[Orgvpdue] June 2025 DUE Spotlight

[Mona Nelson on behalf of Louie Rodriguez]

*Undergraduate Education Monthly Spotlights*
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The* DUE Monthly Spotlight Series* aims to highlight important advances
across the Division of Undergraduate Education. The goal is to ensure that
our fellow DUE members stay in the know as we collectively work toward
DUE’s strategic goals, including boosting graduation rates and reducing
equity gaps, among others.



*Summer Bridge celebrates 40 years at UCR!*


Summer Bridge is *celebrating 40 years *at UCR! The Highlander Early Start
Academy (HESA), through the Academic Resource Center, was started as
"Project Transition" through the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at
UCR in 1985. The original program was a five-week residential summer
program for new EOP Freshmen to enhance students' mathematics, writing and
study skills as well as building their connection and community with UCR
and fellow students. HESA continues to honor these tenants in its current
form with a seven-week summer program where students take either Math or
English, a secondary course, and a college success class. Community and
connection also continue to be key aspects of the program with a peer
mentor component, ropes course experience, welcome event and finals study
jam.

The Academic Resource Center is honored to continue to carry on the strong
tradition of Summer Bridge at UCR. Helping our first-year students to
have *confidence
in their personal and academic development *and provide them with *knowledge
about the campus and resources* will allow them to achieve the goals they
have set for themselves.





DUE receives $500K endowment to support HESA scholarships: McCall Bridge to
Success Endowed Scholarship

Dr. William P.L. Carter, a UCR alumnus and research chemist, is honoring
his friend and fellow graduate, Michael John McCall, *by establishing the
McCall Bridge to Success Endowed Scholarship at $500,000*. This new
scholarship reflects Dr. Carter’s commitment to fulfill McCall's wish to
support first-generation students, ensuring they have access to the same
opportunities that Mr. McCall experienced as a first-generation student
himself.

Beginning in 2026, the scholarship *will provide essential financial
assistance to undergraduates enrolled in the Highlander Early Start Academy
(HESA) program*. The scholarship will offer a minimum of $2,000 annually
for up to three years to students in need. This gift helps the Division of
Undergraduate Education meet its strategic goals of boosting graduation
rates and reducing equity gaps across the campus.






SoCal Gas donates to HESA Scholarship Program

SoCal Gas has generously *donated $1,000 *to support *this year’s HESA
scholarship program*. DUE and SoCal Gas have had multiple connection
points, including one of our Tilga grant recipients interning with the
company. We are grateful for their partnership and support!






Retiring Chancellor Wilcox receives Legacy of Leadership award

As one of campus co-liaisons with the University Innovation Alliance (UIA),
VPDUE Rodriguez presented a *Legacy of Leadership award to retiring
Chancellor Kim Wilcox *on behalf of the UIA at the Campus Leadership
meeting on Monday, June 23, 2025. Chancellor Wilcox was a founding member
of the UIA in 2014 and since 2020 has served as the vice chair. During his
leadership, the campus has boosted graduation rates for all students,
specifically Pell recipients by over 20 percentage points. During his
leadership, he has also led the campus in increasing graduation rates for
underrepresented students. His national leadership has been critical in
growing innovation and student success across the nation.






Pre-Health Ambassadors Awarded Scholarships

PPAC/Pre-Health Ambassadors *Kevin Kim and Ethan Tran named the award
recipients of the Chancellor Timothy P. White & Dr. Karen N. White Endowed
Scholarship*. This scholarship helps support undergraduate students who
want to enter a career in the health professions. We thank Chancellor White
and Dr. White for this generous award.

*Words of Kevin*: *"Thank you so much for your generous scholarship award.
I am truly grateful for your support. It will be a tremendous help in
covering the cost of study materials for the Dental Admission Test (DAT)
and application fees as I prepare to apply to dental school. Your
generosity brings me one step closer to achieving my goals, and I deeply
appreciate it."*

*Words of Ethan: **"Thank you for your generous endowment and for choosing
me as one of the recipients. This fall, I will be attending dental school
at UNLV. With this endowment, I plan to help pay for school and supplies.
As a future dental student, I'm excited to give back to the community,
specifically to military personnel, as an appreciation for their service."*







New pre-law advisor helps guide students

UC Riverside students seeking careers in law can now get expert guidance to
prepare for their academic path to law school and beyond.

