UC Riverside Academic Senate

May 8, 2019

Dear Senate Colleagues,

In response to input from faculty across the campus, i am pleased to announce that the Special Theme for the Senate’s Spring 2019 Division Meeting (Genomics Auditorium, Tuesday, May 21, 1:10 pm-3:00 pm) will be:

As our campus undertakes a new strategic planning process and the Academic Senate initiates a potentially transformative review of its general education curriculum, it is an urgent time to raise questions about UCR’s identity as a “tier one” public research institution. How will we fulfill our mission to train new generations of researchers and academic colleagues in the coming years? How can UCR’s Ph.D. programs grow and sustain capacity, scholarly distinction, and top-tier quality under challenging and materially restrictive institutional circumstances? How will UCR attract, retain, materially sustain, and intellectually nourish its faculty in a manner that resonates the University of California research mission?

I am privileged to welcome a group of colleagues who will address these and other critical questions at the Spring Division Meeting:

• Anthony Jerry, Principal Investigator of Blackness Unbound: Critical Black Diaspora Studies Working Group (Assistant Professor, Anthropology)
• Imani Kai Johnson, (Assistant Professor, Critical Dance Studies)
• Hyle Park, Vice Chair of Graduate Council and Division Representative to CCGA (Associate Professor, Bioengineering)
• Shawn Ragan, President of Graduate Student Association (Ph.D. student, History)
• Jason E Stajich, Chair of Graduate Council (Professor, Microbiology and Plant Pathology)
• Sandra Turner, (Assistant Professor, Paleoclimate/Paleoceanography, Earth Sciences)

I encourage all departments to send at least one faculty member to this Division Meeting to engage in this vital discussion. See you there.

peace
Dylan