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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 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.

File:Uvtowers.jpg
Photo of the UC Towers.

Since its opening, UC Riverside has expanded significantly, with a peak undergraduate enrollment of 15,399 students in 2003. However, for each subsequent year, total enrollment of students has declined to its current number of 14,649 . UCR has been projected to grow to 17,250 students by Fall 2006, 18,100 by Fall 2007, and 25,000 by 2015. . Financially, UCR has received sufficient funding to become a comprehensive university, but has lagged behind other UC schools with respect to growth in this area. Despite being the fourth University of California campus to open, today it ranks the lowest in "financial resources," according to US News and World Report.

Academics

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.

Construction in the core of campus. Typical brown-brick buildings to the left, right, and background, alongside tree/cement landscaping
File:UCRlibrary.jpg
Students studying in the Science Library.

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 lowest selectivity rank, and the lowest ranking overall. Most of its graduate programs do not rank as high as their respective UC counterparts . Unlike most other campuses in the University of California, UC Riverside does not have any Nobel laureates on its current faculty, joining Merced and Santa Cruz. In 2005, the Princeton Review ranked UC Riverside among the bottom twenty universities for "Professors Get Low Marks ," "Professors Make Themselves Scarce," and "Teaching Assistants Teach Too Many Upper-Level Courses."

Currently, all UC-eligible high school seniors in California who apply to the Riverside campus will be offered admission. As such, UCR's acceptance rate has always been amongst the highest (79% for 2004-05) and average GPA/SAT (3.48 and 1074, respectively) amongst the lowest, compared to the other UC schools. In order to attract more competitive applicants, UCR has invited home-schooled and other nontraditional students to submit a portfolio of their work in addition to test scores.

The Thomas Haider (pronounced 'hayter') Program in Biomedical Sciences offers a joint medical degree program with UCLA. The first two years of medical instruction are taught on the UCR campus, and the biomedical teaching complex consists of two trailer-sized classrooms located adjacent to the campus greenhouses. 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 David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. 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 (and encouraged) to apply to other medical schools, but are frequently limited to D.O. and third-tier programs, according to MDApplicants.com statistics.

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, 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.

Student life

File:Ucrarcade.gif
A girl playing Dance Dance Revolution Extreme, an arcade game in the Commons.
File:Uvvillage.jpg
The University Village (UV) is the school's main local town center, and is located apart from the campus core (10-minute brisk walk). The movie theater is used for classes in the mornings.
A photo of the UC Riverside campus, which shows a construction site alongside typical building architecture and landscaping.

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.

According to 2003-05 data published by the UC Office of the President , UCR students were most likely to come from families of low socioeconomic status (SES), . 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). Approximately 1 out of every 8 freshman leave UC Riverside after their first year, based on a freshman retention rate of 85%, the lowest of any UC, which is consistent with some reports of 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 the UC system. UC Riverside ranked #12 nationwide for "least happy students" according to The Princeton Review's 2004 publication of "Best 351 College Rankings," and almost 50% of students surveyed on StudentsReview.com would not return to UCR if given the choice, with one student reviewer calling the campus "an absolute abomination."

According to the 2005 College Board profile, 28% of all undergraduates live on campus. UC Riverside has a reputation for being a "commuter school," even though housing is available to all students for their first year. Additional housing is being constructed, but even so, only 30% of students choose to remain on campus during weekends.

Riverside is sometimes referred to as "The 909," which makes reference to the region's former primary area code but also carries somewhat of a negative connotation (compared to wealthier nearby Los Angeles and Orange Counties). Despite the 2004 prefix change to "951," the nickname has been maintained, out of indifference or ignorance.

On the other side of the Pomona Freeway, University Village (UV) 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. 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 2007) is expected to include large buildings housing expanded meeting rooms, dining, and places to study. The university has attempted to institute new instructional technologies such as online discussion groups, and its free wireless internet coverage has been praised by Intel

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 discovered that air in this region can damage childrens' lungs. . . The associated brown haze can be seen in the Carillon Tower photo below, where it obscures the bottom third of the sky.

Carillon Tower, which stands in the center of campus.

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 would like to establish a traditional medical school, and is currently planning a a proposal to UC.

Athletics

School Mascot.

UCR competes in NCAA Division I of the Big West Conference, although it lacks a football team. The volleyball and basketball teams currently play in the 3,168 seat Student Recreation Center. The athletic director has advocated construction of a 12,000 seat arena on the western edge of the campus. However, the campus newspaper has editorialized against the arena, noting that UCR athletic attendance ranks near the bottom of all Big West schools, and that a location away from the center of campus will discourage student attendance.

Unlike every other undergraduate UC campus, UC Riverside does not have a marching band, but instead features a rock band with horns, a guitar, and a drummer. During many athletic events, UCR brings its kilted bagpipe and drum ensemble. Due to NCAA's restriction against amplified instruments, UCR is sometimes forced to "rent" a marching band from other colleges, including UCI and UCSB.

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

Notable Faculty

Notable alumni

Academia, Science, Technology

Arts, Film and Literature

Athletics

Business and Politics

Nobel Laureates

Points of interest

University Village

External links

Notes

  1. "The University of California Statistical Summary of Students and Staff, Fall 2005" (PDF).
  2. "UCR Facts and Impacts (4/06/06): UCR Fact sheet". Retrieved Apr 6. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. "UCR Fact Sheet (4/02/06): UCR Fact sheet". Retrieved Apr 2. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. "US News and World Report America's Best Colleges 2006, National Universities: Top Schools".
  5. "US News Best Colleges 2006". Retrieved November 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. "MSNBC/Newsweek: UC Yourself in California?".
  7. "Misplaced Pages: List of Backronyms". Retrieved March 31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. "UCR Campus map, zoomed in on Biomedical Teaching Complex, 2 small trailers".
  9. "UC Riverside puts out want ad for home-schooled".
  10. "MDApplicants.com (UC Riverside data)". Retrieved March 31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. "J. Lloyd Eaton Collection". Retrieved November 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. "US News and World Report America's Best Colleges 2006, National Universities: Top Schools".
  13. "US News and World Report America's Best Colleges 2006: UC Riverside profile".
  14. "Misplaced Pages: Inland Empire (California)".
  15. "Classrooms@UCR". Retrieved November 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  16. "UCR Newsroom release".
  17. "Air pollution and lung development". Retrieved Mar 17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  18. "Press Enterprise (3/7/06): Panel to hone pitch for medical school". Retrieved Mar 31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  19. "Highlander Editorial: A more realistic proposal for a new arena at UCR". Retrieved April 8. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  20. "Press Enterprise (3/16/06): UCR pep banned". Retrieved Mar 31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  21. "Press Enterprise (3/20/06): UCR students deserve to join NCAA fun". Retrieved Mar 17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)


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