A new campus program offers students information, advising, and support on
topics such as planning for law school, what field of law they might want
to pursue, and even if the legal profession is right for them.

The Pre-Professional Advising Center
<https://click.mailchimp.com/track/click/30010842/ppac.ucr.edu?p=eyJzIjoiZnl0QXd4bkpxbDlNdlhKWm1ucnZoMlNUa0JvIiwidiI6MiwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDAxMDg0MixcInZcIjoyLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3BwYWMudWNyLmVkdVxcXC9cIixcImlkXCI6XCJjZDY4NzljYjU3ZDY0YTdjYjllNTlhYTA3OTdmZTJkNFwiLFwidXJsX2lkc1wiOltcImZlOTdmZWIwZTY3N2RlODliNzVjMGJhZWViMzJkZmZhMjE3MDJlNGRcIl0sXCJtc2dfdHNcIjoxNzUwODgwNjQ3fSJ9>,
previously known as the Health Professions Advising Center, expanded its
program to add a pre-law advising counselor to its staff in May.

For almost 20 years, the center has helped guide and advise students
interested in careers in the health professions. With the expansion to
include law, it’s now the first University of California campus to offer
preparation for both fields, said Charles Scruggs, director of the
Pre-Professional Advising Center.

Read full story
<https://click.mailchimp.com/track/click/30010842/insideucr.ucr.edu?p=eyJzIjoibVVrTmo2aDFuVHB3QzV5RDM1S1pDRlh1em9vIiwidiI6MiwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDAxMDg0MixcInZcIjoyLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2luc2lkZXVjci51Y3IuZWR1XFxcL3N0b3JpZXNcXFwvMjAyNVxcXC8wNlxcXC8xN1xcXC9uZXctcHJlLWxhdy1hZHZpc29yLWhlbHBzLWd1aWRlLXN0dWRlbnRzP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9SW5zaWRlK1VDUitXZWVrbHkrVGVzdCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MjlkOGM2ZWViNi1FTUFJTF9DQU1QQUlHTl8yMDI1XzA2XzE4XzA1XzMwX0NPUFlfMDEmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fdGVybT0wXy01ZTQyZTQ3MTIwLTkzNDg4NzAzXCIsXCJpZFwiOlwiY2Q2ODc5Y2I1N2Q2NGE3Y2I5ZTU5YWEwNzk3ZmUyZDRcIixcInVybF9pZHNcIjpbXCJmYzlhMjUzNmIxOGQ1MmI3NTdkMGIwZWI0ZGJlMDdiMDI5YTJiOWRkXCJdLFwibXNnX3RzXCI6MTc1MDg4MDY0N30ifQ>






UCR Advisors attend University of South Carolina Advising Center

With encouragement from Provost Watkins and VPDUE Louie Rodriguez, a group
of advising professionals from each of the colleges/schools participated in
a visit to the University of South Carolina Advising Center
<https://click.mailchimp.com/track/click/30010842/sc.edu?p=eyJzIjoia19ETW9zcER1Wk5HejRwdmVsNy12QlRncHRrIiwidiI6MiwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDAxMDg0MixcInZcIjoyLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3NjLmVkdVxcXC9hYm91dFxcXC9vZmZpY2VzX2FuZF9kaXZpc2lvbnNcXFwvYWR2aXNpbmdcXFwvdW5pdmVyc2l0eV9hZHZpc2luZ19jZW50ZXJcXFwvYWJvdXRfdWFjXFxcL2luZGV4LnBocFwiLFwiaWRcIjpcImNkNjg3OWNiNTdkNjRhN2NiOWU1OWFhMDc5N2ZlMmQ0XCIsXCJ1cmxfaWRzXCI6W1wiN2Y2ZGViOTgxYTA3N2UzOWY4YWY1NDFjNjY0OTYxYWZhMDY1NTFmMlwiXSxcIm1zZ190c1wiOjE3NTA4ODA2NDd9In0>
during
the first week of June (June 2-4).  Both campuses are members of
the University Innovation Alliance (UIA) coalition of public research
universities focused on improving student success especially for first-gen
students from low-income backgrounds. The visit was a fact-finding exchange
that led to a collaboration aimed at empowering academic advisors on both
campuses to improve student success.







