[Ucrfacultyandstaff] Chancellor’s campus update—January

[UCR Chancellor]

Dear Colleagues,

As the winter quarter gets underway, our campus is filled with the energy
that comes from special events and lectures, athletic competitions, and
everyday moments that bring our community together.


One of those moments will be my upcoming inauguration on February 5, which
we are approaching not simply as a ceremony, but as an opportunity for the
UCR community to gather, imagine, and celebrate our shared future. I invite
the campus to watch the inauguration via livestream
<https://youtube.com/live/Btf512TNRsQ?feature=share> and, later that
afternoon, to join colleagues, students, alumni, and friends for an in-person
community reception on Rivera Lawn from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. The free outdoor
reception is open to the public.


Our calendar also includes the launch of the Provost’s Lecture Series, a
new forum designed to bring distinguished scholars and leaders to UCR for
meaningful engagement with our faculty, students, and community.


The inaugural lecture will feature Dr. Tsu-Jae King Liu, President of the
National Academy of Engineering, who will speak on engineering leadership
in a time of rapid change, followed by a moderated conversation. Please
join us on Friday, February 6, at 2:15 p.m. at the School of Medicine
Education Building 2, Room 106. You can find more details about the event
and speaker here
<https://events.ucr.edu/event/provosts-lecture-dr-tsu-jae-king-liu>.


February also brings a full slate of Highlander athletics, with Women’s and
Men’s basketball, tennis, and golf in season. I encourage you to explore the
athletics calendar <https://gohighlanders.com/calendar> and the UCR events
calendar <https://events.ucr.edu/> for daily opportunities to stay
active—physically, intellectually, and creatively—across campus.


Beginning of the annual budgeting process

Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his budget proposal for the
2026–27 fiscal year, which marks the start of the annual state budget
process. As in prior years, this proposal is an opening framework, with
several months of analysis, advocacy, and negotiation before the Governor’s
May Revision and final legislative action. Throughout this process, we will
work closely with our colleagues in Government and Community Relations,
UCOP, and across the UC system to advocate for the resources needed to
support our students, faculty, staff, and mission. We appreciate the
Governor’s support for UC and higher education in California.


I am grateful to those of you who share UCR’s story with
policymakers—highlighting our impact, our needs, and the lives changed by
public higher education. Your engagement and advocacy matter, and they make
a real difference as these decisions take shape.


UCR Give Day project page application

Another way you can support students, research, and campus resources is
through our annual giving events.


This spring, UCR will host its annual Give Day, our campuswide day of
philanthropy powered by faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends. UCR
Give Day runs from Tuesday, April 7, at noon through Wednesday, April 8, at
noon, and provides an opportunity for departments and programs to engage
alumni and supporters around projects that advance our mission.


If your unit would like to participate, I encourage you to submit a project
page application by February 3 and take advantage of the resources,
challenge dollars, and virtual office hours available to support your
success. Use the 2026 Give Day Submission Form
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScp7maKovGXltpcs4vRnTV1Tr8KebZ9lUXx6yYvRxhNbxvWPA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=103546996268859920447>
to
submit your application.


Looking forward together

I have been grateful for the warmth, generosity, and engagement of this
campus community since arriving at UC Riverside. The upcoming inauguration
is an opportunity to reflect that same spirit back—to gather, to connect,
and to look ahead with confidence in what we can achieve together.


Sincerely,

S. Jack Hu, Ph.D.

Chancellor
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