May 28, 2026

Anteater Time Machine: Commencement ceremony in Aldrich Park to accommodate rapidly expanding graduating classes, circa 1966. (Photo courtesy of UC Irvine Libraries Archives)

UC IRVINE NEWS

Center for Nursing Philosophy

The Center for Nursing Philosophy, founded in 2019 by Miriam Bender, professor of nursing (above), brings together nurses, scholars and students to examine the questions beneath everyday practice – not about the mechanics of care but about what makes for “good” care. “Philosophy helps us interrogate the assumptions behind practice,” said Bender, who directs the center. “To move nursing forward in meaningful and lasting ways, we have to examine how we define it – and how those definitions shape what we do and determine what nursing is meant to accomplish.”

New vice provost for graduate education and dean of Graduate Division

Let’s give a big Zot! Zot! Zot! to Peter Biehl, who will be joining UC Irvine as the new vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate Division, coming here from UC Santa Cruz. “I am excited to join the UC Irvine community, and I’m looking forward to working with the accomplished students, postdocs, faculty and staff,” said Biehl. “UC Irvine graduate education has a strong foundation, and I am thrilled to contribute to further innovation in research, creativity and discovery and to further our public impact in the community, nation and world.”

Beyond the uniform

Before starting his collegiate career, Jake Troxell served in the U.S. Navy as a logistics specialist for five years. During his service, he spent 11 months at sea across two deployments, lived in the Middle East for a year on forward deployment and was stationed at two additional locations in the U.S. His remarkable path to collegiate athletics has shaped not only his perspective and leadership abilities, but also the way that he competes.

Award to support antimicrobial-resistant bacteria research

Matthew Griffin, assistant professor of chemistry, has received a 2026 Early Career Faculty Research Excellence Award from the University of California Office of the President. The award advances the university’s commitment to supporting the scholarship of early career faculty across the UC system. Each recipient receives a one-time $50,000 allocation to support a proposed research plan and related activities. The funding will support research in the Griffin Lab focused on how microorganisms that live in and on the human body build and break down a mesh-like polymer that forms an exoskeleton around bacterial cells.

UC NEWS

May UC Spotlight: Meet the staff who inspired us this month

The May monthly UC Spotlight celebrates the UC locations, teams and individual staff members who are helping to make UC a great place to work. This issue highlights three UC Irvine achievements:

• The UCI-OC Alliance, a university-driven community organization facilitated by the Office of Educational and Community Partnerships to advance UC Irvine as a Latino-thriving institution, celebrated its fifth anniversary.

• The UCI Health – Irvine was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the nation’s top places to work in healthcare for 2026.

• Ryan Cherland, associate vice provost of institutional research and decision support, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award by the Association of American Universities Data Exchange for his sustained, impactful contributions to the AAUDE community and advancement of data sharing, collaboration and best practices among major research universities.

SAVE THE DATE

The UCI Chamber Singers invite the community to an evening of powerful storytelling through song.

UCI Chamber Singers Choral Concert

May 29, 8 p.m. (sponsored by Claire Trevor School of the Arts)

UCI Wind Ensemble

June 1, 8 p.m. (sponsored by Claire Trevor School of the Arts)

Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series

June 2, 7 p.m. (sponsored by School of Medicine)

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Exhibition

June 4, 6 p.m. and multiple subsequent dates (sponsored by Claire Trevor School of the Arts)

For more events, visit UC Irvine Today.

#IamUCI

Creating her own fairytale

On any given week, senior Emory Slane might step into a fairytale at Disneyland as a performer, then head back to campus to tackle econometrics. The business economics major and drama minor has created a college experience that combines performance and analysis – and found a way to carry them forward into a career after she graduates in June. “When I visited the campus, it just felt so right,” she says. “One thing that stood out to me was how many options there are at UC Irvine, and how many people double major or take a minor. I knew I could definitely find my place here. In the last four years, this campus has helped me grow into a version of myself that I’m very proud of.”

#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.

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