PPAC End-of-Year Celebration

The *Pre-Professional Advising Center (PPAC)* held its annual end-of-year
celebration highlighting the excellent work of their wonderful Pre-Health
Student Ambassador and Staff Assistants. Throughout the academic year,
ambassadors work with students interested in a career in health in
answering their questions and provide guidance throughout their
undergraduate studies.



Staff assistants oversee the front desk handling tasks such as scheduling
appointments, managing PPAC social media accounts, and managing data
gathering. The PPAC office congratulates their wonderful students and wish
them many success in their next steps.







*UWP holds program retreat at UCLA Lake Arrowhead*

The University Writing Program (UWP) had its program retreat at UCLA Lake
Arrowhead Lodge from May 16-19. Fifty-five faculty and staff members
attended the retreat, which was entitled *“Brave Exchanges: Narrating
Resilience & Unearthing Revision.” *The retreat included conference-style
panels, presentations of best practices, lightning talks where instructors
shared pedagogical strategies, wellness activities, and a roundtable
discussion elucidating the UWP’s recent redevelopment of their pre-ELWR
(Entry-Level Writing Requirement) courses. Together, the faculty and staff
of the UWP celebrated their student-centered innovative work, including:

   - the Buscadores Program
   - the Writing Placement Process (WPP)
   - the Writing and Foster Youth Alliance (WAFYA)
   - the UWP Pedagogical Reading Group
   - the lecturer mentoring initiative
   - Seeds, a student anthology of writing

Working together, they also strategized about ways that they can
adapt courses to better serve the needs of students as they navigate new
technologies and societal discord with bravery and resiliency.





Inland Area Writing Project completes new Teacher Consultants

The *Inland Area Writing Project (IAWP)*, a grant-supported program in the
University Writing Program (UWP), *just completed a year-long professional
development cycle with a group of twelve Transitional Kindergarten to
college teachers*, focusing on teaching writing across grades levels and
subject areas. The newly minted IAWP "Teacher Consultants" are now prepared
to provide professional development workshops to other teachers of writing
in districts across the Inland Empire.





Excel+ helps students earn recognition for their career readiness skills

*EXCEL+ Career Readiness and Leadership Program* helps UCR students
translate their involvement in high-impact programs and extracurricular
activities into tangible skills that employers and graduate schools value
by earning National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) Competency
Badges in the areas of:

   - Career & Self-Development
   - Communication
   - Critical Thinking
   - Equity & Inclusion
   - Leadership Development
   - Professionalism
   - Teamwork
   - Technological Literacy

Larry Rodriguez in the CUREL Office leads the EXCEL+ Program. He welcomes
collaborating with campus offices interested in integrating EXCEL+ into
their programming. Larry partners closely with each unit to identify
competencies their students will develop and to support a smooth program
launch. If your department is interested in aligning your programs with
EXCEL+ or learning more about how students can benefit, please contact
Larry at larryrod at ucr.edu.





*UC Riverside's 2025 Army ROTC Comissioning Ceremony*


On Friday, June 13, UC Riverside's Army ROTC comissioned two graduating
cadets in front of the Belltower. Guest speakers included, Louie F.
Rodriguez, VPDUE; Lieutenant Colonel Turner; and Lan Quoc Nguyen, Esc.,
Trustee of Garden Grove Unified School District.





Political science student creates radio storytelling course

With 91.9 KVCR, it’s Allison Wang,” came the voice over the radio waves.

Wang’s voice emanated confidence as she announced the start of a segment on
the San Bernardino-based public radio station. But Wang isn’t a
professional radio journalist. *She’s a KVCR intern, a UCR student, and,
for the past two quarters, a teacher*.

Wang, a fourth-year honors student majoring in political science with a
minor in public policy, recently developed the R’Course “POSC 190: Local
Public Radio Storytelling with 91.9 KVCR News.” UCR’s R’Course program
enables undergraduates to create unique one-unit classes and teach them to
their peers under faculty supervision.

