PDF - The Magazine of UC Riverside

WINTER 2013 VOL.8 NO. 1
THE MAGAZINE OF UC RIVERSIDE
A New Kind of Doctor
The School of Medicine is set to be the
training ground to increase desperately
needed medical care in the region
Page 8
Scientist Natasha Raikhel is
Living the American Dream
Page 18
UCR WinterIP
2013
AD! | 1
NOW
AVAI
ON
LABLE
THE
INTERIM CHANCELLOR
Jane Close Conoley
VICE CHANCELLOR, ADVANCEMENT
Peter Hayashida
PUBLISHER
James Grant
EDITOR
Lilledeshan Bose
WRITERS
Kathy Barton
Frances Fernandes
Ross French
Litty Mathew
Phil Pitchford
Iqbal Pittalwala
SENIOR DESIGNER
Brad Rowe
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Luis Sanz
CONTRIBUTORS
Kris Lovekin
Tom Lutz
Bettye Miller
Olivia Rivera
Kristin Seiler
E D I T O R I A L A S S I S TA N T
Konrad Nagy
I L L U S T R AT I O N S
Colin Hayes
Skip Sterling
Mike Tofanelli
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Lonnie Duka
Michael Elderman
Jinyoung Ko
Carlos Puma
Peter Phun
Carrie Rosema
DISTRIBUTION
Virginia Odien
UCR Magazine is published by the Office of Strategic Communications, University
of California, Riverside, and it is distributed free to the University community.
Editorial offices: 900 University Ave., 1156 Hinderaker Hall, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, telephone (951) 827-6397. Unless otherwise
indicated, text may be reprinted without permission. Please credit University of
California, Riverside.
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the University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521-0155.
Periodicals postage rates paid at Riverside, CA.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to UCR, Subscription Services (0063),
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In accordance with applicable federal laws and University policy, the University of
California does not discriminate in any of its policies, procedures or practices on
the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or handicap.
Inquiries regarding the University’s equal opportunity policies may be directed to
the Affirmative Action Office, (951) 827-5604.
Questions? Concerns? Comments? Change of address?
Contact Kris Lovekin at kris.lovekin@ucr.edu
WINTER 2013 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 1
COVER STORY
THE MAGAZINE OF UC RIVERSIDE
08
Physicians
of the Future
The new School of
Medicine is looking for a
different kind of student
for an underserved
Inland region. With
locally based, culturally
competent doctors, UCR
could be health care’s
F E AT U R E S
gamechanger.
18
22
24
From Mind to Market
Growing the Promise
Live From the Barn!
A Legacy of Hope
03 | R View
26 | Page Turners
29 | Dance Dance
Revolution
Professor Natasha Raikhel, who
holds the Ernst and Helen
Leibacher Endowed Chair in
Plant Molecular, Cell Biology &
Genetics, talks about her
American dream
DEPARTMENTS
20
A message from Interim
Chancellor Jane Close Conoley
04 | R Space
Catch up on the latest
news at UC Riverside
The campus’ oldest music
venue has housed horses, Pete
Seeger, No Doubt, and Saul
Williams — but not Bob Dylan
28 | How I See It
UCR students share
their aha moments at
the university
How former Chancellor Timothy
P. White became one of UCR’s
most beloved leaders in just
four years
The organizers of the
Guardian Scholars’
fundraiser the Dance
Marathon talk about how
the event changed their
lives
Our new feature traces the LA
Review of Books’ path from
idea to reality, as told by its
editor in chief, creative writing
Professor Tom Lutz
30 | Alumni
Connection
31 | Class Acts
36 | C Scape
Filmmaker Carol Park
documents her experience
growing up KoreanAmerican in Los Angeles
Do you know amazing UCR alumni? Nominate them for the 2013 Alumni Awards of Distinction!
The UCR Alumni Association honors graduates who personify the University’s tradition of excellence and service, and bring distinction to UCR. There are three
categories: Distinguished Alumnus Award, based on significant contribution to humankind; Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, for graduates under 35 who
show significant promise; and the Alumni Service Award, which honors superior service in the public sector. (Don’t be shy — if you’re a rising star, you can
also nominate yourself!) The deadline for submissions is March 15. For more information and to submit a nomination, go to www.alumni.ucr.edu/awards.
UCR Winter 2013 | 1
EVENTS
HAPPENINGS
www.theatre.ucr.edu
“The Tempest,” a Play by
William Shakespeare
2.28-3.9
UCR students perform Shakespeare’s play about Prospero, who uses magic
to raise a storm at sea, bringing within his grasp the enemies who robbed
him of his dukedom.
www.music.ucr.edu
UCR Taiko Ensemble:
Japanese Drumming
Members of the UCR taiko class perform a spirited, 30-minute outdoor
demonstration of Japanese drumming.
3.5; 5.28
www.gardens.ucr.edu
UCR Botanic Gardens’
39th Annual Spring Plant Sale
4.6-4.7
eatonconference.ucr.edu
2013 Eaton Science Fiction Conference:
“Science Fiction in Media”
4.11-4.13
www.ucriversidepresents.ucr.edu
Josh Kornbluth:
The Mathematics of Change
4.21
Inland Southern California’s biggest plant sale event includes colorful
landscape trees and shrubs, citrus trees, cacti and succulents, miniature
roses, orchids and much more.
This year, the celebrated science fiction conference will take place off-campus
at the Riverside Marriott Hotel. Author Ursula K. Le Guin, producer and
special effects creator Ray Harryhausen, and Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee
will receive their lifetime achievement awards.
A free comic monologue that recounts Kornbluth’s uproarious experiences
as a Princeton University would-be math whiz who discovers his limits in
freshman calculus.
www.theatre.ucr.edu
New Play Festival by
UCR M.F.A. Playwrights
Students in the UCR M.F.A. Playwriting Program present a festival of their
work, with different pieces performed in rotating repertory.
5.9-5.18
www.diversity.ucr.edu
Veterans, Military Members and
Families Group Luncheon
5.10
www.memorial.ucr.edu
Campus Memorial
5.24
www.theatre.ucr.edu
Playworks by
UCR Undergraduate Playwrights
5.29-5.31
www.commencement.ucr.edu
Commencement 2013
6.14-6.17
2 | UCR Winter 2013
This luncheon provides an opportunity for veterans, members of the
military, and members of military families within the UCR campus
community to connect and network. Refreshments will be provided.
The Campus Memorial is held to remember and celebrate the lives of those
members of the UCR community who have passed away since May 2011.
This premiere production explores issues and textures of contemporary life
by the best UCR student playwrights and is directed by Erith Jaffe-Berg. A
different slate of work is scheduled for each performance.
UC Riverside holds seven commencement ceremonies June 14 though 17 on
For more on UCR events, visit www.ucr.edu/happenings
Pierce Hall lawn, near the campus bell tower. More than 3,000 students are
expected to make their way across the stage during the four days of the 59th
annual event.
VIEW
R
Looking
Forward to
Great Things
What a thrill it is for me to write as your new interim
chancellor. While following Chancellor Tim White is a daunting
social, economic, health, infrastructure, educational, and civic
developments in our country for the last 150 years.
task, I’m sure you know that he’s left UCR in great shape. The
whole UCR community (of which each of you is a vital part) is
on a wonderful path toward student success and distinction in
national and international research.
The campus has an energy and commitment to do whatever it
takes, inspiring me to jump in and support this journey to better
student outcomes, to foster more cutting-edge research across all
disciplines, and to earn more international recognition. I want
people to see that UCR is a place that is locally responsive while
helping to solve global challenges related to health disparities,
energy and sustainability, human development, and economic
progress. Thank you, Tim!
From a more personal perspective, I was, like so many of you,
part of the first generation in my family to attend college, along
with my oldest brother, a cousin and twin sister. My brother
became a physicist and eventually a professor at the Coast Guard
Academy. My cousin went on to law school and devoted her
career to prosecuting elder abuse. My twin, a master’s level
educator and school principal, has influenced thousands of lives
through her award-winning teaching. Now I’m an interim
chancellor in the University of California! The common thread
in this family trek is education. Neither my parents nor
grandparents completed high school, but they urged us, in my
grandmother’s often-repeated words, “Study. Make something of
yourself.” I think UCR is a place where each person is helped to
make something of themselves.
Although I am the interim or acting chancellor, my excitement
to “act” has been inspired by a 22-year involvement with major
land-grant universities in Texas and Nebraska. I saw first-hand
how these universities made real and positive contributions to
families — just like my own — to children, schools, businesses,
and levels of civic engagement. I consider the land-grant
university to be a true American innovation that has fueled
A university’s most important test, however, is its success in
guiding students toward significant professions, and lives of
compassion, service and accomplishment. UCR passes this test
with merit and I intend to ensure that it continues to advance
along this path during my time here.
Two years ago, I became fascinated by UC Riverside when I
read your strategic plan, UCR 2020, and the excellent working
papers that support it. I am eager to continue telling UCR’s many
success stories and to work with Provost Dallas Rabenstein in
further improving our support of faculty, their research and our
students. I have already made plans to take the UCR story to
Sacramento, and to work with the Legislature to secure firm
state funding support for our medical school. When I hand over
the reins of UCR to your next chancellor, I intend to demonstrate
how much farther we have progressed in our strategic goals and
plans to further burnish our image as one of the most successful,
richly diverse campuses in the nation.
I’m so proud to be a new Highlander! I look forward to
meeting as many of you as possible and learning how UCR has
helped to launch you into purposeful lives. And how we can
continue to support you in your endeavors.
Email me with your stories of success!
Jane Close Conoley
Interim Chancellor
chancellor@ucr.edu
UCR Winter 2013 | 3
SPACE
R
Meet Jane Close Conoley
Interim Chancellor Jane Close Conoley
brings to UC Riverside a breadth of
experience that has prepared her to take
up the reins of this diverse campus.
“She will steward the initiatives
Chancellor White has put in place,
adding her own brand of excellence and
her creativity to champion new efforts,”
says Pam Clute, director of the ALPHA
Center, who works with Conoley on UC
systemwide educational initiatives.
Coming from UC Santa Barbara as
dean of the Gevirtz Graduate School
of Education, Conoley stresses to new
students a passionate vision that mirrors
UCR’s commitment to access and diversity.
A first-generation college student,
Conoley laid an early foundation for her
current career in education by working
in the inner city and with children
with multiple disabilities. Mental and
emotional disabilities became her focus
as a doctoral student of educational
psychology and as a young professional
in New York and Texas.
In 1984, Conoley headed for the
University of Nebraska, taking successive
positions as associate professor, full
professor, and chair in the Department
of Educational Psychology. She became
associate dean of research and curriculum
at the Teacher’s College and finally Edith
4 | UCR Winter 2013
S. Greer Professor of Educational
Psychology.
After a decade as dean of the
College of Education of Human
Development and professor of educational psychology at Texas A&M
University, she came to California
in 2006 as dean and professor in the
Department of Counseling, Clinical and
School Psychology at UC Santa Barbara.
“Conoley is
a listener,
a problem
solver and
a consensus
builder”
— Pamela Clute
Throughout her career, Conoley has
sustained a primary interest in interventions with children with disabilities
— especially serious emotional disturbances and aggressive children and
youth — and family intervention.
This interest is reflected in her
prolific writing — more than 20 books
and scores of articles, chapters and
presentations on school violence, youth
aggression, families and psychology.
Conoley has won university-level
teaching and professional awards
and taken leadership roles in many
professional organizations. As dean
of the Gevirtz Graduate School of
Education, she oversees one of only
eight American Psychological Association-accredited combined programs
in professional psychology.
She chairs the University of
California Systemwide Mathematics
and Science Initiative, which boasts
more than 2,000 undergraduate
students on nine UC campuses
preparing to be secondary science or
mathematics teachers, where Clute
came to know her leadership style:
“Conoley is a listener, a problem
solver and a consensus builder,” Clute
says. “She initiates partnership efforts
focusing people toward a common
agenda for positive outcomes.”
Dean of the Graduate School of
Education Doug Mitchell, who has
worked with Conoley in the past, sees
her as someone who will carry on
Timothy White’s most important contribution: “Giving a sense of the human
dimension to this institution.”
Inland Economy Making
Significant Progress
UC Riverside Launches
School of Public Policy
The UCR School of Public Policy,
a research center focusing on policy
issues important to Inland Southern
California, was launched on Sept. 24.
The School of Public Policy will
offer a Ph.D. and a Master of Public
Policy degree as well as a Ph.D. minor
in public policy. Students will choose
from four areas of specialization:
environmental and sustainable development policy, population and health
policy, higher education policy, and
immigration policy.
The mission of the School of
Public Policy is to prepare students
to pursue careers in local, state and
national governments and in nonprofit
organizations; to facilitate research
by multidisciplinary teams at UCR on
substantive public policy problems; and
to maintain dialogue with policymakers
in the region and the state. It will begin
accepting graduate students in its
master’s program in winter 2014, with
the program expected to commence in
the fall of that year.
A new forecast focusing on the
U.S., California, and the Riverside/San
Bernardino economies says growth at the
national level is likely to start accelerating, in part due to the growing, positive
impact of a rebounding housing market.
