Almost seven months after joining UC Riverside, Chancellor S. Jack Hu will be formally inaugurated at a Feb. 5 ceremony that will include University of California leaders and campus faculty, staff, and student representatives.
Hu was appointed UCR’s 10th chancellor by the UC Board of Regents on May 28 and began leading the campus on July 15.
“I’m grateful that this inauguration is taking place after I’ve been at UC Riverside for nearly seven months,” Hu said. “That time has allowed me to truly understand the university’s distinctive strength—our commitment to both excellence and access—and to listen, learn, and speak about what UCR can become.”
As part of the ceremony at the University Theatre, Hu will deliver an inaugural address.
“I look forward to sharing my vision at the ceremony and celebrating alongside the students, faculty, staff, alumni, UC leaders, and community partners who make UCR’s exceptional public impact possible,” he said.
In his first months on campus, Hu has made advancing student success and research excellence top priorities.
Hu joined UCR with nearly 40 years of experience in higher education. He previously served as provost at the University of Georgia for six years and vice president for research at the University of Michigan, where he began his academic journey as a graduate student in 1985.
The inauguration is a UC tradition that includes a formal investiture of the new chancellor, authorizing him to execute all of the top administrator’s responsibilities, including conferring academic degrees.
UC President James Milliken, in his first visit to UCR since he took office in August, will conduct the installation of office, presenting Hu with the Chancellor’s Medal.
The medal, worn as part of the chancellor’s regalia at ceremonial observances, features the UC seal at the center and the names of the campus’ chancellors and the year they were inaugurated on the back. It’s handed down from one chancellor to another with a second personal medal given to each one as they begin their tenure.
Janet Reilly, chair of the UC Board of Regents, will provide welcoming remarks as part of a series of speakers including UCR faculty, staff, and student leaders.
The ceremony will include an academic procession, musical performances, and a video presentation. About 460 guests who registered in advance are expected to attend. The event will also be available for live streaming.
A larger outdoor reception and celebration at the Rivera Lawn, open to the public, will follow, featuring music and dance performances and food and drink.
For more information visit https://chancellor.ucr.edu/inauguration