Read full story
<https://click.mailchimp.com/track/click/30010842/news.ucr.edu?p=eyJzIjoib01oNk5wTjNmdG8yMEJSb0pDTU5ELXBQcDQwIiwidiI6MiwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDAxMDg0MixcInZcIjoyLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL25ld3MudWNyLmVkdVxcXC9hcnRpY2xlc1xcXC8yMDI1XFxcLzA2XFxcLzAyXFxcL3BvbGl0aWNhbC1zY2llbmNlLXN0dWRlbnQtY3JlYXRlcy1yYWRpby1zdG9yeXRlbGxpbmctY291cnNlXCIsXCJpZFwiOlwiY2Q2ODc5Y2I1N2Q2NGE3Y2I5ZTU5YWEwNzk3ZmUyZDRcIixcInVybF9pZHNcIjpbXCI0NzA4NWUwYjc3ZDY0NzY4MjM5NmE2NmRhZGQ1ODE1ZmEwODJhZTljXCJdLFwibXNnX3RzXCI6MTc1MDg4MDY0N30ifQ>





*2025 Undergraduate Research Journal Unveiled*


CUREL unveiled the *19th Edition of the UCR Undergraduate Research Journal*
on June 6, 2025. 17 articles by 20 different undergraduate authors were
published in this year’s edition, almost double the number of articles
published last year! This year featured research articles in a wide range
of fields including history, entomology, psychology, and French literature.

The Unveiling featured VPDUE Louie Rodriguez; the new Chair of the
Journal’s Faculty Advisory Board, Dr. William Grover (Bioengineering); the
staff Coordinator of the Journal, Jennifer Kavetsky, and the Journal’s
Student Editorial Board Leadership Team, Sreenidhi Surineni (Neuroscience),
Nandini Mannem (Neuroscience), and Trusha Bhagwat (CMDB).

In total, 29 articles were submitted this year. Each article undergoes a
double-blind peer review process conducted by a team of student editors
under the supervision of a member of the Faculty Advisory Board. Articles
often undergo multiple rounds of revisions, and the process provides
students, reviewers, and authors with an opportunity to experience the
academic peer-review process firsthand.

Read 19th edition
<https://click.mailchimp.com/track/click/30010842/engage.ucr.edu?p=eyJzIjoiVXp5dDJ4b1ZRRlljMTdIXzJ2b3JtUVNxSEZZIiwidiI6MiwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDAxMDg0MixcInZcIjoyLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2VuZ2FnZS51Y3IuZWR1XFxcL3Jlc2VhcmNoXFxcL2pvdXJuYWxcIixcImlkXCI6XCJjZDY4NzljYjU3ZDY0YTdjYjllNTlhYTA3OTdmZTJkNFwiLFwidXJsX2lkc1wiOltcImViNGNiZDliNDY5MzdhYTZhMWJjYjcwMDhmYmZkYjU1ZWY0NTgzMzZcIl0sXCJtc2dfdHNcIjoxNzUwODgwNjQ3fSJ9>


Articles will be uploaded to eScholarship later this summer where they will
be accessible to scholars from around the world!





2025 CRF Spring Reception

The 24-25 Chancellor’s Research Fellowship (CRF) concluded with its CRF
Spring Reception, where they celebrated the accomplishments of past,
present, and future CRFs. Since the program’s inception, *157 CRF alumni
have gone on to pursue careers as doctors, scientists, professors,
policymakers, and even the mayor of Burbank.* Their career trajectories are
a testament to the enduring power of undergraduate research and the
community of mentorship at UCR.

The CRF is proud to be part of their journey. As the 24/25 CRFs pursue
their post-graduation opportunities, we wish them continued success and
fulfillment. We are excited to follow their career journeys and are
confident they will continue to make us proud. The 25/26 cohort is stepping
into big shoes. We know they will rise to the challenge and will continue
to amaze and make us proud.

The growth and success of the CRF would not be possible without *the
unwavering leadership of Chancellor Kim Wilcox, who has helped make UC
Riverside #1 in social mobility*. Since arriving on campus, he and his
wife, Diane Del Buono, have personally supported the expansion of the
program from 12 to 14 fellowships, demonstrating their deep commitment to
student opportunity and excellence. They have gone above and beyond in
connecting with fellows not only through generous institutional support but
also through their personal time and care. Whether at fall lunches or
spring dinners, their conversations with students have left a lasting
impression. Many of our fellows speak fondly of how welcome and heard they
felt in their presence. Their kindness and mentorship are treasured parts
of the CRF experience.

End-of-year CRF Newsletter
<https://click.mailchimp.com/track/click/30010842/www.canva.com?p=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>





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2024-2025 CRF Fellows say goodbye to Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox



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