The forecast, authored by Beacon
Economics and released in partnership
with the School of Business Administration as part of the 2012 Riverside/
San Bernardino Economic Forecast
Conference, reports that home values
are 5 percent to 6 percent higher than
they were at this time last year, and
new housing construction starts have
continued to rise, reaching 900,000
in October. Additionally, the length of
time that existing homes are up for sale
has dropped to well below six months,
evidence of a tight market, according to
the analysis.
The forecast also points to California
as being one of the driving forces
behind the nation’s broader recovery.
In 2012, California led the U.S. in
job, income, and consumer spending
growth, according to the analysis. And
while the recovery in Riverside/San
Bernardino has been slower out of the
gate than in the nation or state, the local
economy has made significant progress,
including adding back 30,800 jobs since
hitting bottom in 2009 and enjoying 12
consecutive quarters of rising taxable
sales across nearly every industry in
the region.
Ursula Le Guin, Stan Lee
and Raymond Harryhausen
to be Recognized at the
Eaton Conference
Award-winning author Ursula K. Le
Guin, special effects creator Raymond F.
Harryhausen and Spider-Man co-creator
Stan Lee will be recognized with the J.
Lloyd Eaton Lifetime Achievement Award
in Science Fiction at the Eaton Science
Fiction Conference April 11-14
in Riverside.
Le Guin, who will receive the Eaton
Lifetime Achievement Award, has written
20 science fiction and fantasy novels,
among them “The Left Hand of Darkness”
and “The Dispossessed,” each of which
won Hugo and Nebula awards.
Harryhausen, who created a type of
stop-motion model animation known as
Dynamation, will receive the award for
his groundbreaking contributions to
science fiction film.
Lee, former president of
Marvel Comics, will also be
recognized with the award
for 2013 for his various
contributions in the realm
of comic books. Lee, who
began as a comic-book
writer at age 19, co-created
Spider-Man, the Hulk, the
X-Men, the Fantastic Four,
Iron Man, Thor and other superheroes. For more information, go
to eatonconference.ucr.edu.
UCR Winter 2013 | 5
SPACE
R
Awards and Honors
UCR faculty across various disciplines receive accolades for their work
6 | UCR Winter 2013
Poet Receives Second
NEA Fellowship
Art Professor Wins the
Genius Award
Geophysicist Awarded
Roebling Medal
Jill Alexander Essbaum, an
acclaimed poet and writing
professor, won her second National
Endowment for the Arts creative
writing fellowship. Essbaum, one of
40 fellowship winners, is the only
2012 recipient from the University
of California. She was also named
a writing fellow in 2003. She is an
adjunct assistant professor in the
UCR Low Residency M.F.A. in
Creative Writing & Writing for the
Performing Arts program in Palm
Desert.
Uta Barth, a professor of art
emeritus who is known internationally for her abstract photography, has won a $500,000
MacArthur Fellowship, one of the
most prestigious awards in the
country. She is one of 23 MacArthur
Fellows for 2012 named by the John
D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation.
Barth experiments with depth of
field, focus and framing in photographs that allude to places.
The fellowship, colloquially
known as a “genius award,” is
a no-strings-attached grant to
individuals who show exceptional
creativity in their work, promise
for important future advances,
and potential for the fellowship to
facilitate new work.
Harry W. Green II, a distinguished professor of the Graduate
Division in the Department of Earth
Sciences, has been awarded the
2012 Roebling Medal by the Mineralogical Society of America.
The medal is the highest award
given by the society for scientific
eminence. “I see this recognition
as confirmation that my novel
approach has borne significant fruit
and therefore it is a great honor and
brings me great personal satisfaction,” said Green, an eminent
geologist and geophysicist.
Philanthropist Makes
$900,000 Bequest to
Culver Center
Arts benefactor Henry W. Coil Jr.
has made a bequest pledge of $900,000
to support the UC Riverside Barbara
and Art Culver Center of the Arts in
downtown Riverside. The gift is one
of the largest that UCR has received to
support arts programs.
The atrium of the Culver Center
has been named the Coil Brothers
Atrium, “a fitting tribute to Henry
Coil’s personal contributions to the arts
and UCR” as well as to the lives of his
brothers, the late Horace O. Coil, the
late James L. Coil and John M. Coil of
Santa Ana, said Stephen Cullenberg,
dean of the UCR College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
Coil, past president of TildenCoil Constructors Inc., is a founding
director of the California Museum of
Photography (UCR/CMP). He served
on the advisory board during the
museum’s early years alongside famed
photographer Ansel Adams. Today,
UCR/CMP is a world-class museum
with the largest, most comprehensive
holding of any photographic collection
in the western half of the United States
and the second largest in the nation.
The Coil Brothers Atrium is the key
gathering space in UCR ARTSblock,
hosting dance and musical performances, art exhibitions, workshops
and large community gatherings.
Born in Riverside, Coil earned his
engineering degree at UC Berkeley
and a law degree from Western State
University in Fullerton, Calif. Coil
said his support of the arts stems from
his belief that the arts are essential to
create a vibrant community.
“If we didn’t have art in its
various forms, we would have a stale
community,” he said. “Art is also a
way of getting many people involved in
the community in activities they enjoy,
and encourages commitments of time
and money.”
1
The 2012 Washington Monthly
College Ranking ranked UCR
No. 1 in student service participation and No. 9 overall among
national universities, based on
UCR’s contribution to the public
good in the categories of social
mobility, research, and service.
5
The number of times UCR has
been named one of the nation’s
100 best values in public colleges
by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
(most recently for the 2012-2013
school year). UCR got high
marks for its four-year graduation rate, low average student
debt at graduation, abundant
financial aid, a low “sticker
price,” and overall great value.
8
U.S. News and World Report’s
2013 Best Colleges Report
ranked UCR No. 8 in the nation
with regards to diversity. UCR
had the highest ratio of minority
students in the UC system and
was second-best in the state
behind Stanford.
UCR Opens Community Garden
UCR’s Community Garden — which
will provide campus and community
members with a place to grow fresh
produce — opened in December. The
garden, located next to Parking Lot 30
near the corner of Canyon Crest Drive
and Martin Luther King Avenue, was
created thought the efforts of Fortino
Morales, a 2011 graduate of UCR and
the community garden coordinator, with support from
former Chancellor Timothy
P. White and various local
organizations.
The nearly 3-acre
garden, which also
features a small citrus
How We Ranked:
UCR by the Numbers
grove, is also part of the Cultivate
R’Space program and will be used
to teach students about sustainable
food systems and how they affect
economic, environmental and social
issues. Future plans include the
development of a youth garden and
making plots available to people
within the community.
24
U.S. News and World
Report’s 2013 Best
Colleges Report also
ranked UCR in the
top 25 of “Best Value
Schools,” taking into account
the university’s academic quality
and the 2011-12 net cost of
attendance for a student.
58
Sierra Magazine named
UCR one of “America’s
Coolest Schools” in an
annual survey of the
nation’s greenest colleges.
UCR finished 58th among the
96 schools that submitted data.
UCR Winter 2013 | 7
Illustration by Skip Sterling
8 | UCR Winter 2013
F E AT U R E
FONTANA
YUCAIPA
MENIFEE
PALM DESERT
HEMET
RUBIDOUX
INDIO
COACHELLA
PHYSICIANS
RIALTO
OF THE
FUTURE JURUPA
CATHEDRAL CITY
LA QUINTA
IF IT’S SUCCESSFUL,
UCR’S NEW SCHOOL OF
MEDICINE COULD BE
THE LIFELINE OF THE
PHYSICIAN-STARVED
INLAND REGION. BUT
WHETHER IT CAN HELP
MAKE SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA BETTER
ALL DEPENDS ON ITS
STUDENTS.
BY
PHIL
PITCHFORD
RANCHO
CUCAMONGA
BLYTHE
Dr. G. Richard Olds, founding dean
of the UC Riverside School of Medicine,
has a lot riding on the school’s first class
of medical students, who will arrive on
campus in August. And if you live or
work in Inland Southern California, so
do you.
UCR is trying to open a different
kind of medical school; one that not
only trains excellent doctors, but also
VICTORVILLE
PERRIS
TEMECULA
NORCO
UCR Winter 2013 | 9
ARLANZA
keeps them in the physician-starved
Inland Empire. These doctors would
practice the most-needed — but
lowest-paying — types of medicine and
take responsibility for a region that
consistently ranks among the least
healthy in California.
Without action, those poor health
trends will create huge costs for the
Inland area and its economy. That is
why UCR is focusing on students who
will stay local and help the school fulfill
its commitment to a population plagued
by obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes
and other chronic illnesses.
Unique Set-up
“Our medical school is fairly unique,
not just in California, but in the United
States,” Olds said. “The students we
take will be judged not just on how
good of a doctor they are, but also
whether they stay here and whether
they improve the health of the
community.”
“THE STUDENTS WE
TAKE WILL BE JUDGED
NOT JUST ON HOW
GOOD OF A DOCTOR
THEY ARE, BUT ALSO
WHETHER THEY STAY
HERE AND WHETHER
THEY IMPROVE THE
HEALTH OF THE
DI D YO U KN OW ?
Almost 60 percent of teens
and adults in Riverside
County are overweight or
obese, as is roughly 1 out
of every 3 children in
grades 5, 7 and 9.
10 | UCR Winter 2013
COMMUNITY.”
— DR. G. RICHARD OLDS
Admittedly, it’s a bold and risky plan.
“I have enormous respect for [Olds]
in terms of being willing to put himself
out there like that,” said Kate Sweeny,
an assistant professor of psychology.
“These are hard problems to change.”
Olds and his growing faculty have
embraced their mission with an
enthusiasm that permeates the first new
public medical school built in California
in four decades.
“This is an opportunity that comes
along once in a lifetime — to create the
entire system, the clinical enterprise —
from scratch,” said Dr. Michael Nduati,
the school’s associate dean for clinical
affairs. “It doesn’t even feel like work. It
feels like I am doing something special.”
If the students embrace fields like
family medicine and pediatrics, and
truly connect with residents of Riverside
and San Bernardino counties, Olds and
the founding faculty could be seen as
visionaries. But if those same students
end up practicing orthopedics,
cardiology and plastic surgery in
Newport Beach and San Diego, the
school could be seen as a failure, Olds
said.
“Medical schools often compete for
students based on things that have
nothing to do with being a good
doctor,” he said bluntly. “We have a
different philosophy than other schools,
and we may be criticized for it at some
point. So we better believe in what we
are doing.”
A Different Type of Student
UCR, of course, has been training
future doctors for more than 30 years
through a partnership with UCLA and
what is now the David Geffen School of
Medicine. More than 700 physicians
have been trained through this program,
starting their medical education in
Riverside and finishing it in Los Angeles.
The UCR/UCLA Thomas Haider
Program in Biomedical Sciences admits
24 first-year and 24 second-year
students and four first-year and four
second-year UCLA/UCR PRIME
students every year. UCLA/UCR PRIME
(PRograms in Medical Education) is a
five-year, dual-degree program that
leads to an M.D. and a master’s degree
in a specialized area focused on
underserved populations. Students now
enrolled in the Haider program will
finish at UCLA, while students enrolling
at the UCR Medical School will be the
first class to complete all four years in
Riverside.
The UCR School of Medicine will
start with 50 students. It hopes to
expand to 80 students — and eventually
as many as 120 — within a few years,
said Neal L. Schiller, the school’s senior
associate dean for student affairs and
director of the Haider Program.
The school will consider only
students who meet the school’s entrance
requirements, but it will also target
certain types of students and go to great
lengths to ensure it is awarding coveted
spots in the program to them. In the
process, Schiller said, it may reject
applicants who might be accepted at
larger, more prestigious, medical
schools.
“We are looking for a different type
of student,” Schiller said. “If your
aspiration is to be a hotshot researcher
at a top medical school, then you are
not going to be happy here. And we are
probably not going to be as interested in
you as other schools might be.”
With about 30 times as many
applications each year as there are slots,
the school will be able to be selective.
But with applications eventually
expected to exceed 3,000 each year,
how will the school determine who is
most likely to go into primary care
medicine in Inland Southern California?
To find those “mission-oriented” students,
UCR is reviewing more than 2,000
applications. UCR will offer secondary
UCR Winter 2013 | 11
applications to about 800 people and
interview 250 of them. Medical schools
often conduct two 30-minute interviews
per students, but UCR will do 12
interviews, each lasting 6 minutes, to dig
deeper into how each applicant thinks.
Before each interview, applicants will
be able to review a prompt for two
minutes before being pelted with
questions. The interviews assess the
student’s personality, work ethic and the
kind of doctor they are liable
to become.
“Our interview is specifically
designed to tell us who might be good
for our program,” Olds said. “We’re
asking questions that directly relate to
our values. I can take any reasonably
intelligent person and make them into a
great doctor, but I’m not very good at
taking mediocre people and turning
them into great people.”
For example, have prospective
students shown a commitment to
community service, anything from
tutoring to health advocacy? Such a
background suggests a student might
have the kind of traits that will allow
them as a doctor to connect with
patients who need extra help getting
healthy, Schiller said.
