform the campus proposal for the Student Success Center. The input we received is being compiled and will be shared soon. We are optimistic about a positive outcome, and should know by the end of the year if our project is selected for AB94 funding.

Celebration of Teaching: Please join us in recognizing UCR’s outstanding teachers on Thursday May18th 2:10 – 4:00 pm in HUB 302 South. The program, organized by the Office of UndergraduateEducation, honors those receiving campus awards for Junior Faculty Excellence in Teaching and Innovative Teaching, as well as the Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching award recipients. We will also recognize the current and new members of the Academy of Distinguished Teaching, the Graduate Student Distinguished Teaching awardees and the recipients of two new awards recognizing Academic Advisors. Everyone is encouraged to attend to celebrate with the awardees and to show your commitment to teaching at UCR. Light refreshments will be provided.

MRB1 Town Hall Discussions: It is exciting to see the progress on MRB1 construction and we are beginning the process of determining the future occupants of the new facility. To provide information and facilitate discussion, you are invited to attend one of two Town Hall meetings scheduled for this Thursday and Friday (May 18/19). The meetings will have the same content, but will be offered on two dates to allow greater participation by interested faculty.

Thursday 5/18    Bourns Hall A265              9:00 am – 10:30 am

Friday 5/19          Genomics Auditorium     9:00 am – 10:30 am

The last 30 minutes of each meeting will be devoted to a reception in the lobby where poster boards of MRB1 sketches, floor plans and other details will be available for viewing.

Hinderaker Office Moves: Some administrative offices in Hinderaker Hall will be relocating this week and we appreciate your patience if we are delayed in returning calls as a result.  A summary of the new office assignments is given below. No phone numbers will be changed but it may be a day or two before the phone lines are reconnected, so email may be the best way to communicate in the interim.

·    Provost/EVC and Vice Chancellor for Planning and Budget:  Hinderaker 4148

·    Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion:  Hinderaker 3144F

·    Government and Community Relations:  Hinderaker 3144