<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Dear Campus Community,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I am excited to announce the appointment of Louie F. Rodríguez as Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education. His first day will
be April 1.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">A member of the UCR faculty since 2016, Louie is a Professor and the Bank of America Endowed Chair in Education Leadership, Policy,
and Practice in the School of Education (SOE). His research focuses on issues of educational equity, Latina/o/x/ education, and community engagement.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Between 2019 and 2022, Louie served as Interim Dean of the School of Education. He recruited 30% of the school’s current faculty, resulting
in the SOE becoming the most diverse Education faculty in the UC System. Under his leadership and during the pandemic, the SOE raised $3M, developed five endowed scholarships for students, and created 200 emergency scholarships to help students with basic
needs. He championed an Ethnic Studies Pathway as part of the Teacher Education Program and developed two major pipeline programs to develop education professionals for the region and state. He also strengthened community engagement, enhanced interdisciplinary
research, and led the initiative to change the name from the Graduate School of Education to the School of Education. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Before becoming Interim Dean, Louie served for two years as Associate Dean in the SOE and helped launch a new Education Major. Prior
to joining UCR, he was on the faculty at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) and Florida International University.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Over the last 17 years, Louie has led several research and community initiatives and authored over 50 publications including 4 books,
several articles and book chapters. His honors include the American Education Research Association (AERA) Hispanic Research Issues SIG Award for Research in Elementary, Secondary, and Postsecondary Education in 2019; recognition by the Harvard Latino Alumni
Alliance in 2019; Outstanding Latino Faculty by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) in 2015; and his designation as an “Emerging Leader” in 2014 by Phi Delta Kappa International in Washington, DC. He has also been a Protégé as
part of the Millennium Leadership Initiative at American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU); an Aspiring Leader with the Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) program at Rutgers University; and Fellow with the Executive Leadership Academy
at UC Berkeley. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Louie currently co-chairs the UC Chicano/Latino Advisory Council. In addition to his scholarship, he has testified twice in front of
the Assembly Committee on Higher Education on creating opportunities to develop Ethnic Studies teachers in California. His expert commentary appears in various publications, including The Atlantic, U.S. News & World Report, and Hispanic Outlook on Education
Magazine.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Originally from the Inland Empire, Louie attended San Bernardino Valley College and CSUSB, where he became a McNair Scholar. He attended
Harvard University for graduate school, earning two master’s degrees and a doctorate in Administration, Planning and Social Policy.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I want to express my gratitude to Associate Provost Ken Baerenklau for his service as interim Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate
Education since March 2022.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I would also like to thank the members of the search committee for their active engagement in helping to select our new VPDUE:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Shaun Bowler, Dean, Graduate Division (Chair)<br>
Rena Burton, Director, Academic Resource Center<br>
Sean Cason, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer, Undergraduate Education <br>
Johnathan Chun, Associated Students of UCR<br>
Wallace Cleaves, Associate Professor and Associate Director, University Writing Program<br>
Emily Engelschall, Associate Vice Chancellor, Enrollment Services<br>
Gladis Herrera-Berkowitz, Director, Undergraduate Education <br>
Rebecca Hutchins, Associate CIO <br>
Ryan Lipinski, Director, CHASS Majors Advising<br>
Amy Litt, Associate Professor, Botany and Plant Sciences <br>
Morris Maduro, Professor and Chair, Biology <br>
Barry Mishra, Professor, Accounting<br>
Marko Princevac, Vice Provost for International Affairs<br>
Chinya Ravishankar, Professor, Computer Science & Engineering<br>
Christina Schwenkel, Professor, Anthropology<br>
Stefano Vidussi, Professor and Divisional Dean for Physical Sciences and Mathematics, CNAS<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Liz<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Elizabeth Watkins, PhD
</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">(she / her / hers)</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor</span></i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Professor of History</span></i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">University of California, Riverside</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">951.827.1129 |
<a href="mailto:Elizabeth.Watkins@UCR.edu">Elizabeth.Watkins@UCR.edu</a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:4.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.ucr.edu/"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="235" height="71" style="width:2.4479in;height:.7395in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D93FA3.AFCFF180" alt="Logo
Description automatically generated"></span></a><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>