“This will take longer, but it is worth
it because the end product is so
important for us,” Schiller said. “This
idea of commitment, where your job is
“HEARING ABOUT THE
LACK OF DOCTORS IN THIS
REGION REALLY MADE
ME WANT TO STAY HERE.
… WHEN YOU COME
FROM A DISADVANTAGED
BACKGROUND LIKE I DO,
YOU ARE A LOT MORE
WILLING TO GO INTO
THOSE COMMUNITIES.”
more than just seeing patients and going
home at night, is crucial to what we are
trying to accomplish.”
Once students are in the program,
administrators will monitor how they
perform academically, how they interact
with doctors they are matched with
during their studies and whether their
residency choices indicate they are on
their way to becoming communitybased physicians.
“That’s our goal, our product,”
Schiller said. “And, eventually, we will
be judged by that product and how we
affect the health of this community. This
will be an evolving process, but the
mission is what drives everything.”
UCR has used this particular
interview process in the past two years
to choose students for the Haider
program. Students chosen “are more
team-oriented and more serviceoriented” than those in previous classes,
Schiller said.
Two second-year students in the
Haider program who went through that
interview process — Regina Inchizu of
West Covina and Joseph Elsissy of
Redlands — both said they plan to
return to Inland Southern California to
practice once they complete their
training.
— REGINA INCHIZU,
MED STUDENT
THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: A JOURNEY
1974
1997
2003
2004
2006
UCR/UCLA
Program in
Biomedical
Sciences is
established.
Students
begin their medical studies at
UCR and receive their M.D.
degrees from the David Geffen
12 | UCR
Winter at
2013
School
of Medicine
UCLA.
The program is named for
longtime supporter
Dr. Thomas T. Haider,
a Riverside
spine surgeon.
Former Chancellor
France A. Córdova
appoints a blueribbon panel
to plan for a
four-year
medical
school at UCR.
A group of deans chaired by
former Washington University
School of Medicine Dean William
Peck reviews initial plans for the
school and provides
recommendations
for moving forward.
Haile Debas,
M.D., former
chancellor and
dean emeritus of UC San
Francisco, is asked to create a
mission and vision statement
for UCR’s School of Medicine.
Inchizu wants to practice family
medicine in a federally qualified health
center in the Riverside area, while
Elsissy plans to be an orthopedic
surgeon in Redlands. Not only does the
interview reveal the student, they said,
but also the school.
“Hearing about the lack of doctors
in this region really made me want to
stay here,” Inchizu said. “When you
come from a disadvantaged background
like I do, you are a lot more willing to
go into those communities.”
Inchizu said she struggled through
community college while working full
time. But after getting into the Medical
Scholars Program, her grades improved
dramatically and she met the
qualifications for entry into the
program. The interviewers, however,
knew nothing about her past struggles
because they are not part of the
transcript review process.
“I’m a very unconventional medical
student, and a lot of medical schools
would have rejected me,” Inchizu said.
“But they (UCR) saw who I am today,
not who I was when I was a teenager.”
Inchizu did not volunteer it, but
Elsissy interjected to say that she is one
of the top students in their class. He
said he has a similar experience with the
interviews.
“It’s hard to peg someone off an
application, in terms of what they want
to do long-term,” Elsissy said. “But they
really get your true character out of
those prompts. For past generations,
medical school was all about grades and
MCAT scores, but all the great doctors I
know are guys who go above and
beyond for their patients.”
Both endorsed the effort to center the
program on students who are
committed to the region.
“Dr. Olds’ plan is exactly what
Riverside needs,” Elsissy said. “He is
targeting a subset of people who want
to spend their careers here. This area is
going to be much better off health-wise
because of this medical school.”
Care District. Riverside County stepped
in, guaranteeing $20 million in county
funding for the school during the next
10 years, and UCR received preliminary
accreditation in October 2012.
County officials say they acted
because the school is crucial to solving a
health care crisis in the Inland area,
which has 3,000 fewer doctors than it
DI D YO U KN OW ?
Solving a Critical Health Care Problem
Expectations for the medical school
are high, but it almost didn’t happen,
despite nearly a decade of work.
Planning started in 2003, and UCR’s
final proposal was approved
unanimously by the UC Board of
Regents in 2008. Former Chancellor
Timothy P. White made the school
UCR’s top priority.
The effort stumbled in 2011,
however, when the Liaison Committee
on Medical Education withheld
preliminary accreditation for the school,
citing a lack of recurring state financial
support. The school raised $10 million a
year for 10 years from a variety of
funders, including the University of
California and the local Desert Health
Compared to the rest of
California, Riverside County
residents commute longer, are
more likely to smoke and eat
fast food, and are less likely
to have health insurance.
— Riverside County
Department of Public Health
2006
2006
2007
2008
2008
In May, UCR submits a proposal
with plans for the School of
Medicine to the UC Office of the
President.
Preliminary proposal receives the
endorsement of the UC Board of
Regents in November. A proposed
curriculum for the medical school
is drafted.
Dr. Phyllis Guze is named
executive director of medical
school planning.
UCR
Academic
Senate
unanimously
supports both
the curriculum and the medical
school proposal; UC Board of
Regents endorses the proposal.
Guze is named acting vice
chancellor for medical sciences
and dean in December.
UCR Winter 2013 | 13
“IF WE DON’T TURN THE
PUBLIC HEALTH OF THIS
COUNTY AROUND, THE
FUTURE CONSEQUENCES
ARE PRETTY DIRE.”
— RIVERSIDE COUNTY EXECUTIVE
OFFICER JAY ORR
needs; that number is expected to grow
to 5,000 within 10 years. The region has
half as many primary care doctors as it
needs and is expected to have only a
third of the number it needs within 10
years. Also in short supply are doctors
practicing in the fields of obstetrics/
gynecology, psychiatry and general
surgery.
Those shortages have a direct effect
on the Inland area’s health. For
example, Riverside County is 53rd and
San Bernardino County is 56th out of
58 counties in the state in terms of
deaths from heart disease. Riverside
County ranks 51st for deaths due to
breast cancer in women and San
Bernardino County is 50th for deaths
due to chronic lower respiratory
diseases.
The likelihood that such disastrous
health outcomes could deteriorate
further is part of what spurred Riverside
County to invest in the School of
Medicine.
“This is the biggest crisis we face as a
county,” said Riverside County
Executive Officer Jay Orr. “If we don’t
turn the public health of this county
around, the future consequences are
pretty dire.”
In the short term, the county will
benefit from the substantial financial
impact the medical school will have on
the surrounding area. Studies show that
every primary care physician in
California creates an annual economic
impact of almost $1 million; the impact
is closer to $1.5 million in rural areas.
“It will improve the economy, no
doubt,” Orr said. “A great percentage of
the doctors who train here will stay here,
and there are all kinds of jobs that
accompany a doctor’s practice, from
nurses, the allied health positions, all that.”
But the larger issue is that Riverside
County sees the medical school as a key
partner in averting a worsening health
crisis that could sap the county’s overall
economic health.
The county’s Department of Public
Health cites statistics showing that poor
diet, lack of physical activity and
smoking contribute to four chronic
illnesses — heart disease, cancer,
stroke and COPD, a lung disease —
that contribute to 50 percent of early,
preventable deaths. In Riverside
County, the figure is more like 63
percent, Orr said. Worsening rates of
obesity, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes
and other chronic illnesses also
threaten the county’s overall stability.
“We need not just doctors, but also
health promotion and health
D ID Y O U K N O W ?
More than 700 doctors
have been trained at UC
through a partnership
R
with UCLA. UCR’s School
of Medicine will start
with 50 students and
hopefully expand to 120
within a few years.
THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: A JOURNEY
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Dr. G. Richard Olds, M.D., is
appointed as the founding dean.
Olds starts tenure; Guze
becomes associate vice
chancellor, health affairs and
senior executive dean.
Liaison Committee on Medical
Education (LCME) withholds
preliminary accreditation for the
School of Medicine.
After raising $10 million a year
for 10 years, UCR receives
preliminary accreditation from
the LCME in October.
In August, the UCR School of
Medicine will welcome its
inaugural class of students.
14 | UCR Winter 2013
NATURAL
COLLABORATION
From anthropology to psychology, faculty members
The School of Medicine will benefit
not just patients; it will also bolster
research opportunities at UCR
is to train young physi-
at UCR are eagerly anticipating the opening of the UCR
cians who are committed
School of Medicine.
to treating the patient as
“The medical school will provide a great avenue for
people who are interested in health disparities,” said
Robin Nelson, an assistant professor of anthropology.
“There is a natural opportunity for collaboration there.”
Nelson’s research in Jamaica has shown that young
a whole person, not just a
diseased organ.”
Kathleen Montgom-
Robin DiMatteo
ery, a professor in the Graduate Division and professor
of organizations and management (emerita) at the UCR
people often are healthier when they have a trusted adult
School of Business Administration, said she is impressed
they can confide in, even if that adult is not a family
with how medical school organizers have reached out to
member. Her findings could have ramifications for the
the surrounding community.
“They’re looking for students who have a specific
“ONE OF THE GOALS IS TO TRAIN
YOUNG PHYSICIANS WHO ARE
COMMITTED TO TREATING THE
PATIENT AS A WHOLE PERSON, NOT
JUST A DISEASED ORGAN.”
— ROBIN DIMATTEO
approach to how they want to practice medicine, someone
who is going to have a commitment to the community, enrich the community and stay in the community,” she said.
Faculty members in the Bourns College of Engineering are already collaborating with medical school faculty,
said Huinan Liu, assistant professor of bioengineering.
“Nationwide, almost all of the bioengineering programs have very close ties to medical schools,” Liu said.
“We have quite a range of expertise from the bioengineering side, so it’s really synergistic.”
Kate Sweeny, an assistant professor of psychology, is
foster care system in the United States, where young
studying why patients are — or are not — satisfied with
people sometimes are shuttled between foster homes
their medical care. She works in cooperation with the de-
without the ability to develop those trust relationships.
partment of surgery at Riverside County Regional Medical
“We will have a lot of doctors who are trying to
educate medical students about vulnerability and care
and the lack of care, so it’s going to be very easy to start
a dialogue there,” Nelson said.
Decades of research have shown that
humility and respect are crucial parts
Robin Nelson
Center, the county health facility in Moreno Valley.
“It would not have happened at all without the med
school coming along,” she said. “They (RCRMC) reached
out to the faculty here and really wanted to connect with
the faculty.”
Sweeny noted that medical school personnel, includ-
of the interaction between doctors and
ing Dr. G. Richard Olds, the founding dean, have sought
patients, said Robin DiMatteo, a distin-
out UCR faculty members doing research on topics related
guished professor of psychology. She said
to medicine.
she is pleased to see the approach being
taken at the medical school.
“UCR’s medical school has a commitment to training
“It’s exciting
to be part of that
conversation,”
doctors who not only know the physiological basis for the
Sweeny said. —
patient’s disease, but also the socioeconomic factors that
Phil Pitchford
affect the patient’s health,” she said. “One of their goals
Learn more about the research of Robin Nelson, Robin DiMatteo,
Kathleen Montgomery, Huinan Liu and Kate Sweeny at
Kate Sweeny
UCR Winter 2013 | 15
UCRMAGAZINE.UCR.EDU
education programs,” Orr said. “If we
don’t get our hands around this, we are
never going to have enough doctors. It’s
just going to get worse and worse.”
In fact, federal health care reform
will make the doctor shortage even
more acute in the coming months as an
estimated 500,000 people in the Inland
area become eligible for health
coverage. That coverage could help
improve the health of newly insured
people, but it also will inject a halfmillion people into a system that
already is struggling.
Problems with access and cost exist
nationwide, where 40 percent of the
country’s gross domestic product goes
toward health care costs, Nduati said.
“That’s not sustainable,” he said.
“You can’t have a country spending
two-fifths of its money on health care,
but that’s where we are heading.”
“IF THE REST OF THE
NATION TAKES NOTICE
OF WHAT WE ARE DOING,
THAT’S GREAT. BUT IF THEY
DON’T, WE REALLY DON’T
CARE BECAUSE WE ARE
FOCUSED ON IMPROVING
THE HEALTH OF THE
COMMUNITY.”
— DR. MICHAEL NDUATI
Reaching Out Locally
D ID Y O U K N O W ?
Students often leave
medical school more
than $150,000 in debt;
a loan/scholarship
program at UCR could
reward graduates to
stay in the area.
16 | UCR Winter 2013
While the medical school cleared a
major hurdle when it achieved
preliminary accreditation, much work
remains. Experts agree that the two
biggest things that determine where
someone practices are where they are
from and where they do their residency.
UCR is reaching out to local high
schools to encourage their best and
brightest students to focus on math and
science and begin considering UCR and
the School of Medicine for their
education. The medical school must also
work with surrounding medical facilities
— there will be no on-campus medical
center — to create local residency
programs.
“If we set them up in our local
communities, there is a greater chance
they will stay here,” Schiller said. “If
they do their residency in San Diego on
the beach, the chances they will come
back to San Bernardino are not very
good.”
Watch a video of UCR’s physicians of the future at
Students always will have choices,
but UCR hopes to find ways to keep
them local. Medical school costs more
than $30,000 per year for California
residents and students often leave school
more than $150,000 in debt. A loan/
scholarship program could greatly
reward graduates to stay in the area.
