<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">Dear Colleagues,</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Over the last 10 months, I have often shared my priorities
for UC Riverside: deepening student success and social mobility; accelerating
research, innovation, and economic development; expanding UCR Health; and
strengthening partnerships.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">These priorities are not new. They were underway before I
arrived at UCR. However, as the university evolves, these priorities have risen
to the top as the ones we must keep to propel the university into its next
phase of greatness.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">As we near the end of the academic year, I want to highlight
a sampling of achievements that align with these commitments and show the
collective efforts of faculty, staff, students, alumni, supporters, and
community partners to expand opportunity and impact across our region and
beyond.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><br></font></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">Deepen our strength in student success and social mobility</font></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">This year, UCR was </span><a href="https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/09/23/ucr-again-no-1-social-mobility-us-news-rankings" target="_blank" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)"><b>once
again ranked No. 1 in the nation for social mobility</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> in the U.S. News
& World Report rankings, reaffirming our longstanding leadership in helping
students achieve economic advancement through higher education.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">
One hurdle to student success and social mobility can be the total cost of
attendance. But UCR strives to provide significant financial aid to students.
The <a href="https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/06/25/ucr-named-top-value-college-ranking" style="color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>Princeton
Review named UCR a top value college for the sixth time</b></a> and ranked UCR
No. 11 in Top 20 Best Schools for Financial Aid.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">
Demand for a UCR education continues to grow. In the fall, we <a href="https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/01/08/ucr-breaks-record-size-entering-class" style="color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>welcomed
UCR’s largest entering class</b></a> in campus history. For Fall 2026
admissions, we received more than 87,000 applications, a record high. More
students also meant more demand for housing. With<b> </b><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/stories/2025/10/01/north-district-2-opening-celebrated-ribbon-cutting-ceremony" style="color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>the
opening of North District Phase 2</b></a>,<b> </b>we increased affordable
housing capacity for both UCR and Riverside Community College District
students, helping reduce barriers to enrollment, persistence, and degree
completion.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Our students continued to earn prestigious national
recognition. This year,</span><b style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> </b><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/awards/2026/05/19/5-highlanders-receive-2026-nsf-graduate-research-fellowships" target="_blank" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)"><b>five
Highlanders received NSF Graduate Research Fellowships</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">. </span><a href="https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/12/16/sreenidhi-surineni-named-uc-riversides-first-marshall-scholar" target="_blank" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)"><b>One
student became UCR’s first Marshall Scholar</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> while </span><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/awards/2026/04/03/sophomore-inchara-jagadeesh-awarded-prestigious-goldwater-scholarship" target="_blank" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)"><b>another
was chosen for the Goldwater Scholarship program</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">. And recently, MFA in
Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts student Sara Hovda won the
TRIO award for her poetry manuscript.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">On campus, the first cohort of graduate students
participated in the Randall Lewis Policy Fellowship Program. And in another
first, UCR </span><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/awards/2026/05/15/ucr-launches-bridge2phd-program" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>launched
the Bridge to PhD program</b></a><b style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> </b><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">to support postgraduate success and
expand pathways to advanced research and graduate education</span><b style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><br></font></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">Accelerate mission-driven research and innovation</font></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Across disciplines, UCR faculty continued to demonstrate how
discovery, creativity, and innovation can improve lives, strengthen
communities, and help address some of society’s most complex challenges. They
also received national and international recognition.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/awards/2026/02/04/four-professors-win-nsf-career-awards" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>Four
professors earned prestigious NSF CAREER awards</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">. Distinguished
Professor and Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Economic
Development Rodolfo H. Torres and Professor Yadong Yin were </span><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/awards/2026/04/09/ucr-scholars-named-aaas-fellows" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>named
fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">.
