Highlander Highlights UCR Alumni Association May 2003 UCR Home Page Update Your Information Calendar Free Lifetime e:mail Contact Us

In this issue:
The Press Room
Meeting the Financial Challenges
New UCRAA Membership Benefits
Lifelong Learning Opportunity
What Are Your Classmates Up To?
Did You Know?

The Press Room
UC Riverside Announces Appointment of William Jury as Acting Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
University of California Riverside Chancellor France A. Córdova, today, May 21, announced the appointment of Dr. William Jury, Distinguished Professor of Soil Physics, to the position of Acting Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost beginning July 1. 

"We are fortunate to have a person of Bill's stature, expertise, and drive for excellence serving in this significant role," said Córdova. Jury will fill the post being vacated by David H. Warren, who in March announced his intention to step down after nine years serving as executive vice chancellor. Read the full story.

UC Riverside Kicks Off NCAA Certification Drive 
Chancellor France A. Córdova announced that the University of California, Riverside has begun a year-long, campus-wide effort to study its athletics program as part of the NCAA Division I certification program. Specific areas the study will cover are academic and fiscal integrity, governance, rules compliance, as well as commitment to equity, student-athlete welfare and sportsmanship.  Read the full story.

UC Riverside Engineering Students Ride "Victory" to Top Ten Ranking
While you may not see this model in a showroom any time soon, 'Victory,' the 68 pound, $1,200 single-rider vehicle designed and fabricated by the UCR Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), provided an inspirational experience for its designers. 

At the West Coast competition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Challenge held in Davis, Calif., in April 2003, the UC Riverside team - 'Team UCR' - entered Victory in the competition and ranked 8th in the final standings. This year, 23 teams participated in the event with 29 vehicles in total. Read the full story.

Ancestral Language Revitalization Efforts Complete Successful First Year
Scholars at the University of California, Riverside and cultural leaders of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians are celebrating the completion of the first year of an ambitious effort to teach tribal members their ancestral language. The work is paying off. 

Last week, Native Americans from Northern California visited UC Riverside to observe the Takic Language Revitalization Project in action at the Pechanga Tribal Headquarters near Temecula. They watched children learn Luiseño, one of approximately 100 tribal languages native to California. Fully half of those languages are now nearly extinct. Read the full story.

UC Riverside's Department of Biology Receives $953,000 GAANN Grant
UC Riverside biologists Rich Cardullo and Kim Hammond have received a $953,000 'Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need' (GAANN) grant from the Department of Education for three years beginning this fall. This is the second time the department of biology at UC Riverside has received the grant. While Cardullo and Hammond are the PI (principle investigator) and Co-PI, respectively, the department of biology and graduate students in the programs of biology, cell molecular and developmental biology, and genetics will receive the benefits of the grant. 

"We are delighted to receive the grant again," said Hammond, associate professor of biology. "It will support about 30 graduate students. The students will participate in two quarters of a seminar on current and controversial topics and issues in biology. Thanks to this grant, they will be given time off their teaching responsibilities as teaching assistants in order to help them focus more on their research. In addition, they will have the opportunity to participate in outreach to local K-12 schools."  Read the full story.

UC Riverside Scientists Modify Existing Chemical Scrubber to Environmentally Friendly, All-Natural Filter
Scientists at UC Riverside have pushed the current limit of a technique for biologically removing hydrogen sulfide from sewage emissions a step further. Marc Deshusses, associate professor in the department of chemical and environmental engineering, and his postdoctoral researcher, David Gabriel, report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that they have modified an existing full-scale chemical scrubber at the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD), California, to a biological trickling filter.  Read the full story.

Meeting The Financial Challenges
Alumni support is critical to the success of UCR's students. As the cost of tuition increases, alumni contributions play an important role in helping our students succeed. Forty-three percent of UCR students come from families with an annual household income of less than $30,000/year. Help us provide an opportunity to bring the best and brightest students to UCR by supporting the UCR Alumni Association Scholarship Program. For your convenience, contributions can be made online at http://development.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/online/donation.cgi. Simply complete the gift form and type in UCR Alumni Association Scholarship Program in the "other" field in the "Designate This Gift To" section. Donations can also be sent directly to the UCR Alumni Association. The Alumni Association has dispersed over $1.1 million to UCR students since its scholarship program began in 1976. See how current UC students are meeting the financial challenges of college. 

New UCRAA Membership Benefits
Are You or Someone You Know Paying Off a Student Loan?
Recently, the variable interest rate on Stafford Loans plummeted. Consumers can now consolidate and lock in a fixed rate as low as 3.5%. With qualifying loans, you can reduce your monthly payments and guaranty a fixed rate lower than the capped rate of 8.5%. 

After a review of major providers of student loan consolidation services, the UCR Alumni Association entered into an agreement with Nelnet Inc. (National Education Loan Network), a respected leader in the student loan consolidation field. With over 20 years experience, Nelnet Inc. services their loans in-house and offers discounts, plus they have a lower threshold for loans ($7,500 minimum) than do most other student loan consolidators. For more information call 1-866-4CONSOL (426-6765) or visit the Nelnet Inc. Web site at www.alumniconsolidation.nelnet.net.

Visit the New Shark Lagoon at the Aquarium of the Pacific at a Discount! 
New UCRAA Membership Benefit! Just in time for summer fun and adventures, the UCR Alumni Association has added a new membership benefit: discounts at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA, including the new Shark Lagoon attraction!

The discount entitles members to 10% off each adult, child and senior admission - up to 4 people per coupon. Plus, members get 10% off of their Club Scuba and Bamboo Bistro food purchase and 10% off purchases in the Pacific Collections and the Shark Shack gift stores. (Some restrictions apply.) Contact the UCRAA office at (909) 787-4511 or (800) 426-ALUM to request your discount coupon. For more information visit www.alumni.ucr.edu.

Lifelong Learning Opportunity
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
The UC Riverside Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) launched its inaugural quarter of classes in the spring 2003. More than 80 active persons age 50 and above took university-like non-credit courses in Riverside, Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert. Members paid $100 for the quarter, which entitled them to take their choice of free classes covering topics such as "Native American Culture and Religion," "The American Presidency: History, Scandals, Power Theories and More," "Plants and Human Affairs," and "Contemporary Perspectives in Psychology." The classes were taught by UCR professors, other university and college professors, and experts in the various fields. The summer quarter begins June 16. Please call OLLI Program Director Toni Lawrence at (909) 827-7139 for more information or click here for more information.

What Are Your Classmates Up To?
Are you looking for a fellow alum?  A sweetheart from years back?  Are you seeking opportunities to network with other alumni?  Visit your Online Community today and update your own information or begin the search!  We also offer permanent email to all alumni who have registered in the Online Community, as well as an opportunity to post your resume, look for a job, and browse related career sites.  

Did You Know?
UCR's Libraries: A Premiere Information Source
UCR's Library is the campus' focal point for research and study. Its collections include 2,081,146 volumes, 12,444 serial publications and 1,672,042 microforms housed in four facilities: the Tomás Rivera Library, including Special Collections, home to the famed Eaton Collection, the world's largest catalogued collection of science fiction and fantasy magazines, the Science Library, the Music Library and the Media Library.   For more information, read the Spring edition of the Fiat Lux online, highlighting UCR's libraries.