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University of California, Riverside

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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.

History

On February 14, 1907, the University of California Board of Regents established an experiment/research station on 23 acres of land on the east slope of Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside, California. The purpose of this research station was to conduct various agricultural experiments such as fertilization, irrigation, improvement of crops, and air pollution research. It was here that the navel orange was introduced to the United States. The laboratory was later moved in 1917 to the west slope of the haze covered Box Springs Mountains. It was not associated with any particular campus but rather with the system as a whole.

The laboratory was referred as the Rubidoux Laboratory and slowly grew in size. When the laboratory celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, the laboratory had grown considerably in size with several new buildings and usage of its acres for experimental plantings. The laboratory's original two staff personnel increased to 265 personnel by 1957. In 1961, to reflect the growth of the laboratory, the name was changed to the Citrus Research Center and Agricultural Experiment Station. At the time, the director was Alfred M. Boyce for which Boyce Hall, the home to the Entomology and Biochemistry Departments, is named.

University President Robert Gordon Sproul persuaded Gordon S. Watkins, former dean of the College of Letters and Science at University of California, Los Angeles, to undertake the organization of a small college of liberal arts at Riverside, California. In 1949, Watkins accepted the job and started five years of planning, faculty recruitment, and building construction. He became the first Chancellor of the Riverside campus and presided at the opening of the College of Letters and Science with 131 students in February 1954.

Since its opening, UC Riverside has expanded significantly. Between 1995 to 2003, undergraduate enrollment grew over 300% to peak at over 15,000 students. As of 2005, undergraduate enrollment is at 14,649 students.[1]

Academics

Today, 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, the worst selectivity rank, and the lowest ranking overall, which are all indicators of reputation and prestige. Most of its graduate programs rank in the bottom tier.[2] The university has attempted to institute new instructional technologies such as online discussion groups, but overall, UCR has not had favorable reports regarding teaching quality. 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."

Historically, all UC-eligible high school seniors in California (defined as belonging to the top 12.5% of their graduating class) were automatically offered admission to the Riverside campus. Consequently, UCR's acceptance rate has always been amongst the highest (73.5% in 2004) and average GPA/SAT (3.48 and 1074, respectively) amongst the lowest, compared to the other UC schools.

The Thomas Haider Program in Biomedical Sciences offers a joint medical degree program with UCLA. The first two years of medical instruction are taught at the UCR campus. Unlike dedicated medical schools, these courses are actually taught in classrooms located in the basement of the Statistics building and in portable trailers. 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 UCLA School of Medicine. 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 to apply to other medical schools.

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[3], 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.

==Student life==

File:Uv1.jpg
The University Village (UV) is the school's only local mini-town center. The movie theater, a 20-min walk from campus, is used for classes in the mornings.

The 2006 U.S. News & World Report College Rankings place UC Riverside #4 nationwide for campus diversity. Asian Americans make up 42% of the student body, tied with UC Berkeley. The percentage of Latinos is also the highest of any UC campus.

According to 2003-05 data published by the UC Office of the President [Merced excluded], UCR students were most likely to come from families of low socioeconomic status (SES), compared to the other UC's campuses. Low SES was defined as family income < $30,000/year and first generation college. In addition, the freshman classes at UCR are composed of the highest percentage of students graduating from low-performing high schools (based on Academic Performance Index data). Freshman retention rate is only 85%, the lowest of any UC, which is consistent with reports of considerable student dissatisfaction that have been reported elsewhere. Indeed, 95% of UCR alumni choose not to donate back to their alma mater, the lowest alumni giving rate of any university in the nation.[4]

According to the 2005 College Board profile, 28% of all undergraduates live on campus. Riverside still has the reputation of being a "commuter school," although this is changing with the construction of additional housing on and off campus. Housing is available to all students for their first year, though a large proportion choose to drive home on the weekends, thus inhibiting development of campus life. Not surprisingly, UC Riverside ranked #12 nationwide for "least happy students" according to The Princeton Review's 2004 publication of "Best 351 College Rankings."

On the other side of the Pomona Freeway, University Village services mainly students with an array of shopping and dining opportunities. University Village's movie theaters also serve as lecture halls during the day, due to lower patronage by moviegoers[5]. The Commons serves as a small student center for the campus and includes study rooms and restaurants with benches for dining. Construction has begun to more than double the size of the Center from 65,000 sq feet to 140,000 sq feet. The new 50-million-dollar Student Commons (slated for completion in 2008) is expected to include large buildings housing expanded meeting rooms, dining, and places to study.

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 found a significant correlation with "clinically important deficits in lung function [in children]," that is, Riverside air is so toxic that it can damage lungs in kids[6]. [NEJM 2004;351:1057-1067]

UCR's Belltower. Officially known as the Carillon Tower, it is the most recognizable structure on the UCR campus. The brown haze seen in the background is quite common.

Organization

Chancellors and Previous Chief Campus Officers

Colleges and Schools

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

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

Future Professional Schools

  • UC Riverside proposed a Law School that the Regents of California have put on hold due to the budget crisis.
  • UC Riverside has made it a goal to eventually have a full-fledged medical school, although many seriously doubt the feasibility of this option.

Athletics

UCR competes in NCAA Division I of the Big West Conference but lacks a football team. Among mainstream college sports, UC Riverside is virtually unheard of, and the school has not won a national championship in any sport. Because of the commuter nature of the school, school spirit and enthusiasm for UC Riverside athletics is low, and attendance at these events tends to be minimal.

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

School Mascot.

Notable Faculty

Notable alumni

Academia, Science, Technology

Arts, Film and Literature

Athletics

Business and Politics

Nobel Laureates

  • Unlike every other campus in the University of California (excluding Merced), UC Riverside does not have any Nobel laureates on its faculty.
  • Dr. Richard R. Schrock - Chemistry, 2005 and MIT professor

Points of interest

University Village

Notes

  1. ^ "The University of California Statistical Summary of Students and Staff Fall 2005" (PDF). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "The University of California Statistical Summary of Students and Staff Fall 2004" (PDF). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "US News and World Report America's Best Colleges 2006, National Universities: Top Schools".
  4. ^ "US News Best Colleges 2006". Retrieved November 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "J. Lloyd Eaton Collection". Retrieved November 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "US News and World Report America's Best Colleges 2006, National Universities: Top Schools".
  7. ^ "Classrooms@UCR". Retrieved November 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Air pollution and lung development". Retrieved Mar 17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)


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