<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black">Dear
Campus Community, </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,33,33)"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black">I
am writing to share news that Chris Lynch has informed me of his decision to
step down as Dean of the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering
(BCOE). Dean Lynch has agreed to remain in the dean position while we conduct an
international search for our next BCOE leader; that search will commence in
spring with the goal of making an appointment by the end of 2026.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:black">Dean
Lynch </span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,33,33)">was recruited
to UCR in 2018 with a mandate to expand the college of engineering. Since that
time, the college has grown from 3,400 to 5,000 students and expanded its
faculty by 25 and staff by 20, all while maintaining consistent retention and
graduation rates across demographics. Several new programs have been introduced
to better prepare BCOE graduates for their future roles in our technology-based
society, including BS degrees in Data Science and Robotics, and an MS in Computational
Data Science. Under his leadership, BCOE grew its extramural annual research
expenditures from $30M in FY2018 to $45M in FY2024, a 50% increase and a
testament to the extraordinary faculty in the college.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,33,33)"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,33,33)">Dean
Lynch has emphasized excellence in engineering education through experiential
learning and a well-supported classroom experience. He oversaw significant investment
in maker-spaces in all engineering disciplines to support a rapidly expanding
base of industry-sponsored capstone design projects. Another point of pride is
the expansion of the BCOE student transfer center to the new Student Success
Center, providing students a space to meet with alumni, prepare for careers,
and engage in student-led projects. To accomplish these goals, Dean Lynch
helped steward the generous support of a network of parents, alumni, industry,
and many friends of the college.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,33,33)"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,33,33)">Dean
Lynch is planning to remain in the dean position until a successor is
named, after which he will take a sabbatical year to reestablish his research
program. He looks forward to working with faculty on research and getting back
to teaching. Dean Lynch currently serves as the PI on a program funded by the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation focused on combining best practices in
mathematics pedagogy with technology to improve mathematics learning outcomes
using a new platform, Learnvia. In collaboration with higher-ed partners across
the region, he will continue this work to improve the success of students from
underrepresented backgrounds while strengthening STEM readiness for all
students.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,33,33)"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,33,33)">Please
join me in congratulating Dean Lynch for his many accomplishments and
thanking him for his contributions to UCR. I wish him continued success in the
next phase of his career.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,33,33)">  </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(33,33,33)">Sincerely,</span></p>

<div><span style="color:rgb(33,33,33);font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt"> </span></div><div><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt">Liz</span></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Elizabeth Watkins, PhD</span></b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor</span></i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Professor of History</span></i><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">University of California, Riverside<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">951.827.1129 | <a href="mailto:Elizabeth.Watkins@UCR.edu" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Elizabeth.Watkins@UCR.edu</a><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt;color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><img border="0" width="198" height="61" src="cid:image001.png@01DB719C.EFF85DB0" style="width:2.0625in;height:0.6354in"></span></p></div></div></div></div>