“If they end up a family physician in
Coachella, it’s a grant,” Olds said flatly.
“If they end up as a plastic surgeon in
San Diego, it’s a loan.”
Nduati, the associate dean for clinical
affairs, is a prime example of how UCR
can benefit by growing its own students.
Born in Fontana and raised in Upland,
Nduati went through the Haider program,
getting his bachelor’s degree in biomedical
sciences at UCR and his M.D. at the Geffen
School of Medicine at UCLA. He also has
an MBA from UCLA and a Master of
Public Health degree from Harvard.
In addition to his duties with the
medical school, Nduati works as a
nocturnist at Kaiser Permanente
UCRMAGAZINE.UCR.EDU
Fontana Medical Center, where he did
his residency. He acknowledges with a
laugh that he is sometimes seen as a
poster child for what the UCR medical
school is trying to accomplish.
“I used to get mildly embarrassed,
but I kind of embrace it now because
we do need to replicate the experience
of getting top-notch training and
coming back to work here,” he said.
At UCR, Nduati is responsible for
building the clinical side of the medical
school, including recruiting and
appointing physicians to the faculty. He
works with some of the people,
including Schiller, who were his
professors when he was a student. He
describes himself as having “a vested
interest” in the health of the Inland
area.
“We are recruiting people who want
to make a difference,” Nduati said. “If
the rest of the nation takes notice of
what we are doing, that’s great. But if
they don’t, we really don’t care because
we are focused on improving the health
of the community.”
Dr. G. Richard Olds and his wife,
Jackie, stand with Dr. Thomas
Haider and Mrs. Salma Haider
in front of the Haider Wall at
the School of Medicine.
A FORWARDLOOKING LEGACY
The foresight of Dr. Thomas Haider
and his wife, Salma, in supporting
the School of Medicine has had
lasting implications for UCR
BY
KATHY
BARTON
What began 15 years ago as a pledge
DID YOU KNOW?
of support for UCR’s medical education
partnership with UCLA has helped launch a
new medical school with a distinctive mission
to serve the health care needs of Inland
Southern California.
That legacy — created by Dr. Thomas
Haider and his wife, Salma — was
celebrated in November with the unveiling
of a tribute to their foresight in financially
supporting a program that has graduated
more than 700 physicians to date. The
Haiders’ generosity was commemorated
Every primary care
physician in California
with a wall installation in the entrance foyer
of the newly renovated School of Medicine
Education Building, and the couple were
creates an annual
publicly recognized at the celebration
economic impact of
attended by approximately 125 guests.
almost $1 million.
As the foundation of the UCR medical
school, the UCR/UCLA Thomas Haider
Program in Biomedical Sciences is a model for
educating physicians orientated toward serving
their communities. The school will continue
that tradition with the Thomas Haider Program
at the UCR School of Medicine — maintaining
its charter to recruit and admit students from
UC Riverside and support students through a
variety of pipeline programs.
The new program, according to Senior
Associate Dean for Student Affairs Neal
Schiller, “embodies the vision of Dr. and
Mrs. Haider and continues their legacy
of educating physicians for distinguished
medical careers in service to our local
communities.”
The couple was also recognized for their
leadership in promoting the medical school’s
establishment. “We would not be here today
celebrating the opening of this new medical
school … without Tom and Salma Haider,” said
G. Richard Olds, founding dean of the medical
school and UCR vice chancellor for health
affairs.
UCR Winter 2013 | 17
Growing
Promise
Natasha V. Raikhel is one
of the most highly cited
researchers in plant science.
The distinguished professor,
who was elected to the
National Academy of Sciences
for her excellence in
original scientific research
this year, wears many hats at
UCR. She’s the Ernst and
Helen Leibacher Endowed
Chair in Plant Molecular,
Cell Biology & Genetics and
the director of UCR’s Center
the
N
atasha V.
Raikhel’ s
lauded career in plant science is rooted
in a serious musical education
BY
IQBAL
PITTALWALA
You were originally slated to be
a concert pianist, but you chose
biology over the conservatory.
Why did you change your mind?
I had been studying piano since I was a
little girl. In my last year of specialized music
high school, a teacher for my conducting class
had a chat with me and questioned whether I
could successfully compete as a concert pianist.
I had grown up playing to receptive and
appreciative audiences, but I realized that
although I was a very capable student, I would
probably never be one of the select few at the
top. I was devastated and thought my life was
over; however, I made the decision to start
again. I went to evening high school, and
worked as a music teacher to pay private
tutors to learn chemistry, math, physics and
biology. The hard work paid off and I was able
to pass exams and enroll in the biology
department at Leningrad State University.
In retrospect, I am glad that I had a serious
musical education. Studying for many years in
18 | UCR Winter 2013
for Plant Cell Biology and
the Institute for
Integrative Genome
Biology.
Raikhel recognized the
importance of the genomic
revolution to biology
early on and pioneered
the use of chemical
genomics. She talks about
cultivating her love for
plant science and gives
future scientists some
advice.
Can art and science live together?
Should scientists take an interest
in art, and artists in science?
I have an incredible admiration for art and
believe that the ability to love and enjoy art
helps me to have a fuller, more interesting and
exciting life. Both science and art require a higher
level of creativity and hard work so, in many
ways, scientists and artists are wired the same
way. I wish there were more connections and
interactions between scientists and artists at UCR.
What advice do you have for
young people aspiring to be
scientists?
a dedicated music school taught me to
appreciate the arts and to be disciplined and
organized. These traits have helped me in the
past and continue to help me today.
What has the Ernst and Helen
Leibacher Endowed Chair in
Plant Molecular, Cell Biology and
Genetics allowed you to do?
When I came to UCR in 2002 I wanted to
set up a chemical biology platform for my
own program and UCR’s Center for Plant
Cell Biology (CEPCEB), which had just
been established.
I applied funds allocated by the
administration for CEPCEB’s inception to
establishing microscopy, bioinformatics and
later proteomics cores and to updating our
genomics capabilities. Using the Ernst and
Helen Leibacher Chair fund, I purchased the
first chemical library of 2,000 compounds
and my lab performed the first chemical
screen. After that I encouraged other CEPCEB
members to use this small library and I
purchased a library of 10,000 compounds.
The rest is history.
To read Raikhel’s thoughts on genomics research,
the value of plants and more go to
I originated from a country (USSR) and city
(Leningrad) that no longer exist. When I decided
to leave I was already an assistant professor at
the Institute of the Academy of Science. I
remember my laboratory supervisor at the
Collaborating in the
Genomics Building
In 2009, more than 200
faculty, graduate students,
and academic and
postdoctoral researchers
moved into the new Genomics Building, home of the
Institute for Integrative Genome Biology (IIGB)
and its affiliated centers. The building was
uniquely constructed as the first on campus with
an open lab and office design to stimulate
interactivity and creativity among members of
different research groups — which is key to the
rapidly evolving field of genomics. Here are five
ways the building makes a difference at UCR:
UCRMAGAZINE.UCR.EDU
institute — a member of the USSR National
Academy of Science who had a chance to
travel abroad — telling me I must have lost my
mind to leave such a desirable position. He
also said it was unlikely that I would get a job
as a scientist in the United States; most likely, I
would be sweeping the streets of New York
and never have close friends.
I immigrated with my family in 1978 with
a personal fortune of $25. My husband and I
had to start all over again as postdocs. I felt
completely lost and wondered how I could
ever make the language, scientific and social
transitions required to survive and succeed in
this country.
But the American academic system is
characterized by greater diversity and a fairer
atmosphere of competition than the one I left
behind. It drives one to take intellectual risks
and achieve more.
In America, I found a place where prestige
and intellectual and economic rewards were all
reasonable potential goals.
I never dreamt of being where I am today,
but I always worked hard and loved doing
science. I want young people to see that with all
the pluses and minuses, we are very fortunate to
live in this incredible country. There is no other
place in this world that offers an opportunity to
reach for the stars: one only needs to work hard
and love what he/she is doing.
• The building is shared by biologists, chemists,
engineers and computational scientists from
nine departments, which creates an atmosphere
that is inviting, inclusive, and problem-solving.
• The infrastructure of shared laboratories,
postdoc and student offices, meeting rooms,
break rooms and lobby invites interactions,
multidisciplinary collaborations and an
intellectually stimulating culture.
• Proximity to the core instrumentation
technologies facilitates state-of-the-art
research.
• Multimedia 100-seat lecture hall enables
active seminar series, symposia, faculty
forums, student gatherings, and workshops.
• Large lobby offers space for weekly informal
coffee hours, poster sessions and
spontaneous events.
UCR Winter 2013 | 19
Live
Barn
From the
As it evolved from folk hangout to beer-drenched dive to campus hotspot, the beating heart at the center
BY
ROSS
FRENCH
Built in 1917, the Barn holds the distinction
as one of the most recognizable structures on
the University of California, Riverside, campus.
But that’s not what makes the Barn famous.
It’s the music.
Ask musicians and their fans from Southern
California about great music venues in the
Inland region and it won’t be long before you
hear “the Barn.” It’s small; a 2,500-square-foot
space with a stage that, at 320 square feet,
would barely fit a gospel choir.
The 300-person-capacity space evolved
from a coffee shop in the ‘50s, to a rickety dive
that smelled of beer and sweat in the ‘90s.
During an early 2000s renovation, the Barn was
transformed with fresh paint, refurbished floors
and squeaky-clean interiors. One thing hasn’t
changed in 50 years, however: It’s still an
amazing, intimate place to see a show.
“Artists and students have a unique
appreciation for the history of the Barn and
who has performed on our stage throughout
the years,” said David Sakover, a UCR graduate
and the Barn’s public events manager. “Artists
feel connected to history on our stage while
students’ school pride is further reinforced by
20 | UCR Winter 2013
“It was actually
pretty easy
getting artists to
play at the Barn,
based on its long
and amazing
history of shows.”
— Bill Fold, producer
knowing that No Doubt, Blink 182 or even
Sublime played at a place they pass every day
on their way to class.”
The Barn opened as an eatery in 1955,
shortly after the campus was established, with a
small stage for performers. The 1956 Tartan
Yearbook described it as a favorite hangout for
“meet’in and eat’in.” A new stage was installed
in 1968 and a regular schedule of weekend
performances began.
Over the next 20 years the Barn evolved,
hosting a variety of events including music
performances, cabarets and poetry readings.
“Our location between L.A. and San Diego
allowed us to do some great bookings,” said
Andy Plumley, assistant vice chancellor for
housing, dining and residential services who
was a student from 1977 to 1982 and managed
the Barn from 1986 to 1988. “We had concerts
Wednesdays and Saturdays. Sundays featured a
nationally recognized folk music series
organized by the late Dot Harris. Thursdays
featured a variety of offerings, from poetry
readings to open mic, and Friday was comedy
night.”
It wasn’t just musicians who passed through
the Barn on their way to stardom. Bill Fold, a
Riverside native who has gone on to work with
Goldenvoice as director/producer for the annual
Coachella and Stagecoach festivals, promoted
shows at the Barn in the mid-1990s with his
company, 98 Posse. Fold brought in a who’s
who of punk and ska bands, including No
Doubt, the Aquabats, Dance Hall Crashers and
Blink 182.
Poet Saul Williams
performed at the
Barn last September.
of the Barn has always been music
“It was actually pretty easy getting artists to
play at the Barn, based on its long and amazing
history of shows,” Fold said. “By 1996 we had
a great reputation and it seemed like we were
turning down more shows than we were
promoting.”
“The Barn has always been about finding
performers who were up-and-coming, unique,
or getting critical acclaim,” Louis Vandenberg,
KUCR station manager, said.
A more recent example is the Los
Angeles-based band Foster the People, which
played at the Barn on Sept. 29, 2010. Ten
months later, the band had a No. 1 hit single
with “Pumped Up Kicks.” The video featured
footage shot during their show at the Barn
and has been viewed on YouTube more than
96.9 million times.
Sakover, who most recently booked
spoken-word artist Saul Williams at the Barn,
said curating unique concert experiences for
students is what helps set the venue apart. “By
representing our student body, maintaining
artistic integrity and keeping our ears directed
to the pulse of the campus and community, the
Barn will remain a very important venue to
popular music as well a historical landmark on
the UCR campus.”
For years, there’s been a UCR legend that
folk singer Bob Dylan played at the Barn. It
was one of those things that everyone knew
— a source of Highlander pride.
It’s proven that the legendary singer
played at UCR on Feb. 25, 1964, two weeks
after the release of his ground-breaking
album “The Times They Are A-Changin’.”
But when a story in a 2004 UCR
magazine declared the venue to be the Barn,
alumnus Ralph A. Sorensen (’67) corrected
the record: “I remember it well because the
crowd lined up for the show was listening to
the heavyweight fight. Just before the doors
opened, the young Cassius Clay knocked out
Sonny Liston. Bob Dylan opened the show
with his anti-boxing anthem ‘Who Killed
Davy Moore?’ The conflicted crowd cheered
nonetheless. And the concert was in the
gym; the number of fanatical students and
faculty was much too great for the Barn!”
