Sept. 17, 2024

UC IRVINE NEWS

Latinx Resource Center marks fifth anniversary

On Sept. 5, more than 100 campus and community supporters joined the fiesta celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Latinx Resource Center. One of the only such centers in the U.S., the LRC, which is located in the RISE Suite in the Student Center and operates under the direction of adelí durón, recently received an Excelencia in Education Program to Watch recognition as one of 12 programs in eight states that make a positive impact on Latino student success. As she prepares for another academic year, durón answered questions about the center’s mission and future aspirations.

Reflecting on Constitution Day

Constitution Day commemorates the moment in 1789 that the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document that established our democracy. Each year, a different scholar reflects on the significance of this document and its importance to both America’s democratic journey and to UC Irvine’s academic mission. This year, Duncan Pritchard, a Distinguished Professor of philosophy, addresses Constitution Day’s particular relevance to the Year of Scholarly Values. “We come together with others—especially those with whom we disagree—to generate, and then transmit, new knowledge and understanding,” writes Pritchard. “We do so in an open spirit of honest engagement with each other. We individually prosper as scholars by being part of, and contributing to, a collaborative culture animated by scholarly values and virtues. As UC Irvine’s motto demonstrates, our role in the world is to cast light upon it.”

“Red County, Blue County” podcast airs sixth and final episode

The sixth and final episode of the UC Irvine School of Social Ecology podcast, “Red County, Blue County, Orange County,” hosted by the school’s senior fellow Mike Madrid, delves into how Orange County has changed over the decades and where it’s heading. In this series, Madrid, a veteran political consultant and a cofounder of The Lincoln Project, interviews Democratic State Senator Tom Umberg, Republican Huntington Beach City Councilman Tony Strickland, Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano, Nguoi Viet TV host Christina Bich-Tram Le, former Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times political reporter Jean Pasco, political consultant Stuart Spencer and School of Social Ecology Dean Jon Gould. The podcast’s guests talk about Orange County’s future and how it is a microcosm of political change happening in the rest of the country.

UC NEWS

UC’s STEM program receives National Science Foundation funding

The National Science Foundation has awarded $2.5 million to the University of California for a program that is proving effective in diversifying the ranks of students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math fields. The California Alliance for Minority Participation has worked across UC’s nine undergraduate campuses since 1991 to increase participation in STEM fields among undergraduate groups that have been historically underrepresented. The goal is to diversify the pipeline of students entering graduate school and the professoriate in those highly sought fields. “More students earn advanced degrees at UC than at any other university in California, putting us in a prime position to help ensure that graduate students and faculty better reflect the diversity of our state,” said Yvette Gullatt, UC’s vice president for graduate and undergraduate affairs and the vice provost for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. “We are honored and grateful that the National Science Foundation recognizes the impact that UC’s CAMP program is having on that important goal.” Pheather Harris is the CAMP director at UC Irvine and co-primary investigator on the NSF grant.

#UCIconnected

School of Law appoints new Board of Visitors chair

John C. Hueston, founding partner of Hueston Hennigan LLP, is the new chair of the School of Law’s Board of Visitors. The board is an advisory committee of legal, business and community members who advise the dean on strategic planning, support the school’s fundraising efforts and promote the school’s programs, students and leadership in local, national and global communities. “It’s an honor to be appointed to serve as Chair of the UC Irvine School of Law Board of Visitors,” Hueston said. “I look forward to working with the Board to continue to play my small part in the school’s future.”

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