Impacts
UCR's Imprint on California
From its economic impact to its role in the community to the influence it casts on the future, UC Riverside has a significant positive impact on California that extends far beyond campus.
Economic Impact
UC Riverside is Inland Southern California's only public research university. Its economic contribution to the state of California is about $1 billion through research, teaching and community involvement, for which:
- More than 70 percent is direct and indirect activity benefiting Inland Southern California.
- Each dollar spent on UCR has a six-fold return.
- Spending by UCR, its students, visitors and retirees generates more than 11,000 full-time jobs statewide.
- UCR is the second-largest employer in the City of Riverside and fifth-largest in the region.
- Between 1999 and 2008, UCR will have invested more than $730 million in construction activities.
Innovation Building a Better Tomorrow
- The Bourns College of Engineering — Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) leads a broad program of research and technology development on the relationship between transportation and air quality.
- The Institute for Integrative Genome Biology capitalizes on the genetics revolution to improve human health, develop sustainable agriculture and help clean the environment.
- The Center for Nanoscale Science & Engineering focuses on technologies and applications at the nanoscale, which are expected to lead to advances in electronics, computing and medicine, and other fields.
- The Sloan Center for Internet Retailing applies research promoting best practices to boost the effectiveness of online retailing. The center prepares the next generation of managers for the online retailing environment.
- Riverside-based scientists working in the Citrus Variety Collection have developed more than 40 new citrus varieties, helping growers to fight pests and diseases and remain competitive in the $1.2 billion-a-year California citrus industry.
- About 900 different citrus types are represented in the Citrus Variety Collection, making it one of the world's premier resources.
- The University Research Park is a partnership between UCR and the City and County of Riverside to create a campus for new-technology businesses. It houses companies such as Pacific Fuel Cell, Ambryx Biotechnology and Qmotions.
Using cutting-edge technologies, UCR engineers help lead high-emissions industries towards a cleaner tomorrow.
Researchers at UCR aid the medical industry by continuously working to expand knowledge in the field of biotechnology.
A wide variety of citrus is collected and cultivated by the UCR citrus experiment station.
UCR Rising to the Future
- The UCR School of Medicine, expected to open in 2012, will help Inland Southern California face a projected 53-percent shortage of physicians by 2015.
- The UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center provides residents of the Coachella Valley a source for graduate education and is a catalyst for the region's economic diversification in the fastest growing area in the Inland Southern California region.
- With over 2,000 teaching and administrative credentials granted since 1991, The Graduate School of Education coordinates projects that build interest and confidence in the teaching profession and that strengthen instruction at community colleges.
UCR in the Community
- In keeping with its mission of research, teaching and service, the UCR ARTSblock houses a trio of facilities to spark a flourishing downtown Riverside arts and culture scene:
- The UCR/California Museum of Photography
- The Sweeney Art Gallery
- The future home of The Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts that will host a variety of cultural and arts events
- UC Riverside is the only Inland Southern California institute of higher education to compete at the highest level of competition, NCAA Division I. The Highlanders compete in 17 sports and are proud members of the Big West Conference.
- Established in 1963 and open to the public, the UCR Botanic Gardens is an outdoor living plant museum that covers 40 acres on the east side of campus.
Serving the Public
- UCR fulfills its land-grant mission, in part, through Cooperative Extension, which dedicates University of California research to the state's $32 billion agricultural industry and to the improvement of environmental quality.
- In partnership with the Riverside Unified School District and the City of Riverside, the University Eastside Community Collaborative/AmeriCorps project has been providing tutoring and extra-curricular activities to economically disadvantaged youth since 1995.
- The Gluck Fellows Program of the Arts brings arts-related presentations, performances and workshops to local schools, elder care facilities and community centers.
- More than 27,000 students enroll annually in University Extension, UCR's continuing education branch.
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