However, eyewitness testimony wasn’t
enough; we needed proof.
The Tartan Yearbook from 1964
published a photo of Dylan, but no venue.
That year’s Highlander issues? Zilch.
Our last resort was The Press-Enterprise.
The Rivera Library has all the paper’s issues
on microfilm. We scanned every headline of
every page, and finally, we found it. On Feb.
23, 1964, the bottom of page A-14 had a
tiny ad:
“Bob Dylan, singing folk poet in concert,
UCR Gym, Tuesday. Feb. 25, 8 p.m. $1.50.”
So Dylan didn’t play at the Barn.
And, for that matter, neither did
Radiohead, Tina Turner nor Elton John
(Radiohead played at the Rec Center when
they opened for Soul Asylum; Tina Turner
appeared at the gym, Elton John at Riverside
City College).
But hundreds of other established folk
artists — as well as up-and-comers from
various genres — did play there.
“The Barn will always be a unique college
venue reflective of generations of music
lovers,” said David Sakover, the Barn’s public
events manager. “It is the audience, the UCR
college students, staff and faculty who will
ultimately write the future of the Barn.”
... But These Guys Did!
Rock Stars Remember
... But These Guys Did!
Rock Stars Remember
We have a ton of memories at the Barn; I remember lighting fireworks
and getting scolded by the campus administration. It was the epicenter
for UCR students, going to shows and having fun. It had a funky smell,
like sweat and puke and beer. — Christian Jacobs, lead singer, Aquabats
The Barn was kind of like the Wild West, but it was a great place to
play. It brought people together; there was always a touring act with
an audience and local acts fronting the big bands bringing even more
people. We played with Korn once before they broke; Sublime was in the
patio and Korn was inside. — Miguel Happoldt, producer, Sublime
We used to play at the Barn with No Doubt, back when they had a
different lead singer, Lee. He and Gwen Stefani would share the vocals.
This kid would be so enthusiastic and so cool, he would tell us, “Are you
ready tonight? Did you bring your game? Cause we’re going to blow your
doors down.” — Jerry Miller, lead singer, Untouchables
Do you have amazing memories from the Barn? Share
them and watch a video on venue’s cultural legacy on
UCR Winter 2013 | 21
UCRMAGAZINE.UCR.EDU
j
5
A Look at the
White
Legacy
5
HOW TIMOTHY P. WHITE BECAME ONE OF UCR’S
MOST BELOVED CHANCELLORS IN JUST FOUR YEARS
BY
22 | UCR Winter 2013
FRANCES
FERNANDES
Chancellor White touched his UCR constituents at
every level — he brought cookies (and his dog!) to
greet students at the library during finals week, and
starred in the reality TV show “Undercover Boss.”
A few days before he packed up his office
and moved it to the Long Beach headquarters
of the California State University, UCR’s eighth
chancellor, Timothy P. White, walked into a
meeting he called with Inland-area education
and business leaders.
The Federation for a Competitive Economy
(FACE) had gathered to review their successes
and ensure commitment to programs going
forward – programs that White will no longer
be shepherding. He set the tone at the
meeting’s onset, talking about the moral
imperative to fight for the young and the
shared responsibility for addressing society’s
ills through education.
It’s a scene that was repeated many times
after White announced in October that he
would leave UC Riverside to assume
leadership of the 23-campus California State
University System – perhaps the largest single
university system in the world.
The last-minute FACE meeting typified his
sense of commitment to higher education in
California at all levels, and provides insight
into the reason behind his unexpected move to
the Cal State system — a position he did not
expect to get.
The UC Riverside campus has changed
dramatically in his four years as chancellor, but
White says that his contribution was merely
to set priorities and tone.
“As a chancellor you don’t do anything
other than insist that we have discussions and
commit to a direction and follow it through,”
he says. “Detail work occurs because of
faculty students and staff.”
This attitude — a talent for teamwork —
endeared White to those around him, and
makes sense for a former jock who foresaw a
career path as a coach rather than as an
academic. Perhaps it was sports that taught
him the balance between the team and the
coach. But it’s also true that team wins and
losses are credited to the coach.
Early in his tenure White was determined
to set team UC Riverside on a winning
trajectory, and he recruited 144 people from
faculty, staff, students and the community to
work through needs and aspirations for every
aspect of academic life to write a strategic plan.
The result was a 50-page road map, “UCR
2020, The Path to Preeminence,” that
incorporated the characteristics of the best
academic institutions in the country, filtered
through the lens of the America-of-the-future
— a country like the UCR campus, where
many strands of difference are interwoven to
create a strong fabric.
America is evolving into a country of
difference rather than homogenization, he
says. “The outside is the new inside.” He saw
his task as showing young women and men
from disadvantaged backgrounds that they are
those new insiders, that UC Riverside is an
exemplar of how to reach academic excellence
with a diversity of people, that the campus and
its students are the face of California and of a
new America.
The catalyst for those messages came, he
says, came from his personal story. His
experiences as an immigrant child — rejection
by peers, denigration by teachers, even
colleagues — became an inspiration for his
students, many of whom also had been made
to feel like outsiders.
He propagated this message on a national
scale through his appearance in CBS’s
“Undercover Boss.” Millions of Americans
were given a glimpse of a campus where the
chancellor reflected the background of a
diverse, often low-income student body, and
where differences were embraced and valued,
and where students were excelling.
It was part of the compelling narrative of
UC Riverside. It was a story of aspiration and
success that refused to be discouraged. He
faced up to the tough fiscal choices but worked
even harder to keep up spirits and optimism,
and imbue the campus community with a
can-do attitude.
“What I’m most satisfied about is not
having put up the white flag and say, ‘Hang on
until things get better,’” he says. “I continued
to execute and narrow the focus and get things
done.”
And he did get things done: a medical
school, a school of public policy, expanded
business degrees, increased private giving, a
new systemwide service center, and strategic
research investment.
White shrugs off praise for his successes in
Riverside.
“I actually feel, ‘Riverside you have done a
nice job on me. I should be thanking you
because you made me grow and become a
better human being and a more grateful
human being.’”
The welcome he received, the lessons he
learned and the progress he made have imbued
him with the confidence to tackle the vast and
diverse Cal State system.
He sees CSU as an opportunity to deliver
that message of inclusion, of excellence
through diversity on a larger scale. The greater
access to Sacramento and to Washington, D.C.,
offers an opportunity to improve the approach
to higher education in California. And in that
way he will be in the spirit of creating a more
competitive economy.
***
At the FACE meeting, White reiterated the
obligation to reach out to parents and children
with the message, “Yes, you can go to college.”
He listened, modeled respect and appreciation
for his colleagues, and then elegantly passed
the baton to them as it drew to a close.
The message was clear: I may no longer be
here, but I will still be carrying on the struggle,
even if from a different battle ground.
jj
“UCR 2020, The Path
to Preeminence”
incorporated the
characteristics of
the best academic
institutions in the
country, filtered
through the lens of
the America-of-thefuture — a country
like the diverse UCR
campus.
jj
UCR Winter 2013 | 23
FROM MIND
TO MARKET:
THE LA
REVIEW OF
BOOKS
1
I grew up reading the book review section
that came with my Sunday paper. It was
my introduction to literary culture. I wasn’t
reading many of the books, of course, but I
was introduced to a world in which people
talked to each other about books, and to
the idea of an ongoing conversation —
24 | UCR Winter 2013
BY
TOM
LUTZ
The demise of the serious book
review in newspapers led Tom Lutz, a
professor of creative writing at UCR,
to establish the Los Angeles Review
of Books (lareviewofbooks.org). The
nonprofit, online publication not only
reviews books, it also features
interviews, essays and art from more
than 250 award-winning writers and
contributing editors, and more than
100 artists. Editor in chief Lutz tells
us how his idea became a reality.
one that was directed at both current
preoccupations and the culture and
history of earlier eras. I knew there was a
large world out there beyond my
comprehension in which really smart
people talked to each other about their
deep, deep pools of knowledge.
2
3
Then I went to school. I got a B.A., an M.A., then
a Ph.D. in literature. I read many more books
and many more reviews; some academic, some
mainstream. I always wished the academic ones
were more accessible and could reach a wider
audience. It seemed a shame to me that all of
the interesting work that graduate students and
professors in the humanities were doing
remained unreadable to most people, including
the very people who might most find it useful
— serious readers.
When I graduated from high
school, in the middle of the
countercultural revolution, I read a
fair amount, much of it what I call
the hippie curriculum — the
Beats, Hunter Thompson, Carlos
Castaneda, Aldous Huxley, a
sprinkling of Eastern scripture,
Richard Brautigan, the Whole
Earth catalog, Buckminster Fuller
— but I didn’t go to a university. I
spent many years reading as an
autodidact, and the Sunday book
reviews remained my main source
of book news and book talk.
Illustrations by Colin Hayes
5
4
I was in the middle of writing a couple books, but I decided this
was more important. I started asking my friends if they would help.
7
They had seen the same problems and said yes, enthusiastically. I
started to send notes asking people — beginning with my
colleagues at UC Riverside, and then to writers I knew through PEN
USA and in Hollywood — to sign on as contributing editors. It
meant nothing; really, nothing existed to contribute to yet. But they
supported the idea and they were ready to step up.
A few years ago I watched the print book reviews dying
around the country — the Chicago Tribune, Washington
Post, SF Chronicle, Boston Globe and many others all
cancelled their Sunday supplements. I had felt privileged
to be able to write for many of them, and I thought it a
tragedy for our culture that they were disappearing. I felt
like giving back a bit of what they had given me, so I
decided I had to do something about it.
6
Hundreds of people
donated their time as
writers, reviewers,
editors and tech
people, and individual
readers donated
money to keep us
afloat. We published a
million-and-a-half words in the last year and a
half, and we now have readers in all 50 states
and 150 countries around the world. Salman
Rushdie praises us, as do publications as
diverse as the New Yorker, Forbes, the Chronicle
of Higher Education, Paris Review and
Publishers Weekly. We have correspondents
from Egypt, Britain, Pakistan, South Africa,
Australia, Russia, and France. We feel we have
a distinctly Southern California take on the
A couple of important patrons — Jamie Wolf
and Albert Litewka — came forward and gave
us the necessary money to get started. The
dean of CHASS, Steve Cullenberg, offered to
help with both staff time and money. Margot
Frankel — graphic designer, artist friend and
poker enemy — worked on creating an
innovative interface. A web company in Santa
Monica, TedPerez + Associates, agreed to
engineer the site pro bono.
Check out the LA Review of books online at
world, unafraid of popular culture or high
culture, mixing it up every way we can, trying to
reinvent ourselves as we go. We are also trying,
in every way we can, to build a lasting literary
institution. With continued luck and continued
support from our readers and the literary and
intellectual communities, we will manage.
LAREVIEWOFBOOKS.ORG
UCR Winter 2013 | 25
PAGE TURNERS
Memories of
the Sherman
Institute,
a Drinking
History, Rare
Photos of
the Mexican
Revolution
and Other
Page Turners
These books are available for
purchase at the UCR Campus Store
and online at www.ucrcampusstore.
ucr.edu They have been discounted
up to 30 percent.
26 | UCR Winter 2013
The Indian School on Magnolia
Avenue: Voices and Images from
Sherman Institute
Edited by Clifford Trafzer, Matthew
Gilbert (’04 M.A., ’06 Ph.D.) and
Lorene Sisquoc
Oregon State University Press
November 2012, 232 pages
In 1902, the federal
government opened the Sherman
Institute in Riverside to transform
American Indian students into
productive farmers, carpenters,
homemakers, nurses, cooks, and
seamstresses. Indian students
helped build the school and worked
daily at Sherman; teachers provided
vocational education and placed
them in employment through the
Outing Program.
Despite the fact that Indian
boarding schools — with their
agenda of cultural genocide —
prevented students from speaking
their languages, singing their songs,
and practicing their religions, most
students learned to read, write, and
speak English. Most also survived
to benefit themselves and
contribute to the well-being of
Indian people.
“The Indian School on
Magnolia Avenue” is an indispensable volume for scholars and
general readers in the fields of
Native American studies, history,
education, public policy, and
historical photography.
Trafzer is a professor of
American history and the Rupert
Costo Chair in American Indian
Affairs at UCR.
Drinking History: Fifteen Turning
Points in the Making of American
Beverages
By Andrew F. Smith (’70 M.A.)
Columbia University Press
December 2012, 336 pages
Marriages and Families in the 21st
Century: A Bioecological Approach
By Tasha R. Howe (’94 M.A., ’96
Ph.D.)
Wiley-Blackwell
September 2011, 576 pages
In this book, Andrew F. Smith
recounts the individuals, ingredients, corporations, controversies,
and myriad events responsible for
America’s diverse and complex
beverage scene. Smith revisits the
country’s major historical moments
through booze: colonization, the
American Revolution, the Whiskey
Rebellion, the temperance
movement, Prohibition, and repeal.
The result is an intoxicating
encounter with an often-overlooked
aspect of American culture and
global influence.
Americans have invented,
modified and commercialized
thousands of beverages. These
include uncommon cocktails,
varieties of coffee and milk, and
such iconic creations as Welch’s
grape juice, Coca-Cola, root beer,
and Kool-Aid.
