March 24, 2026

A hummingbird hovers before feeding on campus aloe flowers. (Photo by Steve Zylius / UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

Spotlight OC

UC Irvine has launched Spotlight OC, a program that gives Orange County residents insider access to the people and places shaping the region. The Spotlight is led by faculty and subject-matter experts, and it features three-hour event guided tours with firsthand demonstrations and facilitated conversations. The Saturday experiences take place four times a year and begin on April 18, with additional dates to be announced. “Spotlight OC reflects the power of public education and community engagement coming together,” said Kristine Collins, dean of continuing education. “UC Irvine’s Division of Continuing Education is proud to connect residents with cultural experiences that are memorable, educational, and accessible across a region of remarkable depth and diversity.”

Alumni Through the Decades: 1980s

The 1980s marked a period when UC Irvine’s graduate programs were establishing their reputation for academic excellence. Kent Baldner ‘85 (Ph.D. philosophy) earned his doctorate from UC Irvine and subsequently navigated a tight academic job market before landing a tenure-track position at Western Michigan University, where he taught in the philosophy department for three decades.

Southern California's hub for future leaders

In this video, get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Paul Merage School of Business – walk through the vibrant campus, explore facilities and spotlight what makes Merage a top choice for future business leaders in a digitally driven world.

UC NEWS

Apply to be the 2026–27 UC staff advisor designate to the UC Regents

(Matt Hanson, director of new ventures at UC Irvine’s Beall Applied Innovation, has served as the 2025/2026 staff advisor-designate to the UC Regents.)

All UC staff are encouraged to apply for the 2026–27 staff advisor to the Regents designate role. By bringing the staff perspective to matters coming before the Regents, the staff advisors place a face and a voice on a talented workforce dedicated to the continued success of the University of California. The application deadline is April 8.

#IamUCI

From Project Expo to CTO

When alumnus Christopher Tapia ’25 was a first-generation informatics student at the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, he joined a capstone project as part of ICS Project Expo, a rite of passage for many ICS students. He could not have imagined it would reignite his passion for computer programming, align with his martial arts training and result in a new career as a co-founder and chief technology officer of startup RollTrackApp.

#UCIconnected spotlights interesting updates from the UC Irvine community. #IamUCI spotlights profiles of students, faculty, staff and alumni. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected or #IamUCI hashtags.

UC IRVINE NEWSMAKERS

Note: Some news sites require subscriptions to read articles. UC Irvine Libraries offers free subscriptions to The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Orange County Register and The Washington Post for students, faculty and staff.