Late UCR professor honored through endowed award

Tom Morton, a professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of California, Riverside, died March 3, 2020. He is remembered as a global citizen and scientist who embraced foreign languages and cultures, demonstrated a cross-disciplinary passion for scientific research, and who showed concern for the environment.

Endowed gift will broaden the horizon for UCR students

A $2 million gift from the Pollitt family will fund scholarships that support study abroad opportunities.

By Sarah Nightingale | | Students

UC Riverside launches student-centered Beyond Brilliant

No student should have to choose between buying books or food. Or pass up an internship opportunity because they can’t afford gas. Or drop out of school to ease the financial burden on their family. But these choices are a reality for many students who attend the University of California...

By Sarah Nightingale | | University, Students

Board of trustees lead Beyond Brilliant by example

There’s more to university life than filling out admissions forms, showing up for classes, and studying for tests. Erik Anderson, an Inland Empire business leader and philanthropist, wants all students at the University of California, Riverside to take advantage of the world-class education they are being offered. And he’s pledging...

By Sarah Nightingale | | University, Students

It's a three-peat: UCR again tops social mobility ranking

For the third consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has named UC Riverside the top university in the nation for social mobility. The social mobility category considers the degree to which a university elevates its low-income graduates to a higher standard of living. As rankings leaders such as U.S...

By J.D. Warren | | University

UC Riverside is No. 1 in Pell Grant performance

A dive into Washington Monthly’s recent ranking of 393 four-year universities reveals an important success: UC Riverside is the No. 1 university in the nation for Pell Grant performance. The measure considers how many low-income students a university serves compared with statewide earnings. The Pell Grant is the largest federal...

By J.D. Warren | | University

Benefactor Esther Fincher Hays leaves a lasting legacy at UCR

Esther Fincher Hays, an academic physician, community activist, and philanthropist who supported UC Riverside’s programs in medicine, engineering and music, died June 10, 2021 at her home in Riverside. She was 94 years old. Born in Lexington, Kentucky and raised in Ithaca, NY, Hays attend Cornell University, Cornell Medical School...

By Sarah Nightingale | | University

When COVID-19 darkens your door

The Villanueva twins graduated from UCR a month after their father, Manuel, died from COVID-19.

By J.D. Warren | | Students

Classroom technology on the RISE

UC Riverside is getting ready for new modes of instruction this fall as it unveils classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art video and audio technology. The program, called Rooms for Increasing Student Engagement, or RISE, will feature classrooms that allow for both in-person and remote options for the same class. The campus...

By Imran Ghori | | University

UCR admits most California freshmen among UCs

UC Riverside has admitted a record number of freshmen for fall 2021 with a total of 34,671 admits — an increase of 1,964 students from the year before, according to data released by the University of California on July 19. Among the nine UC undergraduate campuses, UCR admitted the most...

By J.D. Warren | | University

Making freshman calculus add up for more students

UC Riverside is leading a new, $1.26 million project to bring calculus classes to life for students who are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math subjects.

By Jules Bernstein | | Science / Technology

Chance meeting spawned a tech startup for these engineering students

Friends Mahmood Shaheen and Nathaniel Ortiz are taking recycling to the next level

By Holly Ober | | Students, Science / Technology

Beyond Brilliant: Cam Calkins: The secret ingredient is love

UCR Dining Services employee donates $52,000 to the Graduate School of Education, and an additional $10,000 to the R'Pantry.

Beyond Brilliant: Katherine Maldonado

Last summer, Katherine Maldonado, a first-generation graduate student at the University of California, Riverside, became one of 133 recipients nationally of a 2019 Ford Foundation Fellowship. Maldonado, a UCLA graduate, is now working toward her doctorate in sociology, and her $72,000 Ford Foundation award will support her studies over three...

By Tess Eyrich | | Students, Beyond Brilliant

Beyond Brilliant: From juvenile detention to college graduation

A felony conviction gave Ramón Leija the determination to turn his life around.

Beyond Brilliant: Alfonso Maldonado '13

Heading north from Riverside, Alfonso Maldonado '13 often makes the more-than-50-mile drive to the Adelanto U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center in the Mojave Desert. There he meets with clients; most, newly arrived immigrants to the United States seeking asylum while their cases maneuver the legal system. Maldonado represents...

By Hayley Fox | | Students, Beyond Brilliant

Beyond Brilliant: Regina Louise

Regina Louise has never known a “normal” childhood. Throughout her tumultuous youth, she was shuffled through over 30 foster homes and psychiatric facilities, all before the age of 18. Subjected to neglect, abuse, overmedication, and solitary confinement while in foster care, Louise’s trauma was compounded by a racially motivated ruling...

By Jessica Weber | | Students, Beyond Brilliant