Dear Campus Community, We write to provide an update on the annual budget process and campus planning over the next two years. The impact of the COVID pandemic and the ensuing budget crisis cannot be overstated. While the campus has built robust health and safety protocols to address the pandemic, we must be equipped to...
Dear UCR Community, The upcoming national, state, and local elections are just days away. While this has been a contentious election season, we must remember that elections are more than a chance to voice our political preferences. Elections are also opportunities for us to reaffirm a commitment to treating one another with respect and honoring...
By Interim Provost Thomas Smith and VCSA Brian Haynes |
Dear Campus Community, UC Riverside remains in phase 2 of our COVID-19 recovery plan, and we are announcing today that we will continue the same modified operations for winter quarter that have been in place for fall quarter. This means classes will continue to be available in remote formats at least through winter quarter, and...
By Chancellor Kim Wilcox and Interim Provost and EVC Tom Smith |
Dear Campus Community, I am writing to provide updates on our Strategic Planning efforts and to invite you to give feedback on the draft Strategic Planning Workgroup Reports. These reports have provided invaluable research and content for the strategic plan and they will be essential to its implementation. Later in fall quarter, we will host...
As the current surge in cases worsens in California, it is becoming clear that most faculty and staff who have been able to work remotely will likely be asked to continue to do so through the end of 2020. Exceptions to this general approach are staff members whose job functions can only be performed on-site...
By Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox and Interim Provost & EVC Tom Smith |
Dear Campus Community: Yesterday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) would modify temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online classes due to the pandemic for the fall 2020 term. The implementation and impact of this modification are not yet clear, but it is cause for concern. UC...
By Interim Provost & EVC Tom Smith and Interim VPIA Marko Princevac |
Dear Colleagues, I hope you all enjoyed a restful long weekend. I have been honored to serve as your Interim Provost for the past year and I am looking forward to continuing into the new academic year. There are challenges on the road ahead but as Highlanders, we know that challenges can also present opportunity...
Dear Campus Community, Over the last two months, our Instructional Continuity Working Group has evaluated options for providing a healthy and effective teaching and learning environment for the 2020-21 academic year. The Committee includes faculty, staff, and student members, and its work was informed by consultation with the Academic Senate, department chairs, deans, vice chancellors...
Dear Campus Community, In March and early April, elected leaders held daily press conferences in which they reported the number of ventilators they had secured. In hospitals and labs, physicians, scientists, and device manufacturers looked for new ways to help patients suffering from COVID-19 breathe. Both federal and state entities went to great expense to...
Dear Highlanders, As many of you know, registration for UCR Summer Sessions begins on April 1. Normally UCR hosts around 600 in-person classes during multiple sessions that run from June to September, helping to make our campus a vibrant place to be in summer. This year, campuses like ours are facing the risk and uncertainty...
By Interim Provost & EVC Tom Smith and VPDUE Jennifer Brown |
Dear UCR Students: We hope you are staying safe and getting needed rest after a challenging end to winter quarter. Over the past two weeks, we have collectively transformed the university into a primarily remote working and learning environment. This change has been nothing short of remarkable; and while there will be some bumps along...
By Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox and Interim Provost & EVC Tom Smith |
On Wednesday, March 11th, 2020, Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Tom Smith held a town hall via Zoom. The presentation included updates on campus' response to coronavirus (COVID-19), additional classroom seats, construction and budget, and UCR strategic planning. Presentation Slides
Dear Colleagues, I hope you all enjoyed a restful long weekend. Winter Quarter is in full swing and we have a lot ahead of us, so let’s jump in: Strategic Planning: Forums & Update We had our fourth Strategic Planning Steering Committee meeting this past Thursday, February 13th. Here is a brief summary of the...
Dear Colleagues, Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful break and enjoyed time with friends and family. Time away from our work can be remarkably restorative. The start of the new year provides an ideal time to jump back into things with a fresh perspective. With that in mind, here are a few...
Dear Colleagues, Welcome back! Serving as Interim Provost has opened my eyes to all of the great things faculty, staff, and students do at UCR. I am thrilled to be serving the campus in this role and am looking forward to what we can accomplish in the coming year. A few updates to keep you...
Dear Campus Community, Starting this fall, UCR will be implementing the Course Scheduling Committee’s recommendation that classes begin on the hour and half hour, which will result in a ten-minute time shift to our class schedule. For example, if a class previously ran from 8:10 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., it will now run from 8:00...
Dear Colleagues, With the Winter quarter wrapping up, faculty will soon be turning attention to our course syllabi for the Spring. As you think about your syllabus, it is important to make sure that it lists the course learning goals, and that your assessment mechanisms help you determine how well students are meeting those goals...