Other faculty honors include a</span><b style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> </b><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/awards/2026/04/22/historian-georg-michels-awarded-guggenheim-fellowship" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>Guggenheim
Fellowship for historian Georg Michels</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> and the</span><b style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> </b><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/awards/2026/04/21/ucr-poet-allison-white-awarded-la-times-book-prize" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>Los
Angeles Times Book Prize for Allison Benis-White</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/awards/2026/02/27/graphic-novelist-wins-naacp-image-award" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>Professor
John Jennings received the NAACP Image Award,</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> while four UCR
researchers were</span><b style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> </b><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/awards/2026/04/08/four-researchers-selected-prestigious-lindau-nobel-laureate-meeting" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>selected
to attend the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">The university continued to bring nationally and
internationally recognized thinkers and artists to campus to engage with our
broader community. We</span><b style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> </b><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/stories/2026/01/28/ucr-launches-provosts-lecture-series-renowned-engineer" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>launched
the Provost’s lecture series</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> with National Academy of Engineering
President Tsu-Jae King Liu. </span><a href="https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/04/08/big-names-rising-stars-writers-week-may-5-8" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>Writers
Week returned for its 49^th year</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> and featured authors such as
Viet Thanh Nguyen and Ilya Kaminsky.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">In April, I welcomed Esri founder Jack Dangermond as a
Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture speaker as </span><a href="https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/03/26/esri-ucr-mapping-half-century-collaboration" target="_blank" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)"><b>the
university celebrated nearly 50 years of collaboration</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> in geospatial
science, technology, and education.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><br></font></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">Expand UCR Health</font></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">As one of the fastest-growing regions in California, the
Inland Empire continues to face significant shortages of physicians, healthcare
facilities, and specialty care. UCR is answering the call for more support.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Just before the academic year began, </span><a href="https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/06/03/ucr-health-announces-major-expansion" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>UCR
Health announced major expansion</b></a><b style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> </b><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">plans that will increase access
to healthcare services across the Inland Empire. Our plans include the addition
of several health clinics in the region and the development of a Specialty
Ambulatory Clinic in Canyon Spring. More developments will be announced soon.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Meanwhile, </span><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/stories/2025/10/30/ucr-health-launching-employee-health-care-program" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>UCR
Health expanded support for employees</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> with a healthcare program
designed to improve access and coordination of care for faculty and staff.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">The School of Medicine continued to earn recognition for its
leadership and impact. </span><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/awards/2026/04/23/school-medicine-dean-named-among-inland-empires-most-influential-leaders" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>Dean
Deborah Deas was named among the Inland Empire’s most influential leaders</b></a><b style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">.
</b><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">And last November, </span><a href="https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/11/07/candidates-governor-face-healthcare-and-economic-issues" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>UCR
hosted a California gubernatorial candidate forum</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> to discuss the future
of healthcare access and regional growth.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Together, these efforts reflect UCR’s continued commitment
to expanding healthcare access in our region.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><br></font></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">Power the economic and cultural future of Inland Southern
California through partnerships</font></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">Partnerships continued to play an essential role in
advancing UCR’s mission and regional impact.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">This year, </span><a href="https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/06/17/ucr-start-construction-research-and-economic-development-park" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>UCR
began construction on SoCal OASIS^® Park</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">, a development park
designed for collaboration between the campus community and industry leaders.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">The university announced </span><a href="https://insideucr.ucr.edu/stories/2025/11/06/ucr-and-cal-state-collaborate-ai-education" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:rgb(70,120,134)" target="_blank"><b>a
new collaboration with the California State University system</b></a><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"> focused
on expanding artificial intelligence education and workforce preparation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">A joint leadership meeting between UCR and Riverside
Community College District was held to discuss enrollment trends in our two
institutions and to explore ways to expand student transfer pathways.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><br></font></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">And so much more…</font></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">The accomplishments highlighted above represent only a
portion of the important work taking place across UC Riverside each day. Behind
each example are countless additional contributions.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Thank you for everything you have done this year to support
our students, advance discovery, serve our region, and move UC Riverside
forward. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and optimistic about
all we will continue to build together in the years ahead.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Sincerely,</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">S. Jack Hu, Ph.D. </font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:115%"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">Chancellor</font></p></div></div>
</div>