Smith rediscovers America’s
vast literary and cultural
engagement with beverages and
their relationship to politics,
identity and health.
In her book, Howe covers all
the important family issues —
including parenting, divorce, aging
families, balancing work and family,
family violence, and gender issues
— using a bioecological framework.
The book also examines the
state of modern families using a
strengths-based approach, which
allows students to evaluate the
health of a family by considering
the biological and cultural milieu
in which it exists, rather than on
its observable structure or
appearance alone.
An accessible writing style,
coupled with numerous studentfriendly pedagogical features help
readers come to a multilayered
understanding of “what makes
families tick,” while also
challenging them to reevaluate their
own assumptions and experiences.
Smith is a freelance writer and
speaker on culinary matters.
Howe is a Fulbright scholar and
professor of psychology at
Humboldt State University.
Islam: An Essential Understanding
for Fellow Americans
By Manzoor Hussain (’73 Ph.D.)
Vantage Press
May 2012, 364 pages
Manzoor Hussain, an
American Muslim, looks over the
present landscape of the United
States and sees fellow Americans
laboring under many misconceptions about Islam — what he calls
the most misunderstood religion in
the West. His response is to
delineate Islam from its inception
through its extraordinarily rich
history, making the religion’s most
seemingly opaque foundations
transparent.
Hussain discusses Islam’s
wealth of achievements in subjects
as far ranging as mathematics,
astronomy, law, chemistry, physics,
medicine and philosophy, thereby
showing how humans strive to
demonstrate the ways we want and
value the same things.
Scholarly in its clarity and
thoroughness, “Islam: An Essential
Understanding for Fellow
Americans” doesn’t shirk from
tackling the thorniest issues of the
day, all of which receive sober and
thoughtful attention.
Hussain teaches Islamic Studies
at Noor-Ul-Iman, an Islamic
high school in New Jersey.
Intangibles: Big-League Stories
and Strategies for Winning the
Mental Game — in Baseball and
in Life
By Geoff Miller (’95 B.A.)
Byte Level Books
August 2012, 276 pages
Mental skills coach Geoff
Miller has spent years helping
professional baseball players
improve their mental toughness —
both on and off the field. Now, he’s
making these invaluable lessons
available to everyone who loves the
game of baseball.
From high school to the major
leagues, all baseball players
struggle with competition, pressure
and their own personal challenges.
This book, through inspiring stories
about professional baseball players
in various stages of their careers, as
well as hands-on tips and
questionnaires, will help players
evaluate and improve the mental
skills that are necessary for that
competitive edge.
Whether you hope to be a
big-league player someday, or
whether you simply want to play
your best game, this book is
essential for all athletes who want
to learn how to overcome fear, build
confidence, and develop a mental
framework for success.
Mexico at the Hour of Combat:
Sabino Osuna’s Photographs of the
Mexican Revolution
Edited by Ronald Chilcote
Laguna Wilderness Press
November 2012, 120 pages
Sabino Osuna, a skilled
commercial photographer, captured
striking images of the first major
revolution of the 20th century with
his documentation of the Mexican
Revolution. He was able to successfully record the battle and the
people involved in it at close range.
The focus of this volume is Osuna’s
special collection of 427 images,
currently held in the Tomás Rivera
Library’s special collections at
UCR.
The Osuna images highlight
the impact of the revolution and
the importance of the personalities
of the dominant class. More
importantly, the images abstractly
reveal the Mexican conception of
national identity.
The book includes essays
about Osuna and his photographs
by Peter Briscoe, Ronald Chilcote,
Carlos Cortès, Georg Gugelberger,
Eliud Martinez, and Tyler Stallings.
Chilcote is a UCR professor
emeritus of economics.
Cat O’ Nine Tails
By Ben Stoltzfus
Neo Literati Press
December 2012, 95 pages
”Cat O’ Nine Tails” consists of
nine stories about cats and how
cats have influenced certain
characters. Although ostensibly
about felines, the stories are also
playful postmodern explorations of
language, the creative process,
images, sounds and cultural
practices.
Its settings —which range
from New England to southern
France, California to Cuba — are as
diverse as the stories. They explore
themes of vanity, bodily harm, the
myth of cats having nine lives and
the cruelty of boys toward cats — a
cruelty that is mitigated by the
linguistic weave and verbal play in
which it is embedded.
Beautifully written and
exceedingly intricate, “Cat O’ Nine
Tails” embraces the captivity of
American literary fiction.
Stoltzfus is a novelist, translator,
literary critic and retired
professor of comparative
literature, French and creative
writing at UCR.
Miller is a partner at Winning
Mind, a San Diego-based
company that helps people in
sports, business and the military
perform well under pressure.
UCR Winter 2013 | 27
HOW I SEE IT
FACEBOOK
FEEDBACK
We asked on Facebook: Describe an aha moment that you had during your time at UC Riverside.
Be our “friend” on UCR’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UCRiverside to answer future questions!
It was when I realized that
time spent outside of class
is equally crucial to time
spent in class.
I was looking for the “TBD” building
freshmen year first quarter and
realizing it meant “to be [disclosed]”!
When I realized my professor was not
going to hound me to do my homework
like my high school teacher.
It was when I met Professor Bronwyn
Leebaw, a wonderful lecturer, powerful
woman and fantastic mentor who helped
me find my own voice (grounded in
research and coursework) in a way that
fully captured what I was thinking. The
human rights classes I took with her
helped me find the language to engage in
work in the field. Without her, I would not
be lucky enough to [be] a law student
focusing on human rights.
Ashley N. Koda ’05
Lisa Marshall ’11
Diane Franco ’06
Mansur Syed ‘07
Sitting on the lawn by
the bell tower on a
weekday, watching a
band at a nooner.
Knowing life wouldn’t
always be this good... .
Erica Benson Hallock ’92
Finals week of my freshman
year, when [former]
Chancellor White walked into
the library wielding cookies
and his dog. He really made
the school feel so much
tighter.
Stephanie Cummings,
pre-med student
28 | UCR Winter 2013
My first day of class with John Louis
Beatty, professor of English history. He
slowly sauntered in wearing a tweed coat.
He had those huge bushy eyebrows and
held a pipe in hand. He gazed at the entire
lecture hall deliberately, took his lecture
notes out and slowly placed them on the
lecturn. I waited excitedly, pen in hand,
certain I was about to hear brilliance
personified. And then Beatty bellowed out:
“I AM THE ONLY DAMN PERSON IN THE
WORLD WHO GETS DANDRUFF IN HIS
EYEBROWS!” The class erupted and I
knew then that learning can be really
enjoyable and to expect the unexpected
from UCR professors!
Charles Dulaney ‘70
My moment came before I officially enrolled at
UCR. I was trying to decide on the right college.
I thought, “UCR is beautiful, financially
accessible, and offers the perfect program for
my major ... AHA! I’m going to be a Highlander.”
Haven’t looked back since.
Rebecca Paredes, creative writing student
It was when I discovered that the Orbach
Library was a quiet sanctuary compared to
the Rivera Library. I was a sociology major,
so most of my classes were in Watkins,
Sproul, or INTS. It was so worth the longer
walk. Too bad it wasn’t open 24/7!
Fred Saliba ‘11
D
DANCE
Revolution
THE ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
FOR THE GUARDIAN
SCHOLARS PROGRAM
BENEFITS EMANCIPATED
FOSTER YOUTH GOING TO
COLLEGE AT UCR, BUT THE
D A N C E M A R AT H O N
ORGANIZERS SAY THE
EVENT HAS CHANGED
THEIR LIVES AS WELL.
In 2012, the UCR Dance Marathon
— a six-hour dance event sponsored
by the Student Alumni Association
and the Golden Key International
Honour Society — raised $15,000
for the Guardian Scholars Program,
which amounts to half of the
program’s operating budget for the
year. It gave students who were
emancipated from foster care
before coming to UCR access to
scholarships, housing, life coaching
and employment assistance.
The team’s organizers tell us why
the Dance Marathon plays such a big
part in their lives.
People need to know the definition of “emancipated foster youth” and all the
obstacles they have to overcome. — Nancy Matti, director of involvement
As a Guardian Scholar student, I was touched and appreciative of what the
[Dance Marathon organizers] were doing for us. — Serkadis Krohm, liason
We’ve spent almost an entire year working on the Dance Marathon.
It’s been a lot of teamwork. — Fannie Martinez, morale chair
Working with others, being a leader — [I learned many] things I would have
never been able to learn in a classroom. — Lynn Chang, executive director
I was very moved [by the Guardian Scholars’ stories]. Once they [age out of] the foster care system [they are]
thrown into the real world. Some do not have family and most do not have the money for college. This is what the
Guardian Scholars Program fixes and what Dance Marathon helps to do. I’ve had [my parents’] support my entire
life. It was very hard to hear that some of my peers do not have that. — Claire Cuenca, director of logistics
I am honored to say I helped with an event that benefits so many individuals. ... I wonder what kind of dancing I will see! — Amanda Valdez, fundraising chair
The Guardian Scholars showed me what family is about. Being a part of the Dance Marathon has helped
me see that family is not just the one you are born into or raised with, but it can form at any given time ...
with the truest of warmth and love for those people. — Alma Paez, sponsorship chair
Watch a video recap of the
Dance Marathon 2012
UCR Winter 2013 | 29
UCRMAGAZINE.UCR.EDU
ALUMNI CONNECTION
gh
CALENDAR
Attention, Bloggers!
The Alumni Association is looking for contributors to the
official Alumni Association Blog (alumniblog.ucr.edu). We are
looking for alumni to write on current events, career tips, how
to stay connected and more! If you are interested in
participating in the alumni blog, please contact Nick Difilippo
at nicholas.difilippo@ucr.edu.
Froukje Schaafsma-Smith
“Linings: Silver and Otherwise”
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 5:30 P.M. – 7 P.M.
Join us for a special opening
reception for Froukje SchaafsmaSmith (’86 B.A., ’87 T.C.) on
Thursday, May 16, from 5:30-7
p.m. at the Alumni & Visitors
Center. Schaafsma-Smith is an
artist and arts educator with more
than 20 years experience. Her
autobiographical, narrative art has
been featured in one-person and
group exhibitions and is in the public collections of UCR
and UCLA. Her work was featured in the Ontario Invitational
Art Exhibition at the Ontario Museum of History and Art.
She also received the Curatorial Award at the Members’ Art
Exhibition 2012 at the Riverside Art Museum.
“Linings: Silver and Otherwise” is a series of one-ofa-kind works using different media: printmaking, artist
books and textiles. These works employ paper, cardboard
and fabric — many repurposed, recycled and recombined
— embellished with thread, pins and notions. “Linings:
Silver and Otherwise” symbolically explores the ofteninvisible underpinnings that provide stability, structure and
support to our lives.
To RSVP for the opening art reception, please call
(951) 827-2586.
Travel the Globe and
Expand Your Horizons
Do you have a passion for
exploration? Let the UCR Alumni
Association help you explore your
travel interests. Pack your bags
and discover global treasures that
will enhance your appreciation of
the peoples and cultures of the world.
• Black Sea and the Crimea, cruise aboard the six-star
Silversea all-suite ship, June 25 to July 3.
• Experience a Taste of Europe, from London to Barcelona,
luxury cruise aboard the elegant Nautica cruise ship,
Aug. 26 to Sept. 6.
• Village Life in the Italian Lake District, featuring lakes
Como and Maggiore, the Borromean Islands, and
Bellagio, Oct. 5 to 13.
Visit the UCR Alumni Association’s website (alumni.ucr.
edu/travel) to view pricing and program details. Tour
participants, whether UCR alumni or not, must be members
of the UCR Alumni Association. Each member may bring
30one
Winter
2013
| UCRtravel
companion
as a guest.
MARCH 1-2
Homecoming and
Parents Day
There is something for everyone
at Homecoming and Parents Day.
Bring the whole family to campus
for the special celebration!
Activities include:
• Scot Fest and Homecoming
basketball game vs. University
of the Pacific.
• Back to Class program.
• Poetry reading with California
Poet Laureate, UCR Professor
Juan Felipe Herrera.
• Gluck Fellow interactive
presentation: THREEWII –
Music & Digital Technology.
• Botanic Gardens tour.
• Cooking demonstration
featuring UCR chefs.
• Entomology’s Bug Pet Zoo.
• HEAT Music Festival.
• Hike to the “C” and more!
For more information and to
register visit alumni.ucr.edu/
homecoming.
MARCH 1-2
Alumni Reunions at
Homecoming
Reunions are a great time to
see old classmates, renew
friendships, and connect with your
alma mater. Tell your classmates
to meet you at Homecoming!
Alumni are invited to these special
reunions at Homecoming:
• Pan African Theme Hall 20th
anniversary alumni reunion.
• CHASS Connect 10th
anniversary alumni reunion.
• UCR Tour Ambassadors alumni
reunion.
• Bourns College of Engineering
Alumni vs. Faculty basketball
game and reception.
How to contact the
UCR Alumni Association:
• College of Humanities, Arts and
Social Sciences alumni
reception.
• College of Natural and
Agricultural Sciences alumni
celebration.
• Graduate School of Education
alumni reception.
