The University of California, Riverside (UCR) is located adjacent to Interstate 215, right off University Drive exit. It is the smallest campus in terms of acreage (1,200), and well-known by many as the UC of last resort and for having the ugliest campus in the whole system. Although by no means a bad school, UCR's reputation does carry some weight, especially in taking nearly everyone, and having an average SAT I score of about 980-1160. They also seem to be taking a pro-active stance on getting people to go, even taking a 1/2 page ad in my school newspaper.
The origins of UCR date back to 1907 when the state authorized the creation of the Citrus Experiment Station for work on the agricultural problems of Southern California. By 1954, a College of Letters and Science had been established and in 1959, the Regents declared UCR a general campus with necessary funds to create appropriate areas of study. Riverside continues to be a world-renown research center in arigculture, developing pesticides, more pest-resliant food, etc.
Interestingly, UCR's mascot is the Highlander which is a bear, in Scottish apparel and is the last UC to take on a bear-related mascot. The name was derived from the fact that UCR is the campus with the highest elevation in the system, and was chosen in the 1950s in a student-wide election. As a sidenote, a less politically correct name on the ballot was the Arabs.
Provosts/Chancellors of the University of California, Riverside
- Gordon S. Watkins, Provost 1949-1956
- Herman Spieth, Provost 1956-1958/Chancellor 1958-1964
- Ivan Hinderaker, Chancellor 1964-1979
- Tomás Rivera, Chancellor 1979-1984
- Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr., Acting Chancellor 1984-1985
- Theodore L. Hullar, Chancellor 1985-1987
- Rosemary S.J. Schraer, Chancellor 1987-1992
- Raymond L. Orbach, Chancellor 1992-2002
- France A. Córdova, Chancellor 2002-Present