Sept. 23, 2025

Peter the Anteater gets incoming students pumped up at the 2025 convocation. Scroll to see photos from Monday’s Anteater Involvement Fair. (Photo by Steve Zylius / UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

Chancellor Howard Gillman’s welcome message

Chancellor Howard Gillman welcomed the incoming class of 2029 and transfer students at yesterday's convocation with a message reminding the campus community of our Anteater virtues. These virtues “identify the key intellectual character traits” that must be cultivated to be part of a scholarly community, “traits such as curiosity, integrity, intellectual humility and intellectual tenacity.” “In a world where too many people seek out that which divides us, let us remain united in our noble common purpose, and let us go that extra mile to deepen our understanding of each other, to build bridges, to talk rather than yell, to debate rather than fight, to love rather than hate, to protect rather than exploit,” said Gillman. “Let us model for the world how a diverse community can live and work together in peace, without fear of violence or intimidation, even when we do not always agree.”

U.S. News & World Report’s best colleges

According to the 2025-26 Best Colleges rankings from the U.S. News & World Report, UC Irvine ranked 32nd among all U.S. universities – its highest placement ever. The campus is also rated ninth among the nation’s public universities, making it an impressive 11 consecutive years in which UC Irvine has placed in the top 10.

New doctoral program

Communities across the nation are grappling with profound and enduring health challenges rooted in social, structural and behavioral factors. To prepare the next generation of researchers to address these challenges, UC Irvine’s Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health has announced the launch of a Ph.D. program in health, society and behavior for fall 2026. “This program is designed for students who want to do more than study health inequities – they want to solve them,” said Dylan Roby, chair and professor of health, society and behavior. “Our graduates will leave UC Irvine equipped to design and evaluate interventions, shape policy and drive systemic change in public health.”

UC NEWS

Foods you couldn’t live without

When you think of UC, you may think of higher education or research, but you should also think of the grocery store. It might surprise people to learn that many of the foods they eat every day were developed by the University of California, like many of the strawberries, almonds and avocados you eat and the grapes you drink in your favorite wines. Across university farms, labs and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources locations, and in partnership with growers and ranchers around the state, research from the University of California is at the root of the state and nation’s abundance.

#IamUCI

NCAA and Olympic dreams

From the beaches of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to the track at UC Irvine, Angel Cordero's journey reads like a modern-day hero's tale – one where Star Wars marathons became English lessons, a global pandemic couldn't derail dreams, and a teenager who barely spoke English five years ago now races toward NCAA and Olympic glory. As a men’s cross country/track & field team member, Cordero was named the 2025 Big West Men’s Track & Field Freshman of the Year last June. Now entering his sophomore year, the sky’s the limit to his potential.

Anteater Involvement Fair

(Photos by Steve Zylius/UC Irvine)

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