• School of Business
Administration Blues & Brews
reception.
For more information and to
register, visit alumni.ucr.edu/
homecoming.
MARCH 18-19
UC Day in Sacramento
UC Day is the one time of the
year when all 10 UC campuses
come together to meet with
elected officials on issues facing
the University of California system.
No other group within the
university community is as
effective as alumni and parents in
reaching public officials and
promoting the needs of UCR, and
we hope you will be able join us.
For more information, visit alumni.
ucr.edu/ucday.
APRIL 22
San Diego Alumni
Reception with New
Interim Chancellor
Meet and network with fellow
San Diego-area alumni and hear
from special guest Interim
Chancellor Jane Close Conoley
about the latest developments
taking place at UCR. Reception is
free. Register to attend by April 15
at alumni.ucr.edu/events.
Website: alumni.ucr.edu
E-mail: ucralum@ucr.edu
Phone: (951) UCR-ALUM or
(800) 426-ALUM (2586)
’66 William Pennell was appointed
to the board of directors for Pan
Global Resources Inc., a Balkansfocused borate and lithium
developer. His experience in
minerals exploration spans 39
years, 18 of which were spent
serving as a geologist with Getty Oil
Co.’s Minerals Exploration
Department with responsibilities in
the United States, Philippines,
Canada, Australia, and Ireland,
where he was Getty’s representative
for minerals exploration and
offshore oil and gas ventures.
Afterward, he began working for
U.S. Borax, which was eventually
merged into the Rio Tinto Group.
There he led divisions that
discovered economic deposits of
talc (Spain), soda ash (Wyoming
and Turkey), both kaolin and
calcium carbonate in the United
States as well as identifying
economically attractive deposits of
vermiculite (Uganda) and potash
(Canada). He was also part of the
leadership of the teams that
discovered borates in Argentina,
Serbia and Bolivia, and the jadar
(lithium borate) deposit in Serbia,
which is now in advanced studies
by Rio Tinto. He retired as Rio
Tinto’s exploration director for
industrial minerals in 2006 and
serves on the board of trustees for
the University of Nevada-Reno
Foundation.
70s
’71 Pam Clute (’78
M.A., ’82 Ph.D.),
assistant vice
chancellor of educational and community
engagement at UCR,
1
How has UCR led you to where you are now?
2
What do you feel are the perks of being a college dean?
gh
Dr. Lawrence
E. Wolinsky
’70 B.S. CHEMISTRY
3
UCR played a critical part in developing my interest in science
and my passion for chemistry. In dental school, because I
had the Ph.D., I was actively recruited to a faculty position
at UCLA. I was one of the few people in my class who had a
job before school was completed. I spent the next 31 years at
UCLA and still keep in contact with people from UCR.
You get to do a lot of traveling and meet a lot of interesting
people. Plus you get the largest office in the building.
Your degree at UCR was in chemistry. What prompted the
transition to health care?
I did have a fascination with dentistry as an undergrad,
but I was so involved with volunteering in a chemistry lab
I put dentistry to the side and focused on learning science
fundamentals. It wasn’t until I did a postdoc fellowship at
Scripps Clinic that I realized my real passion was in using
science to advance health care. While working with cancer
cells, I began to develop a close relationship with clinical
problems and how chemistry could help develop technologies
to alleviate disease.
4
Larry is the dean of Texas
A&M Health Science Center
Baylor College of Dentistry in
Dallas. While at UCR, he was
a chemistry buff and then
applied his knowledge to
dentistry and periodontology,
spending more than 30 years
of his career at UCLA School
of Dentistry.
gh
was honored in October as one of
California’s Leading Women in
STEM (science, technology,
engineering and math) at the
California STEM Summit 2012 in
San Diego. Eleven women were
chosen for this first-ever award by
the California STEM Learning
Network to honor leaders in STEM
fields from education, business
and industry, policy, research,
nongovernmental organizations
and governmental agencies.
Names printed in blue indicate members of the UCR Alumni Association.
To update your membership, visit www.alumni.ucr.edu
Does your background in chemistry play a role in your
culinary endeavors, including your recently published
cookbook?
My inspiration for the cookbook came from my family. When
my kids were growing up they were always fascinated by the
amount and type of cooking I did. I told them most of my
interest in cooking came from my fascination with chemistry.
Being an organic chemist, I spent a lot of time working
with molecules. Cooking has a lot of the same attributes
as synthetic organic chemistry. You use a lot of the same
processes … heating things, cooking, mixing them together.
5
What is your favorite memory from UCR?
I used to play in the band known as the Plague; I played
electric piano and organ and was the lead singer. That band
became popular with UC Riverside students. We used to play
Friday night open dances in the quad. I have fond memories
of all the students dancing and singing to tunes like “Light
My Fire.”
’74 Jose Medina (’84
M.A.) was elected to
represent the 61st
Assembly District in
November. He has
served as a teacher in the
Riverside Unified School District
for nearly three decades, and has
been a member of the Riverside
Community College District for
nearly 13 years. He is a threetime recipient of the National
Endowment for the Humanities
fellowship and was awarded a grant
from the Organization of American
States for research on Latin
America.
’78 Michael P. Huerta was officially
named the administrator of the
Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) on Jan. 1. From June 23,
2010, Huerta was the deputy
administrator at the FAA. He became
acting administrator upon the
resignation of Randy Babbitt on Dec.
UCR Winter 2013 | 31
CLASS ACTS
60s
TAKE FIVE
CLASS ACTS
6, 2011. Last year President
Obama nominated Huerta to serve
as the permanent administrator of
the FAA for a term of five years;
the U.S. Senate confirmed
the nomination.
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’79 Mary Figueroa
was re-elected to the
Riverside Community
College board of
trustees in November.
She has served on
the board since 1995 and
previously had the role of board
president. Mary spent more than
23 years in professional service to
the correctional and law enforcement communities with
California’s Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation as
a correctional counselor/peace
officer, and with the Riverside
County District Attorney’s Office
as a victim/witness advocate. She
has also received numerous
honors, including the YWCA’s
Woman of Achievement Award in
2004 and the Inland Empire
Influential Latina of the Year
Award in 2005 by the Hispanic
Image Awards. … Roberta H.
Martínez was one of 10
Californians selected to receive
the 2012 Maestro Award from the
Latino Arts Network of California.
The award honors artists and
cultural workers who have been
working in their communities over
years, serving the public through
their endeavors in arts and
culture. Roberta has served as
chair of Arts and Culture and the
Library Commission for the city of
Pasadena and sits on the
Pasadena senior center board.
She also serves as the executive
director of Latino Heritage, an
organization dedicated to
promoting knowledge of Latino
experience and history through
arts and cultural programs in
Pasadena and the San Gabriel
Valley. Roberta, a writer, is the
author of “Latinos In Pasadena
(Images of Americas Series),”
(Arcadia Publishing, 2009).
80s
’86 Holly J. Mitchell was elected in
November 2012 to represent the
54th Assembly District. Prior to
this, she served as the representative for the 47th Assembly District.
She worked in the Los Angeles
district office of California State
Sen. Diane Watson, providing
community and constituent services
and serving as a policy analyst for
the California Senate’s Health and
Human Services Committee.
’88 Mark Takano was
elected to Congress from
the 41st District in
November 2012. He
began his teaching career
in the Rialto Unified
School District in 1988 in schools
serving predominantly Latino and
African-American students. Since
2009, he has served as adviser to
the Rialto High School Gay Straight
Student Alliance. In 1990, Mark
was elected to the Riverside
Community College District Board
of Trustees, where he served as
board president in 1991. As a
trustee, he helped oversee the
transition of the district’s Norco and
Moreno Valley campuses to become
independent colleges. He has also
served on the advisory board of the
Children’s Spine Foundation and
the board of the chancellor’s Asian
Pacific Islander Community
Advisory Center at UCR. He also
has served as chairman of the
Riverside Mayor’s Task Force on the
Digital Divide, chairman of the
Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of
the California Democratic Party, is a
charter member of the Association
of Latino Community College
Trustees, a member of the
Association of California Asian
American Trustees and a member
of Asian Pacific Americans in
Higher Education. He is also a
recipient of the Martin Luther King
Visionaries Award.
’95 V. Manuel Pérez was
elected to represent the
95th Assembly District in
November 2012. He
previously represented
the 80th Assembly
District, where he served as chair of
the Assembly Committee on Jobs,
Economic Development, and the
Economy. He also served as a
member of the Assembly committees
on Aging and Long-term Care;
Government Organization; Health;
and Veterans Affairs; and as chair of
the Select Committee on the
Renewable Energy Economy in Rural
California. Prior to this, he served as
a school teacher, a youth advocate,
and a community health care
director, and was a member of the
board of the Coachella Valley Unified
School District.
’96 Ronald (Mike) Perry
owns Klatch Coffee Inc.,
which was named Best
Coffeehouse in America
at a competition in
Seattle. The company has coffeehouses in Rancho Cucamonga, San
Dimas and Ontario. In November, he
opened a coffeehouse in the United
Airlines terminal at LAX. In addition
to the coffeehouses, he also sells
wholesale coffee to other coffee
shops. ... Jeremy Suiter is an attorney
in Newport Beach. He is a shareholder at Stradling Yocca Carlson &
Rauth and was recently named the
chair of the firm’s Business and
Commercial Litigation Practice
Group. Prior to joining Stradling in
2007, Jeremy was a litigation
associate with Latham & Watkins
LLP in Los Angeles. He has
experience as a judicial law clerk to
the Hon. Richard W. Vollmer Jr. of
the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of Alabama and the
Hon. Mary Beck Briscoe of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Tenth
Circuit. His practice focuses on
business litigation, investor disputes
and professional liability.
TAKE FIVE
Aside from the obvious answer … I don’t know! (Laughs) I look at the
people who’ve won three Pulitzers for editorial cartooning and they’re
such giants that I just can’t imagine myself in that category, so I try
not to think about it. Believe it or not, there are a few other awards I’d
still like to win. The Sigma Delta Chi, an award given by the Society of
Professional Journalists, is one. A Robert F. Kennedy award would be
nice, too. And then the Herblock prize! Herb Block was the cartoonist
for the Washington Post for 50 years; he was an institution and he
won three Pulitzers.
gh
Steve
Breen
2
‘94 T.C.
gh
00s
’00 Diana Balistreri married Robert
Ramirez in July. Diana is an
account manager for Recyclebank
You always say that UCR started you off on editorial cartooning.
How did that happen?
The great thing about UCR was its size. It was big enough, but it
wasn’t too intimidating in size and scope. I was able to work up the
courage to go into the Highlander office and ask if they wanted to run
my cartoons. I don’t know if I would’ve done that at a bigger school.
Not only did [the Highlander] say yes, they were very encouraging
and helpful. I had a great adviser at the Highlander who was an
adjunct professor at UCR, Bruce Reynolds. He recommended that
I start drawing editorial cartoons instead of gag cartoons. I went to
the Tomás Rivera Library and I checked out a bunch of editorial
cartoon books and studied microfilm and the old bound volumes of
Newsweek. That’s really where my schooling came from in terms of
editorial cartooning — studying the works of these great masters and
going back to the dorm room at Aberdeen-Inverness and trying to
create my own cartoons at my desk.
‘92 B.A., POLITICAL SCIENCE
The editorial cartoonist
at the U-T San Diego,
Steve is a two-time
Pulitzer Prize winner,
children’s book author
and app creator. He
credits his days at UCR
for putting him on the
path to professional
cartooning.
The last time we talked, you said the way to top winning one Pulitzer
Prize was to win another. Now that you have two (one from 1998 and
another from 2009), how are you planning to top that?
3
So you had your aha moment at UCR …
4
Has technology changed the way you draw? What’s your process?
5
What inspires your cartoons?
Yes, I certainly did. I remember sitting in the lounge of the Tomás
Rivera Library and waiting for my editorial cartooning books to arrive,
and when they came, it was like Christmas morning. It was then that
I realized I wanted to draw editorial cartoons for a living, and that is
what I wanted to set my sights on.
Not really, except that I use Photoshop now. I used to be a purist and
not put color in my cartoons. Now I prefer it. I still draw them the
same way I used to, which is pen and ink on paper. I pencil it first,
and then I take that rough after my editor approves it, I put it on the
light table and I trace it on to another piece of paper. Then I trace it
and then I start inking it. The process takes two hours.
Anytime I see an injustice, that tends to fire me up and get my juices
flowing. Cartoons involving the presidency always seem to be more
fun, no matter who is in office. I’m the rare conservative who thinks
climate change is real and man-made. Also, business and economic
issues tend to leave me a little cold. I was a business major when I
started at UCR and I switched to political science because I thought
business was boring. I took some great political science classes at
UCR; they really opened up the world of politics and international
relations to me in terms of the way I looked at the world.
“Steve Breen: Can’t Stop Drawing,” an exhibition of Breen’s work, is
currently on display at the Alumni and Visitors Center.
and serves as the president of the
UCR Alumni Association’s Los
Angeles Chapter. … Paul Cook was
elected to represent the 8th
Congressional District
in November 2012.
