<div dir="ltr"><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Dear Colleagues,</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">I hope fall quarter is off to a great start.</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Would you like to work with highly motivated undergraduates who can contribute to your research? Do you enjoy collaborating with engaged students on interdisciplinary, creative, or community-focused projects? If so, I warmly invite you to serve as a faculty-mentor for University Honors at UCR.</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">University Honors is among the most diverse honors programs in the nation, offering students the unique opportunity to work closely with a faculty-mentor on research, creative activity, or experiential learning that will culminate in a capstone project. For our students, this is a chance to explore a topic of deep interest with an expert in the field. For faculty-mentors, it’s an opportunity to collaborate with a driven student on a project of mutual interest.</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><u><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">As a faculty-mentor, you will also have the option to include "Honors Capstone Mentor" in your eFile, recognizing your invaluable contribution. You can indicate this under “Other Pedagogical Activities” in the tab, “Teaching Information.”</span></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">I encourage you to consider mentoring a University Honors student on their capstone project. Most of these students are in their third year and are on track to graduate in June 2028.<b> <span style="background:repeat yellow">If you are interested and available to mentor one or more of these students, please complete this brief form at your earliest convenience, preferably by Friday, October 9: </span></b></span><a href="https://ucrhonors.wufoo.com/forms/honors-facultymentor-interest-form-202627/" style="color:rgb(150,96,125)"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;background:repeat yellow">https://ucrhonors.wufoo.com/forms/honors-facultymentor-interest-form-202627/</span></b></a><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34);background:repeat yellow"></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34);background:repeat yellow"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:13.8pt;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(68,68,68);letter-spacing:0.1pt">Students may reach out to you during the Fall 2026 quarter for possible mentorship for a capstone project that would begin in Winter, 2027. </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">For more information about University Honors, please visit </span><a href="http://honors.ucr.edu/" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(150,96,125)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(17,85,204)">honors.ucr.edu</span></a><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">I would also be happy to discuss the program with you personally in person or via Zoom. Send me an email </span><a href="mailto:honorsdirector@ucr.edu" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(150,96,125)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">honorsdirector@ucr.edu</span></a><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> to schedule a time to meet.</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our undergraduate students and to University Honors.</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Sincerely,</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:normal;font-size:medium;font-family:Aptos,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Begoña </span></p></div><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><h2 style="color:rgb(34,34,34);margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:18pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;background-image:none;background-position:0% 0%;background-repeat:repeat"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Dr. Bego</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">ñ</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">a Echeverria</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><u></u><u></u></span></h2><p style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Howard H Hays, Jr. Chair<u></u><u></u></span></i></p><p style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><i><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Faculty Director of University Honors<u></u><u></u></span></i></p><p style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">University Honors | University of California, Riverside<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><a href="https://pronouns.org/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">My pronouns</a>: she/her<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Office: (951) 827-5323 | <a href="mailto:honorsdirector@ucr.edu" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">honorsdirector@ucr.edu</a>  <u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://honors.ucr.edu" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Web</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ucrhonors/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ucrhonors/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8432027/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/UCRHonors" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">X</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcaDsxSSCyARIW-AQ1k6_Jg" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">YouTube</a><u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Ally To: <a href="https://out.ucr.edu/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">LGBTQ</a> | <a href="https://sdrc.ucr.edu/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">SDRC</a> | <a href="https://usp.ucr.edu/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">USP</a><u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><img border="0" width="342" height="61" src="cid:image001.png@01DB8907.85738B40" style="width:3.5625in;height:0.6354in"></p></div></div></div>