He is a retired colonel
from the Marine Corps
where he served for
26 years. After retiring, he was
elected to the Yucca Valley town
council, ultimately serving as
mayor. In 2006, he was elected
as a representative in the
California State Assembly where
he served as chair of the Assembly
UCR Winter 2013 | 33
CLASS ACTS
90s
1
Join the
UCR Alumni
Association
for Life
Marisol Aviña (’01)
Proud UCRAA Life Member
As a first-generation college graduate, I feel very
fortunate to have the education and opportunities that UCR
afforded me. I am honored to be an advocate for children
with special needs, foster youth, at-risk students and
English-language learners through my work at the California
state Capitol, helping to draft and shape policy that affects
the 6.1 million students in our K-12 education system.
I’m proud to participate in the annual UC Day and in the
UCRAA Scholarship application readings in Sacramento.
Being part of the selection process allows me to have input
in how our association fees help students in financial need.
Marisol Aviña is consultant to the California State
Assembly Education Committee in Sacramento.
Become a lifetime member of the UCRAA.
To join, call (951) UCR-ALUM (827-2586)
www.alumni.ucr.edu/membership
34 | UCR Winter 2013
Veterans Affairs Committee. He has
also taught history and political
science at Copper Mountain
College, California State University,
San Bernardino, and UCR. …
Anthony Rendon was
elected to represent
the 63rd Assembly
District in November.
Anthony is the
executive director of
Plaza de la Raza Child Development
Services. Plaza is a nonprofit
organization that provides
comprehensive child development
and social and medical services to
more than 2,100 children and
families in Los Angeles County.
Prior to this, he served as adjunct
professor in the Department of
Political Science and Criminal
Justice at California State
University, Fullerton, from January
2001 to May 2008. He previously
worked with the California League
of Conservation Voters, the Museum
of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles,
AIDS Walk Los Angeles, and
Refugio Para Niños Foster
Family Agency.
’02 Roger Hernández
was elected in
November 2012 to
represent the 48th
Assembly District.
Prior to this, he represented the
57th District, where he was
appointed to the leadership
position of assistant majority whip
by the speaker of the Assembly,
and was also selected to serve as
chair of the Select Committee on
Low High School Matriculation
Rates. In addition, he served on
the Committee on Banking and
Finance, the Health Committee,
the Utilities and Commerce
Committee, and the Committee on
Water, Parks, and Wildlife. Prior to
being elected to the Assembly, he
was a professor of government at
Rio Hondo and Citrus Community
Colleges. He served as mayor and
as a councilmember for the city of
West Covina. Prior to his tenure
on the City Council, Hernández
was elected to the Rowland
Unified School Board, were he
served from November 1999
through July 2003.
’04 Leonel Mojica graduated from
California Southern Law school in
May 2010. He opened his own
law office, which specializes in
criminal and family law, in
downtown Riverside in July 2012.
’07 Kyle Hiner received a
California Science and Technology
Policy fellowship from the
California Council on Science and
Technology, a nonprofit organization that offers expert advice to
the state government and
recommends solutions to
science- and technology-related
policy issues. Kyle specializes in
the study of active black holes
and their host galaxies. …
Sivashankar Krishnakumar is part
of LankanCorps, an organization
founded to give people of Sri
Lankan heritage the opportunity to
professionally engage in social,
cultural and economic development activities in Sri Lanka.
Sivashankar was placed with the
Foundation of Goodness, where he
helped organize the Murali
Harmony Cup, a cricket tournament. Alumna Seshma
Kumararatne ’11 is also a member
of the LankanCorps. She is placed
at the Lakshman Kadirgamar
Institute of International Relations
and Strategic Studies, where she
is involved in various research
projects, including a policy paper
on Sri Lanka’s engagement with
the diaspora. She aspires to an
international career.
Are you celebrating a
milestone event? Maybe you
published your latest book,
you got elected into office or
you just turned 100. Tell us
all about it, send a picture,
and we’ll celebrate with you!
Email us at news@ucr.edu
and we’ll include it in the
next UCR Magazine.
W E
R E M E M B E R
according to Mike Capriotti, a
’66 John Greenwood, president
of Coro Southern California.
October, 2012.
’90 Timothy Moody, senior
associate at Behre Dolbear Group
Inc. October, 2012.
’07 Kelsey Goode. November,
2012.
close friend.
Brown is survived by his sisters,
Janet Brown of Los Angeles and
Rebecca Turner of La Plata, Md.
Staff
Historian, artist and longtime
UCR videographer James “Jim”
Brown (‘77) died Dec. 13. Brown
spent his entire career helping
UCR maximize its communications
efforts through film, videography
and photography. He often worked
archival video into new productions, and his deep and sonorous
voice is the ubiquitous narrator of
countless UCR videos.
Brown produced many shows
about UCR that appear on
UCTV and on Charter Cable. He
also made videos for organizations in the community, which
included documenting the history
of immigrants to Riverside’s
Chinatown.
Brown was an artist and
sculptor; he exhibited his work in a
show called “SEEBESEEN” at the
UCR Alumni and Visitors Center.
Brown had a gruff exterior but a
tender heart, and a real love for UC
Riverside and its history. His father
taught at UCR, so Brown grew up
in campus housing and earned his
bachelor’s degree in history. Later
he edited a book on Riverside
County history called “Harvest of
the Sun: An Illustrated History of
Riverside County.” He was hired as
the campus videographer in August
of 1983.
Brown was a fan of the Orange
Empire Railway Museum in Perris
and designated his estate go to
“that small jewel of a museum,”
Faculty
Abdel-Hamid Zaki, a research
scientist who dedicated 15 years
of his life to studying the diseases
of avocado trees at UCR’s Plant
Pathology Department, passed
away on Nov. 28.
Zaki was known to his family
and friends as Hamada. He
was born on Sept. 4, 1938, in
Alexandria, Egypt. He is survived
by Louise, his loving wife of 48
years, and by his children, Salwa,
Sherif and Amir, their spouses and
seven grandchildren. His son Amir
is an associate professor in the
Department of Art at UCR.
Zaki earned his bachelor’s
and master’s degrees from the
University of Alexandria, Egypt.
He earned his Ph.D. in plant
pathology from the University of
Minnesota in 1964. After teaching
at the University of Ain Shams in
Cairo, Zaki and his family moved
to California in 1969. It was at
UCR that Zaki and his colleagues
spent lunch hours playing tennis
and he became an avid competitor.
Following his tenure at UCR,
he taught math and science at
Beaumont High School until
his retirement in 1999. Zaki
continued to serve the youth of our
community as a substitute teacher
until this past spring.
Throughout his life, Zaki truly
enjoyed lively philosophical
discussions with family and close
friends. He lived a very active life
and was a spirited competitor.
Tennis and chess were among
his favorites. His friends and
family will remember him for his
genuine warmth, his generosity
of spirit, and his unwavering
love and support. His open heart
and willingness to engage in
meaningful conversations will be
deeply missed.
Paul Dudley Wilson, 83, who
was instrumental in developing
the neuroscience program at UCR,
died on Oct. 9, 2012, at his home
in Riverside.
Wilson, who joined the UCR
faculty in 1969, earned his Ph.D.
in psychology from the University
of Chicago and was initially hired
at UCR as a temporary lecturer.
He served as acting chair of the
fledgling neuroscience department
until 1990. He retired in 1993 as
professor of psychology and neuroscience but continued to teach as
an emeritus professor until 1996.
Much of his research involved
work on the retina and optical
nerve. Wilson was respected
among his colleagues for his
wisdom, insight and patience as
well as his dedication to both
research and teaching. He was a
favorite among graduate students,
who remembered him as a kind
and gentle man.
After his retirement, Wilson
joined the Riverside County Youth
Accountability Board and was
active in the LIFE Society at UCR.
He is survived by his wife of
55 years, Barbara; his children,
Elizabeth Wilson, Peggy Cartwright
and Tom Wilson; and his sister,
Mary Kelsey.
William W. Wood Jr., Cooperative Extension specialist
emeritus, passed away on May
29 at the age of 82. He had been
a specialist for the University of
California Cooperative Extension
based at UCR from 1964 to
1991, the last three years in the
Department of Environmental
Sciences.
Wood was born Nov. 4, 1929,
near Marysville, Calif., on a driedfruit and nut ranch. He earned
a B.A. in political science from
Occidental College in 1951,
working during the summers as a
ranch hand. After graduation he
was employed with the California
Almond Growers’ Exchange, the
Almond Marketing Order, and the
Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics at UC Berkeley.
While at Giannini he realized he
would need advanced degrees to
do the work he wanted to, and
enrolled first at UC Davis and then
at UC Berkeley, earning an M.S. in
1963 and a Ph.D. in 1965, both
in agricultural economics.
In 1964 Wood was offered
a position as a specialist in
the University of California
Cooperative Extension, based
at UC Riverside. He referred to
himself as a “policy economist.”
According to William Jury,
“Wood’s most significant contributions ... were in the areas of land
policy, water policy, and public
policy education. He was the
author of numerous papers on
land policy, and was the foremost
expert on the California Land
Conservation Act (Williamson Act),
serving in advisory and consulting
roles to the Resources Agency of
the state of California. He also
provided advice, analysis and
educational programs for many
California counties.”
Wood was Cooperative Extension’s universitywide coordinator
for economics, 1971-78; program
director, Agricultural Economics
and Community Resource Development, 1981-88; and taught
agricultural economics courses
for the Department of Economics.
On the occasion of his retirement
in 1991, colleagues called him
an “outstanding teacher” and
“nationally recognized as a
leader,” and that he ran “one
of the outstanding extension
programs ... in the U.S.”
Wood is survived by his wife
of nearly 60 years, Skipper; five
children; and five grandchildren.
UCR Winter 2013 | 35
CLASS ACTS
Alumni
SCAPE
C
Carol Park (’02 B.A., ’11 M.F.A.)
The Documentary Filmmaker
LITTY
MATTHEW
It is 1992. A young Korean woman
stands behind a gas station cash register on
a busy South Los Angeles corner. Some 50
miles away, at the Simi Valley courthouse in
Ventura County, the Rodney King verdict is
read. Minutes later, an angry crowd eddies
outside the woman’s cashier’s booth. The
police won’t come and she wonders if she’ll
make it home to her children that afternoon.
This image of her frantic mother
is etched into Carol K. Park’s psyche.
Although her mother made it home safely,
Illustration by
Mike Tofanelli
36 | UCR Winter 2013
the 1992 Los Angeles riots — and the
violence and racism that led up to it —
brought a deeper understanding of her
identity as a Korean-American.
A researcher at UCR’s Young Oak
Kim (YOK) Center for Korean-American
Studies, Park, like many KoreanAmericans, considers the riots a touchstone
on the daily racism they faced.
Park started helping her mother at their
gas station in Compton at the age of 10.
She remembers the routine taunts from
customers. You don’t belong here. Go back
to China. “But I’m Korean!” Park would
tell them. “Before the riots, before I even
worked in the cashier’s booth, I had no
idea that I was anything but American,”
says Park. “ I knew I had slanted eyes,
black hair and spoke Korean at home. But
in my brain, I was just a kid like everyone
else.” But that changed as her world
expanded.
“Working [at our gas station] helped
me see that my world is impacted by every
person and every action that occurs around
me — whether it’s with family or a perfect
stranger,” says Park, who earned her
bachelor’s degree in English from
UCR in 2002. Park also worked
as a journalist at The PressEnterprise publication
The Business Press until
2007 and was awarded
an M.F.A. in creative
writing from UCR
Palm Desert in 2011.
Park’s experiences led her to
finish a documentary
with the help of the
YOK Center. “The
1992 LA Riots: Reflections on Our Future” debuted
in April 2012 and was screened at
the Korean-American Film Festival in
both Los Angeles and New York, and at
the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
When Park started the project, her mother
didn’t want her to pursue the film, thinking
it would be a painful experience for her
child. “When she saw the film, she realized
what I was trying to accomplish,” says Park.
“My takeaway is the riots weren’t due
to just one specific group or event,” says
Park. “Everyone had a hand in it, including
the Korean-American community. We
didn’t know the neighborhood culture. We
didn’t explain our culture. Koreans, African
Americans and the government failed to
communicate the issues that plagued us.”
Park’s film concludes that if our community
doesn’t address these issues, the riots can
happen again. For Park, the riots were the
turning point of understanding her own
ethnic identity. “I am a Korean-American —
“I AM A KOREANAMERICAN — NOT
JUST KOREAN, NOT
JUST AMERICAN.”
not just Korean, not just American.” Despite
its painful lessons, the riots helped her
understand ethnic strife and made her want
to bridge the cultural gaps.
And as the Korean-American community
grows, Park sees the need for academic
study and preservation of the immigrant
experience at institutions like the YOK
Center. The historical and cultural impact
of the Korean immigrant experience —
picking oranges alongside Chinese and
Japanese in the early 1900s, celebrating the
highly decorated American colonel Young
Oak Kim, explaining the “Gangnam Style”
phenomenon — becomes important and
provides cultural context for the changing
population.
“We’re responsible for each other and it’s
in our hands to stop another race riot, or
any other riot for that matter,” says Park.
“We’re all in this together.”
Watch Carol’s documentary, “The 1992 LA Riots,” on
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UCR Winter 2013 | 37